Connecting with nontraditional students can be a challenge. As they come and go, more disconnected from campus events than other students, your message can be lost. Many of these students have jobs, they might have kids and they are older. All of this contributes to making them feel disenfranchised on campus. Keeping this population of students in mind, here are a few ideas of how your store can engage with overlooked students.
“Brevity is the soul of wit,” the loquacious Polonius famously spouted in Hamlet. This statement, originally fraught with irony, has been increasingly embraced by social media. Blog-like post length wasn’t uncommon on MySpace, Facebook favors shorter statuses but didn’t limit users, Twitter cut people off at 140 characters, and now pictures and videos often speak for themselves. Image dominance is evident not only in post engagement but also in the current race to win users’ smartphone cameras.
As the English poet John Donne famously posited, “No man is an island.” College campuses can often feel like their own, self-sustaining world. In a lot of ways, that’s what they are; jobs, housing, food and even medical services are often provided. However, no one exists in a bubble. Embracing the greater community beyond the campus walls can drive foot traffic, enhance the shopping experience and support the local economy.
As an author, the first chance you have to bring a reader into your world is with your book cover. A great cover will stop a person who is browsing. The art will present an intriguing story to the reader that makes them want to know more. Once the book is in their hands, it is up to the content inside to make the sale and create a loyal customer, but it is the cover that makes the introduction. With a college store, creative and eye-catching window displays act in the same manner.
We had the pleasure of sitting down in Oklahoma with Territory Manager David Ritz to discuss his long career in the college bookstore industry and how he thinks college retailers can adapt to the changing course materials distribution environment.
Certain times of the year are naturally busier than others. Promotions and events can be lost when there isn’t time to plan and host an event on top of everything else you do. Take advantage of this summer’s lull to organize and prepare your marketing efforts for the rest of the year.
Physical books are being replaced by eBooks — didn’t happen. Blu-ray is the next DVD — sorry, that was streaming. Smartphones are the new laptop — jury’s still out?
A commercial comes on, what do you do? Get up and walk away, fast forward because no one watches live TV anymore, or ignore it while you talk to your family or play on your phone. This is the problem all brands, regardless of size, are running into. How, then, do you reach your target audience in a way that won’t be easily tuned out?
There is no denying that with the younger generations Snapchat is the place to be. Facebook is something their parents use. Twitter is potentially headed to the proverbial “farm” to be with MySpace. LinkedIn has never had an appeal for students. Snapchat, though, is new, fresh and incriminating content ideally disappears in ten seconds. The temporary nature that makes the platform appealing to students, makes using it for marketing a challenge — but not impossible.
Course materials have a vital role to play in the success of a student’s education. However, making sure students have what they need when they need it is a concern. With the growing cost of education and student financial struggles, it’s important to understand their buying habits and their preferences when looking for solutions.
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