Back-to-School Marketing Guide: Campaigns, Ideas, Tips

As the summer draws to a close and a new season begins, students and parents are gearing up for back-to-school shopping. For eCommerce stores, this presents a fantastic opportunity to participate in the back-to-school season and boost sales through targeted marketing campaigns.

In this article, we’ll explore nine great back-to-school marketing ideas to help eCommerce businesses make the most out of this lucrative season.

Key Takeaways

• Back-to-school season offers a lucrative opportunity for businesses to increase sales and reach new audiences.
• Optimise website themes and use autumn colours to evoke the spirit of the season, while highlighting relevant products.
• Utilise personalised coupons, product bundles, and social media campaigns to drive customer engagement and increase brand recognition.

When is the Back-to-School Marketing Season? 

Back-to-school marketing season is the period before the summer holidays are over and the school season starts. Back-to-school marketing typically spans from August 1 to September 30, depending on where you are. In the UK, for example, the school year begins early September.

To capitalise on this season, you should begin planning your back-to-school campaigns during the summer months, while your summer marketing campaigns are running. It is crucial that you decide on back-to-school marketing campaign strategies and prepare the needed content well in advance.

1. Optimise Your Website with a Back-to-School Theme

Transition your website’s summer theme into a vibrant back-to-school theme and get your customers into that autumn mood.

• Use autumn colours like neutral tones, browns, oranges, reds, yellows, and greens to evoke the spirit of the season.

• Highlight relevant items on your homepage.

• Add banners and timers for back-to-school campaigns.

• Incorporate keywords like “school shoes,” “university journal,” and “college books” in your menu and product descriptions.

2. Promote Back-to-School Products on Your Landing Page

Remember that you can still target customers who’ve left their school years behind.

Tap into customers’ nostalgia by showcasing back-to-school items on your landing page. Use personalised widgets to display top-selling items and products previously browsed by the consumer, reminding them of the back-to-school deals and creating a sense of excitement.

3. Use Reminders for Back-to-School Campaigns

Send newsletters, push notifications for desktop and mobile devices, and email reminders to your visitors and customers during August and September. These reminders can highlight back-to-school-themed products, coupons, and popular items from previous years, encouraging customers to explore your offerings.

4. Offer Exclusive Personalised Coupons

Motivate customers to make purchases by offering exclusive deals and personalised coupons. Even if they are not students themselves, the value of a tailored discount will make customers feel appreciated and incentivise them to make a purchase.

Don’t forget people who are into arts and crafts; you can turn the back-to-school season into an early Christmas for them!

5. Use Dynamic Bundles to Increase AOV

Create product bundles with complementary items to save customers time and offer them convenience. By suggesting related products during the back-to-school shopping process, you can increase AOV and enhance customer satisfaction.

6. Leverage Social Media to Reach New Customers

Initiate a social media campaign at least two weeks before the back-to-school season starts. Promote your offerings, special deals, and countdowns to the back-to-school campaign day. Use vibrant colours, engaging captions, and hashtags to increase brand recognition across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

7. Create a Dedicated Search Page for Back-to-School Items

Customise your search box and use banners to direct customers to a dedicated search page for back-to-school items. This ensures customers easily find relevant products and keeps the back-to-school season top of mind during their shopping experience.

8. Provide Back-to-School Shopping Checklists

Offer back-to-school shopping checklists to make it easier for customers to find everything they need. Depending on your business, create checklists that cover stationary, books, electronics, school bags, uniforms, and more.

9. Offer Free Shipping

Consider offering free shipping during your back-to-school marketing campaigns. Shipping costs can impact purchase decisions, so providing free and fast shipping can entice new customers to try your products. If free shipping isn’t feasible for certain products, offer clear delivery timeframes to build customer trust.

Wrapping Up

Back-to-school season presents a golden opportunity for brands to reach new audiences and boost sales. With education being a high priority for many, parents are willing to spend on their children’s education.

By implementing these 9 back-to-school marketing strategies, you can offer personalised experiences, drive customer engagement, and maximise success during this important shopping season.
Partner with Segmentify to leverage personalised solutions for your business and make the most of the back-to-school season. Sign up for a demo and get ready to excel in this lucrative period!