Page 173 - Jostens Yearbook_Adviser Guide

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The demands of producing a yearbook
may make it tempting to place all
students on production staff. THE MARKETING MANAGER BUILDING 8.2

However, a sales and marketing If possible, every staff should consider having at least one student
manager can be a yearbook adviser’s assigned to be the business or marketing manager—one or more
key ally, taking charge of the routine student leaders in charge of marketing and selling the yearbook. YOUR AUDIENCE
processes involved in marketing and The marketing manager will set up and execute various online
selling the yearbook. and in-school offers. These offers may or may not coincide with

The marketing manager can also be in yearbook production staff deadlines.
charge of maintaining the yearbook’s That doesn’t mean that the marketing manager works alone Marketing is about audience. And successful marketing is
social media presence. And in some in a vacuum. On the contrary, the marketing manager must about appealing to your audience.
cases, especially during deadlines work in tandem with others on yearbook staff, building upon
when there are fewer sales pushes, the marketing funnel model by successfully linking promotional Maintaining communication between the yearbook
the marketing manager can assist with materials with yearbook production.
scheduling photographers and checking staff and the student body is key. Those on yearbook staff
camera equipment in and out. SOME OF THE WORK THE MARKETING MANAGER SHOULD already know they’ve created a product specifically with your
DO WITH THE WHOLE STAFF INCLUDES:
Here are just a few tasks that a school community in mind. It is their challenge to let the school
marketing manager can do along with ■ Communicating with the staff about goals and deadlines, community know why they should want it.
other responsibilities: brainstorming new and fresh ideas, and talk about
your progress.
■ maintain social media sites The best yearbook programs do just that. They do more
■ Collaborating with peers. Like any successful product,
■ promote yearbook staff member of yearbook creation and marketing requires teamwork. There is than just give essential information about how to purchase a
the week (on social media) 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
■ coordinate survey data with school focus on their strengths. A marketing manager will need to
■ maintain an accurate index be creative in finding new ways to do things, whether it is THEMATIC MARKETING DRIVES
a sales tracking spreadsheet, a new marketing strategy or
■ organize ad sales/sponsor drives 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.
■ check out equipment 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