Below are the basics for reaching the different types of schools (the ones above, plus colleges and pre-schools), along with some helpful tricks to getting things done.
High Schools / Middle Schools
- Become a partner in education (this is the hoop you jump through to getting in with all schools)
- Invite admin and staff to visit you, do this with free product (thank them for all the hard work they do)
- Spirit nights don't work as well with HS as they do with elementary kids. Focus on a specific group within the school (eg: cheerleaders or student council). Let them promote the event.
- Fundraising for clubs. Everyone wants the sports teams, but remember that the band is a larger group with very loyal followers. If you support them, they'll support you.
- Trade banquets for advertising dollars
- Hire through the school's DECA program (or something similar)
Elementary Schools
- Become a partner in education
- Invite staff, admin, and PTA/O to see you for lunch or dinner
- Fundraising for special projects
- Spirit nights for this age group are great (remember to make them fun to encourage word of mouth and to post a sign on your door during those nights - you'll get credit from the rest of your customers for being a good guy)
- Give teachers stickers to remind parents
- Put signage in their carpool lanes
- Make sure the admin promotes the event
- Offer gift certificates to Office Depot to the teacher with the most kids at the event (make it a contest)
Pre-Schools
- Pretty much the same as with elementary school kids, but here are a few twists
- Fundraising is key for many of these schools
- Mom's are more likely to get together after they drop kids off (if you're a coffeehouse, smoothie shop, health club take note)
- Make sure you're kid friendly if you go after this group (high chairs, kid friendly menu, and always have a give-away and distraction for the kids - the happier they are the happier mom and dad will be)
Colleges
- This is a community unto itself
- Fraternities/Sorrorities: fundraising, spirit nights
- Athletics: think intramural, club, and fraternity level
- Pan-Hellenic council
- Be a guerrilla marketer in the library (book marks, flyers on tables)
- Coffeehouses: bottomless cups during finals week
- Study break specials
- Tailgating
- T-shirts: ever seen a college kid turn down a free t-shirt?
The tactics can be different depending on your products, but the strategy is the same: care about what they care about, surround students and parents with your message, and put food into their mouths.
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2 comments:
What would you recommend for a printing company looking to market to both K-12 and the higher education market?
You may need to start at the school-level (instead of the district level) to "pull" sales through instead of "pushing" them. Produce a monthly newsletter for each school in the district; produce the athletic program; produce a playbill for the drama club.
Can you get involved with fundraising at the district level?
Can you help recruit area businesses to be partners in education?
Can you refer/recruit advertisers for the programs?
Help them achieve their goals and they'll help you achieve yours.
This is more of a B2B issue than a traditional Mayberry one, but the concepts are still the same: who are your complementary audiences, do they know who you are (by face and by name), and how often do you talk to them? It's more sales than marketing.
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