The second semester is underway, and it is moving faster than you'd like! Now is the time to focus on the pressing deadlines and to juggle the multiple tasks with deftness. Yearbook marketing should be at the forefront and not ignored for a later date. The following tips will help you spread the word about the yearbook:
Campus-wide Paradigm Shift
Many campuses have the underlying value that yearbooks are for Seniors, so that group receives the bulk of advertising. The other class groups are ignored or forgotten. Switch the narrative and shift the paradigm. It is up to YOU! Students' beliefs need to be challenged to buy a yearbook each year! Check out our blog, "Why a Yearbook?" for information about communicating the treasure of owning a yearbook.
Email Marketing
A piece of the paradigm shift is wrapped in Email Marketing. This key method powerfully communicates to the parents or guardians about the yearbook, its value, the cost, deadlines for purchasing, and payment plans. They don't need an avalanche of emails. Sending emails on time, about once every three weeks, is very effective. Typically, parents may miss the first email run. Therefore, it is beneficial to loop the information about deadlines frequently. Develop connections through effective communication and build your confidence and sales.
Online Sales
Sales increases will be effective if you have an online sales presence. Parents do not have to come to campus or depend on their children to buy the yearbook with their credit card or cash. They are the ones purchasing through the links you provide. In addition, create a QR code for posters posted around campus and use it on social media accounts to ease the process.
Word of Mouth
The above tactics are strong options, but an efficient and effective method remains old-fashioned word-of-mouth. Ask your students and staff to spread the word about the yearbook and its unique features. Use the school's Facebook community page, Instagram account, and morning announcements to gather financial support. Encourage students to discuss the yearbook with peers during lunch breaks, between classes, and club and sports activities. Ask other teachers if your student staff can present at the beginning of a class period to share the final deadline for purchasing yearbooks.
To conclude, the most productive marketing offensives include 1) Emailing the parents, 2) selling books online, and 3) using word-of-mouth and social media accounts for blitz advertising.
Here’s to selling out this year’s yearbook! We offer resources to complement your instruction and enrich your yearbook staff’s learning. Our website, www.unitedyearbook.net , and our newsletter, podcast, and blog, are tools available to you as you move forward in the new year and complete the book. Schedule your yearbook 1-on-1 consult here.
Copyright © 2025. TSE Worldwide Press. All Rights Reserved.
Editor: Donna Ladner obtained a B.A. in Education and a minor in English from California Baptist University, and a M.S. in ESL from USC, Los Angeles. After she married Daniel, their family moved to Indonesia with a non-profit organization and lived cross-culturally for 15 years before returning to the U.S in 2012. Donna has been working as an editor and proofreader for TSE Worldwide Press and its subsidiary, United Yearbook since 2015.
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