Topics: Campus Media
College students return to school not once, but twice a year. This is an incredible opportunity for marketers targeting this demographic, and now is the time to start planning! Discover the importance of spring back-to-school marketing for any organization advertising to university students.
Spring back-to-school marketing is an essential part of campus advertising.
The spring back-to-school season is a prime time for businesses whose target market includes young adults. New classes mean a new list of necessary supplies and replacements for used notebooks, broken pens and worn out backpacks. Changing weather offers the chance to advertise seasonal clothing, dorm décor, recreational products and outdoor activities. Students may be looking for new jobs, additional services and different entertainment options.
The time for spring back-to-school marketing is now.
It may seem strange to be talking about spring back-to-school marketing in the fall, but there’s no time like the present. College students prepare for future terms months in advance, and so should you. Back-to-school marketing is a year-round effort, not a short-term commitment. To maximize ROI, brand awareness, trust and loyalty must be formed before spring back-to-school shopping begins.
“Marketing’s job is never done. It’s about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.”
– BETH COMSTOCK
There are many benefits of college back-to-school marketing.
From increased brand awareness and loyalty to driving traffic, engagement and sales, there are a host of reasons to include college back-to-school advertising in your marketing mix.
Perhaps most importantly, this tactic allows you to multiply your impressions without increasing your cost. With the influx of students on college campuses at the start of each semester, the area population nearly triples in a short period. In fact, each back-to-school season offers the potential to reach more than 15 million college students (and their families).
On-campus college students are captive buyers. This important audience will see your ad every morning as they walk to class, every afternoon on their way to work and every night on their way to dinner or the dorm.
Back-to-school shoppers equal long-term consumers with plenty of money to spend. College students collectively have $593 billion available to spend annually, and it doesn’t all go to tuition and rent. Much of it is used for food, alcohol, entertainment, and other personal expenses. Back-to-school shopping brings in an estimated $68 billion in a few weeks and back-to-school marketing campaigns contribute more than 15% of annual retail sales.
+ Discover how much it costs to advertise on campus.
The college years are prime time for brands to get in on the ground floor, create connections with this audience, present solutions to their challenges, and build brand trust and loyalty. Every year, millions of college students graduate and begin professional jobs, earning more money than they ever have before. In fact, the average median earnings of a young adult with a bachelor’s degree is $66,600. You can rest assured that a properly designed and well-run college back-to-school advertising campaign is a wise investment.
Do you need information on how to run a successful college back-to-school marketing campaign? See our complete guide to advertising to university students.
Editor's Note: This post has been fully updated as of October 2024.
Here at MSS Media, Inc., we’ve been providing Education, Government, Real Estate & Lifestyle clients with succinct, optimized, and successful marketing solutions for more than 15 years. Consider MSS Media, Inc. a full-service, one-stop shop for all your Media and Public Relations needs. Your goals are our motivation. And our mission is to propel your message, further and faster, to achieve the outcomes you’re looking for. If you found this blog post helpful, please share!
