You and your team spent months on the layout and design of your yearbook. Now it’s time to sell them! Marketing your yearbook is one of the most important activities for your staff members and a great way for them to learn all aspects of the business.
Here are some great marketing ideas that have been proven to be successful over the years:
Display posters in school with photos from the yearbook! Use bright colors so they are noticeable. Hang your posters in interesting and populated places at school, such as restrooms, locker rooms, the media center, cafeteria and office. Place them out in the community in high traffic places such as grocery stores, retail stores, the mall and fast food hangouts.- Offer a payment plan so students who cannot afford a one time charge can have an opportunity to purchase one.
- If your school sends home a mailer, ask to include a flier for yearbook sales. If necessary, send home flyers in multiple languages.
- Create ads in the school newspaper, or in football or basketball program, and use school radio or TV announcements.
- Place advertising stickers on items in the school snack machine.
- Pass around “Yearbooks on Sale” balloons in between periods and after school.
- Hang “Yearbooks on Sale” banners on the front or main entrance to the school and in the car drop off loop.
- Encourage Pre-sales by offering a discounted price early in the year that increases as the school year moves on.
- Create a sense of urgency to buy a yearbook. Have a one-week sales event. During the event, advertise through posters, T-shirts for yearbook staff members, fliers on car windows or in lockers. You could even use chalk to draw advertisements on the concrete. Be as enthusiastic about the book as you can.
- Organize a giveaway for your sales campaign. For example, you might draw one name of a student who purchased a book in a given week to receive a free iPad two tickets to the school dance.
- Have your students use social media to promote sales. If they have a Facebook, or Twitter account, have them post about the yearbook.
- Place a link on your school website that connects to the online store to purchase yearbooks.
- Have students man a table at PTA Meetings and Parent Nights selling books. Have samples of books from previous years on display. Anytime parents are on campus, you should take advantage of the sales opportunity.
- If your school has a database of parent email addresses, send out reminder emails prior to sales events. You could also use a robo-calling system to send a phone message home.
- Send every student who has not yet purchased a book a reminder. Include reasons why they should purchase a book.
A well developed marketing plan will give all students in your school the opportunity to buy a book and have those special moments to look back on years down the road. For more information, contact YearbookLife today!
Everyone wants a unique yearbook to share with friends and family. How about one in 3D?
YearbookLife is one of the few yearbook publishers to offer 3D yearbooks. Let us help you create a unique yearbook for your school!
All 3D yearbooks include:
- FREE 3D glasses
- FREE online design software
- 10 day delivery
- FREE shipping
- No money required to get started
- FREE marketing materials
Want more information? Contact YearbookLife today to learn more about 3D yearbooks and how you can get started.
While the theme and content make up the most important parts of the class yearbook, a title is still very important. That is because in many instances the book won’t be referred to as the class yearbook but by its title.
So what makes for a good title? Here are some ideas:
One title idea that will always work is an inspirational type of title. Perhaps “Taking The Lead” or “Only The Beginning”. Both of these provide a sense not of ending one chapter but rather starting a new one.
A title based off the theme of the book is also a great idea. If your theme were current events perhaps you would want to go with a title like a newspaper such as the “(name of school) Times”. The yearbook is meant to capture the events that went on during the school year. This makes this type of title very appropriate.
Utilizing your school mascot is also a great direction to go in for your yearbook title. For example, play off the word Roar if your mascot is a tiger or lion. If your school mascot is the wolves you could play off the word Howl.
If the class had a theme song or chant, a yearbook may relate well if its title includes words from that music. Perhaps “This Is How We Do It.” Or “Once Upon A Time.”
If none of these suggestions work you can always look back at past yearbooks from your school and simply repeat it’s name and just update the year and colors.
Your yearbook title will stay with each of its recipients for generations to come. By making it memorable will make the book that much better.
A yearbook is a keepsake that every student will cherish for the rest of his or her life. That is why it is important that a lot of thought and teamwork is put in for making it great.
Unfortunately though, not every school has a volunteer yearbook committee to design and create the yearbook. It may fall on one or two advisors who most likely have other responsibilities at the school as well.
These dedicated individuals shouldn’t feel overwhelmed and discouraged. A great, memorable and professional yearbook can still be created with a small staff. Here’s what to do:
- It’s okay to ask for help, even if it’s just temporary. Perhaps a teacher with graphic design skills or students in study hall can “pinch hit” and provide a temporary helping hand. Perhaps you can entice students to help out if in return they can get some kind of extra credit in one of their classes.
- Create a plan early and stick to it. Even if new events and ideas surface remember you are a small crew and you should stick with your original plan. Also do the best you can in allowing for extra time to resolve unforeseen issues. By planning ahead for the unexpected can help prevent a major issue down the road.
- Utilize YearbookLife as your “yearbook committee.” YearbookLife makes the entire yearbook process simple and seamless. This one-stop-shop offers design ideas, yearbook software and affordable prices so you get all the compliments and appreciation.
Remind yourself that a simple yearbook is better than no yearbook at all and only do the best you can!
Designing the inside page layouts of your yearbook can be one of the most challenging parts of the yearbook process, but it’s also one of the most creative aspects. It does, however, take time and a certain amount of artistic skill.
With an all-volunteer staff and busy students and faculty, creating these great layouts can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Photography: Not all photos on the page need to be the same exact size. In fact, in most circumstances, they shouldn’t be. Showcasing a variety of sizes creates a more creative look. Remember though, the most important photo on the page should be the biggest and be able to tell the biggest part of the story. The smaller photos can then support that bigger photo. For example, if a two page spread shows the prom, the focal photo maybe the crowning of the king and queen with dancing and candid photos supporting it. How about putting a border around some or all of the photos? Borders can make photos looked framed. You may want to put a thicker border around the focus picture and thinner borders around the supporting photos, or make them different colors. Use all of the photo design elements to create a striking look to the photos and the page.
Headers and Headlines: Similar to photography, not every word in the header needs to be the same size. They also don’t need to be the same font or color. There are a variety of ways to be creative with your headlines so they stand out, are recognized and most importantly remembered. What about adding drop shadows, or overlaying one color of text with another? Headlines can also be curved, placed on an angle, or placed vertically down the page.There are many design elements that can be used to manipulate the text and set up a text box. Consider ways other than a standard across the top set up.
The Margins and Bleeds: Understanding the margins will help tell you the amount of workable space you have on each page. Yearbook design software should give you guidelines as to where you can place design elements on a page, before they cross over into what is called the trim zone. While you should put background colors and elements across the whole page, so they bleed from corner to corner; you should be aware of where the trim zone is so you don’t put any significant items past it (for example, someone’s face or the last few letters of a word). This will prevent text or images from getting cut off when at the printer.
Play around with the different options your Pictavo software offers and before you know it your page will not only look great, but also unique.
Yes, with Facebook, Instagram and the internet many think that a yearbook isn’t a necessity for students anymore. They think all their moments and excitement during the school year can be captured and looked at within a social network on a mobile device.
While that is potentially true, a printed yearbook chronicles what is most relevant to students and allows them to physically have something to touch when revisiting the book in future years.
Why is a yearbook important?
- For one, it doesn’t exclude anybody. Everyone is mentioned and no one is left out or snubbed. In contrast, if you rely on a social network and the web to showcase the school year, there is a good possibility sections, stories and photos can get deleted. This could lead to tension between students and perhaps lead to a memory that only few will want to remember instead of the entire class.
- Yearbooks are permanent keepsakes. Just like a wedding band and a piece of fine china, a yearbook will last forever. You will have the ability to go back to it and reminisce with future generations including your own children and grandchildren. In contrast, as quick as technology evolves, web-based sites may change their format or go out of business tomorrow and all of your memories could potentially be gone. A printed yearbook guarantees these memories will last forever!
While technology and trends change, good traditional storytelling never goes out of style and that is exactly what a yearbook is. Students will flip through the printed pages of their yearbooks, ask friends and teachers for their autographs and to share stories. Something that just isn’t the same on a mobile phone, tablet or computer.
To learn more about YearbookLife and request a quote for your printed yearbooks, click here.
