The rite of passage from summer vacation to a new school year is one that many American school children experience multiple times throughout their childhood and teenage years. Even as we age into adults, those memories remain an unforgettable part of the American experience. Although some students do have alternative school schedules, while others are educated at home, the majority of students experience a fresh start at the traditional beginning of each school year.
A Fresh Start
The lackadaisical schedule of a summer break quickly (some could say immediately) transitions into the rigid schedule of classes, homework, and extracurricular activities. Along with this abrupt transition that occurs on the first day of school, students are usually supplied with a new set of school supplies, clothes, books, and other materials to accompany a new set of teachers and advisors, a new set of classmates, and sometimes even a new school. Some students may dread this sudden fresh start while others welcome it. Yet one thing remains true throughout the years and decades – these years, and sometimes this specific time, can often shape who we are as children and ultimately who we become as adults.
Incorporate The Back To School Spirit
There are certain businesses and industries that cater specifically to the parents of students and sometimes the students themselves. For instance, companies and retailers that manufacture and sell school supplies, uniforms, sporting equipment, and other supplies and services experience a significant uptick in sales. If your small business or organization doesn’t directly deal in such products or services, that doesn’t mean that you can’t incorporate elements of a “back to school” spirit in your marketing and advertising. In fact, incorporating elements of a shared experience or rite of passage can provide a unique and powerful boost to your business.
Don’t Just Stamp “Back to School” On A Sale Or Marketing Plan
If you don’t sell products or services directly to students or the parents of students, don’t just take a regular sale or special and stamp “Back to School Sale!” or “Back to School Special!” on it. Your customers will likely question the relevance of your sale, or worse, may consider your marketing irrelevant or childish. Remember, the key to a shared experience like the back to school season is how remarkably similar these experiences are among a wide swath of the population. If done correctly, this can give you a unique opportunity to appeal to a certain set of memories and emotions surrounding the event. Don’t just slap on a label without understanding what this event collectively means. Instead, try to put down on paper what the back to school season means to you.
Remember What Back To School Meant To You
Chances are that you may remember how you felt before, during, and after the first day of each new school year. For at least a few of those years those could be happy memories, full of anticipation and a desire to move forward one grade and one year at a time in our educations and our lives. No matter what product or service you sell, there are ways that you can channel those positive feelings into your marketing. You can promote the idea that fall, as opposed to spring, is a time for renewal and a new beginning. Or you can promote the idea that it’s time to stock up on essentials in anticipation of a long winter ahead. If you provide products or services that are related to relaxation or fun, you can even appeal to our ingrained instinct to have as much fun during the last days of summer as possible. Finally, your marketing may simply involve a strong call or pull to take a fresh approach to your career, your relationships, and your general approach to life.