Don’t let any of the kids know, but Back to School season is practically here. The Pew Research Center reports that the blitz of consumer spending that occurs every year in August is second only to the winter holidays: the average family with school age children spends slightly more than $600 per year; parents of college age students spend more. The biggest categories impacted by Back to School season are clothing, technology, school supplies and footwear.

Back to School season impacts your business even if your primary marketplace isn’t children or young adults. This is due in part to a phenomenon known as “Expectations Creep.” Customers have been trained over the past decade to expect a savings bonanza in August; even if they can’t make the logical connection to the kids going back to school and attractive pricing on a new set of dishes, they’re still going to take advantage of the sale.

There’s also the “I Deserve a Reward” phenomenon. As much as we may love our children, it’s the rare parent who doesn’t experience a little emotional discomfort at shelling out hundreds of dollars on the little darlings who can’t be bothered to put their dirty socks in the hamper. A well-timed, well-placed invitation to enjoy a little personal indulgence as a reward for all the responsible parenting purchases you’ve just made can drive a lot of sales. This has proven true, especially in the beauty and jewelry categories; an awful lot of tech and home improvement tools are sold during August as well.

With this knowledge in mind, now is the time to think through your Back to School digital marketing strategy. Decide what you’re going to focus on promoting and what your offers will be. Then think through how you’ll be branding this event. Create or collect the graphics, images and messages you’ll use on your website and social media. Schedule your sales events and decide what and when you’ll be sharing related material through social media platforms.

Doing this homework BEFORE you go Back to School can be great for your bottom line. Need help making it happen? Give us a call!