Back to School: Roll Out 3 Campaigns with ShortStack.com to Kickstart the School Year, Build Customer Loyalty, and Pay It Forward

School is now in session, and what better way to highlight your customers, students, and educators and have a lil bit of fun! With the summer being over, parents, students, and teachers start preparing for the coming school year by buying essentials such as clothing, supplies, and technology as they gear up for the new year.

Leading retailers like Walmart, Target, and Children’s Place have launched their back-to-school sales early, setting the pace ahead of competitors and finding ways to save their customers money and give back. For instance, Walmart has its "Earn Cash for Schools with Big Tops for Education'' campaign. Target gives back to educators and college students with a 20% off discount, while Children’s Place runs the "Give Back Box" program, rewarding members with an extra 100 bonus points for donations throughout August. With inflation on the rise, customers are looking for ways to save, and what better strategy be offering discounts, rewards, or giving back?

According to the National Shopping Federation (NRF), as of early July, more than half 55% of consumers buying for back-to-class said they have already started shopping. While consumers have started shopping early, as of early July, 85% said they still have at least half of their shopping left.

Depending on your state or region, you still have time to jump in and give your customers what they are looking for. Whether your e-commerce shop or a local business, there's always a way to reward loyalty and give back to the community.

Here are (3) campaign strategies you can implement to help jumpstart back-to-school shopping to boost sales, increase brand loyalty, and give back:

1. Student Generated Content (SGC aka UGC)

With social media trends on the rise and Reels being king, User Generated Content is one-way brands bring forth awareness and connect authentically with their audience. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat play a significant role in shaping the purchasing preferences of teenagers and college students. They look to these platforms for unboxing and reviews from their favorite influencers to make purchasing decisions. 

Brands are collaborating with influencers more now than ever to help increase purchasing power amongst this group and shape the way they see trends. Having students of a sponsored school create fun TikTok videos showcasing their first day of school outfits, Kick Game Campaign of students unboxing and showing off the latest sneakers, or even first-year college students showing off their dorm décor for Dorm Room of The Day as they start the semester. There are many ways to get this age demographic involved to showcase new releases and hot trends.

Strategy #1: To get started with this campaign and get students involved, try using ShortStack’s TikTok Video Contest Template and have students submit their best videos for a chance to win some incentive, whether its a discount off their next purchase, a chance to win a product or service or for a scholarship, this helps promotes awareness, essential products, and authenticity for your brand. This template helps capture valuable information and stay connected to customers using marketing automation. Remember to create a branded hashtag to keep track of metrics.

TIKTOK VIDEO CONTEST TEMPLATE

2. Wishlist Giveaway for Educators

Teachers are the next most important figure a child will have outside of parents, shaping their education and personal growth. Recognizing their value when some are overworked and underpaid, a giveaway can honor their contributions and provide them with resources that can benefit countless students, especially teachers in underrepresented schools.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 94% of public school teachers reported paying for supplies without reimbursement. The same NCES report indicated that teachers spent, on average, $479 of their own money on classroom supplies, with the median amount at $297, while 95% of teachers serving higher populations of low-income students spend their own money on classroom supplies.

With some teachers seeking to crowdfund or to family to help donate supplies, having a giveaway that helps teachers get the supplies and tools needed is great to give back to America's backbone in shaping the future of our youth.

Such a giveaway can spotlight the amazing work teachers do daily, inspire community involvement, and, most importantly, tangibly benefit educators and their students.

Strategy #2: Using the Wishlist Giveaway Template can show teacher appreciation and support for their invaluable work. You can redesign this template and have a few select options, such as a supply bundle option, an educator's tech toolkit, or a chance to win a gift card. You can add the value for each bundle, create a form that captures basic information, and add a section where educators can talk about their teaching journey to win. This encourages teachers to share their stories, providing insight into their daily challenges and needs and fostering a deeper connection between your brand and the education community. By showcasing these narratives, you can emphasize the real-world impact of the giveaway and inspire more people to participate.

The more educators that participate the greater the campaign reach. Which can boost sales and following. Customers want to connect with businesses that care. This is a great way to showcase just that.

WISHLIST GIVEAWAY TEMPLATE

3. Back to School Instant Savings for Parents

As you prepare for the back to school shopping season, parents will likely be your primary customers and usually are your most loyal customers. Providing some incentive to help relieve the stress of school shopping can help. From small families to large, customers are looking for BIG savings. With the current economy, it's needed.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 93% of parents indicate that sales and discounts are their primary motivators for back to school shopping. Retailers who offer the best deals will likely attract more customers.

Strategy #3: Using the discount pop-up can help capture new customers and convert sales. What better time than now to offer some discounts? This pop-up will capture emails to later use for emailing marketing purposes and to capture feedback through surveys. Customers always want to know about new products, sales, account status, and company updates. Brand loyalty starts here. 

Use this template.

Bonus: Another way to increase conversion rates, gain new customers, and increase customer engagement is by adding a fortune wheel to your website. This unique user experience allows customers to spin to win additional savings on their purchases. Giving customers a gamified experience. Customers love immediate rewards, especially for back to school shopping. Offering instant discounts via the fortune wheel can encourage hesitant buyers to purchase. 

FORTUNE WHEEL GIVEAWAY

By closely monitoring trends on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, you can design campaigns on Shortstack.com that highlight customer loyalty and show appreciation to those who contribute to our youth. These three strategy campaigns will engage and excite your customers about the upcoming school year.