Page 172 - Jostens Yearbook_Adviser Guide

DON’T SKIP THIS
The demands of producing a yearbook
may make it tempting to place all
students on production staff.
However, a sales and marketing
manager can be a yearbook adviser’s
key ally, taking charge of the routine
processes involved in marketing and
selling the yearbook.
The marketing manager can also be in
charge of maintaining the yearbook’s
social media presence. And in some
cases, especially during deadlines
when there are fewer sales pushes,
the marketing manager can assist with
scheduling photographers and checking
camera equipment in and out.
Here are just a few tasks that a
marketing manager can do along with
other responsibilities:
■ maintain social media sites
■ promote yearbook staff member of
the week (on social media)
■ coordinate survey data with school
■ maintain an accurate index
■ organize ad sales/sponsor drives
■ check out equipment
THE MARKETING MANAGER BUILDING 8.2
If possible, every staff should consider having at least one student
assigned to be the business or marketing manager—one or more
student leaders in charge of marketing and selling the yearbook. YOUR AUDIENCE
The marketing manager will set up and execute various online
and in-school offers. These offers may or may not coincide with
yearbook production staff deadlines.
That doesn’t mean that the marketing manager works alone Marketing is about audience. And successful marketing is
in a vacuum. On the contrary, the marketing manager must about appealing to your audience.
work in tandem with others on yearbook staff, building upon
the marketing funnel model by successfully linking promotional Maintaining communication between the yearbook
materials with yearbook production.
staff and the student body is key. Those on yearbook staff
SOME OF THE WORK THE MARKETING MANAGER SHOULD already know they’ve created a product specifically with your
DO WITH THE WHOLE STAFF INCLUDES:
school community in mind. It is their challenge to let the school
■ Communicating with the staff about goals and deadlines, community know why they should want it.
brainstorming new and fresh ideas, and talk about
your progress.
The best yearbook programs do just that. They do more
■ Collaborating with peers. Like any successful product,
yearbook creation and marketing requires teamwork. There is than just give essential information about how to purchase a
too much to do, too many things to know. This is the beauty yearbook, they give their community a reason to buy.
of the experience. Students and peers have the ability to
focus on their strengths. A marketing manager will need to
be creative in finding new ways to do things, whether it is THEMATIC MARKETING DRIVES
a sales tracking spreadsheet, a new marketing strategy or
devising a new way to include more students on the pages Once the theme has been determined, it can be used liberally in marketing. Let the
community know what they’re going to get.
of the yearbook.
■ Thinking critically as problems arise, because they will. Not The theme becomes the marketing brand, with posters and signs using the same fonts and
everything will go according to plan and that is okay. This colors as the book. Consider painting a mural of the cover outside the yearbook room and
is not one of those “Here’s how you solve the problem; now using the cover on postcards and mailers.
solve the problem” experiences. It is much more fluid. The Chapter three on theme discussed using a thematic link to build support from your
challenge and joy is in finding a solution. community during production. This doubles to assist with marketing. Students who have
ownership or involvement in the product are more interested in purchasing it.
Many more marketing tools and ideas are available in the Grow
Your Know Marketing Guide.
MARKETING 173