Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

Many students will soon be heading home for the summer. While it is probably too late to plan a large buyback event, you can still make students aware that they can sell back their textbooks before they head home. Here are some simple ideas to help you get the word out ASAP.

5 Easy Ways to Spread the Word About Buyback and Rental Returns

1. Email and text message reminders
   Between now and when students move out, send multiple reminders to students through email and/or text message about how to sell back their books. Keep the messages concise, let students know where, when and how to sell back, and highlight the benefits of selling back their books.
   
   Those with the MBS System can utilize inSite Buyback Alerts to help you communicate with students and send them specific reminders. Check out this post for more detailed instructions.
   
   
2. Utilize campus technology
   Another way to quickly spread word about buyback is to use the resources that might be available to you. Emails or text messages while effective could also be missed by some students. Take a wider approach to help your store.
   
   Stores have had success placing a message on their campus LMS, utilizing a stationary message on screens throughout campus and adding a banner on a website. Think about how your campus best communicates with students. Contact the people in charge of those mediums to see if it is possible to include a buyback message.
   
   Read How to Re-introduce Students to Buyback for more ideas.
   
   
3. Take social media to the next level
   Social media can be a great resource for getting information out. However, if your store isn’t in a position to create paid advertising, then you would need to have a large portion of students, parents of students, and even faculty following and interacting with your account. This kind of engagement is challenging to create. However, there may be other opportunities available to your store that you haven’t tried yet.
   
   How many other campus entities and departments have their own social media pages? Reach out to each relevant campus-run social media page and ask if they can share the bookstore’s buyback information. To make this request easy, write a short message that clearly states your request, why buyback is important for students (they get money back, it lowers the cost of books for the next term, and it helps recycle books), and attach any buyback image you would like them to share with their audience. You can reuse the same basic message over and over again as you send requests.
   
   
4. Make a simple how-to sell back books video
   Not only is video engaging content, but it can also help take some mystery out of buyback. If students think buyback will be hard or a long process, they will be more likely to skip it completely. Create a simple, short video that shows students exactly how to sell back a book and what they can expect.
   
   Enlist student employees to help you quickly create a buyback video to show how easy it is to sell back books and get a little extra money before summer.
   
   
5. Promote the options available to students
   Finally, do students have more than one opportunity to sell back books on your campus? While hosting one large buyback event might be efficient, it might not be at a convenient time or location for all students. Consider expanding the opportunities for students to sell back their books.
   
   For example, maybe your store does have a designated buyback event, but students can also come into the store and sell back their book at any time. Make sure you are letting students know about all of the options available to them.
   
   Learn how to crease stronger college store customer service with daily textbook buyback.

What is your store doing this term to promote buyback? Let us know in the comments.