Back to School
In the 1986 classic comedy romp “Back To School,” Rodney Dangerfield’s character asks his English professor on a date. When she replies, “I’m sorry, I have class.” He says, “Why don’t you call me sometime when you have no class.” It’s amazing what pops into my head when someone recommends a topic for Weekly Report.
Just like Thornton Mellon, millions of kids are going “back to school” this week and they all have one thing in common; they need stuff. Thanks to M+M moms Molly and Mollie for suggesting the topic.
The August-September selling season is only second to the holiday season (November-December) for most retailers. Many Virginia retailers have had an added boost since 2006, when the Commonwealth added a “sales tax holiday,” but that law expired July 1, 2023. This doesn’t mean less shoppers though.
After two and a half years of record inflation, consumer spending is trending down and that doesn’t sound good for retailers either. Yet, the NRF (National Retail Federation) reports that per family BTS spending is supposed to climb to $800 and the industry could expect an 11% increase over 2021. In a normal year, this would be fantastic news, but the increase in top-line sales will be erased by an increase in costs…of everything…due to inflation.
So what can you do to improve your Back To School sales? It’s not too late! Here’s a few tips from the marketing minds at Madison+Main:
- BTS sales have many customers; parents, k-12, college students, teachers. Target them all with online marketing, not just parents.
- Email your customers more frequently in August and early September. Increase the pace of email marketing and use the KISS method. A handful of products and no more than 250 words in your marketing should help.
- Words Matter. Your customers want deals and your messaging should be all about “Back to School Savings.” They know they need to buy stuff, so re-assure them that they’ll “save money” at your place.
- POS (Point of Sale) Displays. Make space for “cheap and cheerful” items at your checkout or POS counter. The shoppers are already there, in a buying mood and probably waiting to check out. They are waaaay more likely to pick up another cheaper item (or five) while checking out.
- Triple your social media content during the weekends. Keep your brand top-of-mind during weekends in August and early September by rolling out BTS content on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms. Upload user-generated content, poll your customers, run contests, and tag local schools and colleges.
Stay classy! Wishing the best back-to-school season for you all.
MONDAY:
MARKETING IN THE STREETS, FREAKS IN THE SPREADSHEETS
Our Accounts Team met Monday to streamline internal processes and manage our use of Google Sheets and how we share data internally. It’s all part of a “continuous improvement” process here at M+M so we can offer our clients excellent data and feedback to drive more results. Even over Zoom, they still managed to have some fun!
TUESDAY:
CAKES FOR KIEBS
Tuesday was the official day of Kiebs! Account Executive Leigh-Ann Kiebler’s birthday is today and we just knew the Kiebs party would be epic. Rumor has it there was a LOT of Woodford Reserve, some Motown hits on Spotify and dancing in the kitchen.
WEDNESDAY:
WISH, GRANT-ED
Our client Hitting Cancer Below the Belt received a $25,000 grant from the Prevent Cancer Foundation! This funding (and their amazing events!) helps further their mission to eliminate major barriers to colorectal cancer screening by providing screening kits and educational resources to low-income, uninsured individuals across Virginia. They aim to reduce or eliminate follow-up colonoscopy costs and provide training and technical assistance to clinic staff to reduce the number of late-stage cancer diagnoses, which is always a knockout in our book!
THURSDAY:
GRADUATION DAY!
On Thursday evening Account Executive Samuel Nfor graduated from his Dale Carnegie program and his supervisor Allison Nida and I drove down to Chesterfield to personally cheer him on! All of the Madison+Main-iacs are encouraged to grow personally and professionally and that’s why we send them all to Dale Carnegie. Samuel took on this challenge with enthusiasm, confidence and grace. Congratulations, Samuel!
Our client Melissa Thurston, owner of Red Pen Virtual Assistants, was also honored with an award at the ceremony!
FRIDAY:
NATIONAL BAD POETRY DAY
Apparently today is National Bad Poetry Day. So here is a haiku I wrote:
social media
alone in the wilderness
it’s arbor day ya’ll
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE EVENTS
Teeing Off On Cancer
Stonehenge Country Club | 1000 Farnham Drive | Richmond, VA 23236
info@hcb2.org | EVENT INFO | REGISTRATION LINK
Our friends at Hitting Cancer Below The Belt (HCB2) are gearing up for their annual golf event. Registration is now open for the 2023 Teeing Off On Cancer golf event scheduled for Monday, September 18, 2023, at the beautiful Stonehenge Country Club. This event will reach capacity sooner than later and you don’t want to miss out. Last year’s event raised more than $35,000 to help HCB2 provide colorectal cancer screening services and offer education to thousands in Central Virginia.
DRIVE SMART VIRGINIA PRESENTS: 10th Annual Distracted Driving Summit
September 13-14, 2023 | 7:30 AM-12:00 PM ET
The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center
901 Prices Fork Rd | Blacksburg, VA
REGISTER HERE
For the past nine years, hundreds of attendees listened to speakers from around the country talk about the most cutting-edge solutions for distracted driving. The Summit is a day-and-a-half event with general and breakout sessions and an exhibitor area.
This Summit will bring together industry leaders, scientists, educators, safety professionals, and law enforcement to share ideas, gather information, learn about best practices and forge solutions for distracted driving. The goal will be for all attendees to return to their communities with fresh ideas and reasonable solutions for the distracted driving issues in their area. A tandem goal will be for organizers to gather information and knowledge on issues and roadblocks throughout Virginia in order to build upon existing programs and design better educational opportunities for the future.
“Bring us a pitcher of beer every seven minutes until somebody passes out. Then bring one every ten minutes.” — Thornton Mellon, “Back to School”