It's that time again - time to gear up for back-to-school advertising! In a 2014 survey conducted by Accenture, 67 percent of respondents said that they planned to spend somewhere between $100 and $500 on back-to-school shopping, while 41 percent said they planned to spend at least $500. If you want your retail company to reap the potential rewards of this shopping season, you need to reengage with your existing customers and move new customers through the purchase journey quickly. Just remember the ABCs of back-to-school digital marketing: advertise, bargain and convert.
Advertise
Search Engine Land found that close to 24 percent of people start their back-to-school shopping at least two months before school starts, while 49 percent of people do this shopping somewhere between three weeks and a month before the first day of school. As such, you should begin advertising now, if you haven't started already. This will ensure that you reach parents as they start the shopping process.
In order for your advertising methods to be effective, you must reach out to a receptive target audience. You can start by directing your marketing efforts toward your previous customers, particularly ones who have made back-to-school purchases in the past, because this audience is clearly interested in your offerings. You can attract seasonal customers by constructing an e-mail campaign, which should include specific products, such as supplies, apparel and educational resources.
You should also design compelling ads and subsections of your website that are dedicated to these products. If you have display network partnerships, or access to them through a digital marketing partner, you can use these relationships to ensure that your ads are displayed to a targeted audience across other relevant websites, as well. And don't forget to use social media as an advertising channel. These platforms are a great way to get the word out about your back-to-school products and events.
Bargain
In Accenture's survey, 66 percent of respondents said that they would do more of their back-to-school shopping at physical stores if they were given promotions or offers that were only available in-store. These statistics illustrate that coupons and promotions play an essential role in an effective digital marketing campaign, as they are often the driving force behind purchases, both online and in-store.
If you have a loyalty plan or an upcoming sale, you should promote it early and often so that your message reaches a wide audience before the majority of back-to-school shopping takes place. These special offers are a great way to entice new customers and forge long-term relationships with them.
Convert
According to Bing Ads, there has been a 42 percent growth in mobile commerce, and conversions on optimized mobile sites are 160 percent higher than on non-optimized mobile sites. As such, in order to maximize your conversions, you must design your digital marketing materials so that they can be easily read on both desktops and mobile devices.
According to CNBC, back-to-school time is "the second-biggest selling season of the year." In order for your retail company to compete, you must put a well-constructed digital marketing campaign into place as soon as possible.
