Sell it! Ring up extra sales

With final submission lists coming due, this is a smart time to amp up sales, because the best yearbook is a sold-out yearbook.

If you haven’t focused much on sales, the beginning of the new year is a smart time to address the numbers. Spring delivery books usually submit their final numbers in late January so advisers and staffs need to determine how many books they’re ordering. For fall books, this is a prime time to push new sales

At the beginning of the school year, staffs set a preliminary order number when setting up the specifications. But those numbers can be adjusted with the final quantity submission, usually due in late January for spring books. The first month of the year is the perfect opportunity to assess current sales, increase marketing and plan for the final numbers.

To start: Get a healthy feel for where you stand this year.

• Verify how many books you’ve sold.
• Compare that with the number of books you sold by this time last year.
• Verify the total number of books you sold last year.
• Compare the numbers to get an idea if you’re currently on track, behind or ahead in sales.
• Use the numbers to estimate how many total books you should order. Consult with your sales representative to verify the estimate sounds reasonable.
• Cushion your order a little to have extra copies to replace damaged books, fill missing orders and offer free books to administrators or needy students.

Focus on sales: Choose marketing strategies to create a yearbook buzz on campus and sell more books. Consider:

• Hanging posters around the school.
• Sending an all-school email to parents reminding them of the final chance to order.
• Running the index and posting outside the room for students to see how often they’re in the book.
• Featuring a few strong spreads around campus and on social media with the online or in-school order info.
• Handing out “You’re in the Book” slips. Include a piece of candy or offer a free nameplate or coupon for orders.
• Calling parents of students in the book.
• Ask the broadcast program to do a behind-the-scenes feature on the yearbook or run a short promotional yearbook video.

The great thing is you don’t have to create your own resources. At StudioBalfour, you can download or order flyers, posters, letters, signs and video campaigns. You can also schedule emails using our pre-designed email templates. Check out all the options in the Yearbook Supplies link under the Build a Book tab.

The start of the new year is the perfect time of year to reach buyers and maximize yearbook engagement. Communicate with the student body and school community with eMarketing and on-campus resources. Build those sales numbers so you can improve your final quantity numbers. Because the best yearbook is a sold-out yearbook.