Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

With MBS Online Buyback, your campus retail store can provide students with a valuable service even when they’re not on campus. MBS will help you set up a remote wholesale buyback option linked from your store’s website quickly and easily. Students simply input their books’ ISBN numbers to create a quote, print a free shipping label and send their books to MBS.

To get started, fill out this set-up sheet and email it to  systems@mbsbooks.com. Once your school-branded online buyback site is set up, let students know that even if campus is closed, they can still recoup money for some of their textbooks when the term ends. This Online Buyback marketing kit includes templates for social media posts, emails and text messages. You can use these to streamline the buyback process and connect to your students.

How Online Buyback benefits students and campus stores

With MBS Online Buyback, your store can offer students a simple way to earn money for their unneeded textbooks without risking their health or the health of your community.

The student process is easy:

1. Students visit your school-branded online buyback page.
2. They enter the ISBN information for the books they hope to sell.
3. They print a free shipping label and send the books to the MBS.

When you fill out your store set-up sheet, you designate how you would like to use your 25 percent commission. Your store can receive the full amount, or you can redirect all or part of your commission back to the students, increasing their buyback price.

How to connect with remote students through social media

There’s one place you’re all but guaranteed to find students: social media. According to the Pew Research Center, Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 utilize multiple social media channels several times a day.

• 80% use Facebook
• 78% use Snapchat
• 71% use Instagram
• 45% use Twitter

Meanwhile, the fast-growing channel TikTok reported a base of over 500 million users worldwide at the end of last year. In recent weeks, usage of all social media platforms has spiked. Facebook reports that activity on its apps has increased as much as 70 percent. That includes platforms like Instagram, a favorite among college-aged young adults.

To reach as many students as possible, post distinct messages on different social media channels more than once a day throughout your buyback period. Provide a link in each post that takes students straight to your site. Keep your messages quick and upbeat, and use eye-catching images to make them stand out.

Once your Online Buyback is set up, share the fun how-to video below that guides students through the online buyback process in three easy steps. You can also download and share the attached social media images to enliven your posts. 

Include simple instructions in your messages, so that students understand the process can be completed in just a few minutes. Don’t forget to remind students not to sell their rentals and remember: your goal with any communication is to make it as easy as possible for students to sell their books. 

Video and sample images for social media

How-to video

Add this video to your store’s social media pages and link to it in some of your online buyback posts. If you would like to embed the video on your store's website, use this embed code:

Social media images

Sample social media posts

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

How to use email and text messages for Online Buyback marketing

Even with the overwhelming popularity of social media, email remains the No. 1 vehicle for retailers to get the word out to any audience. More than 90 percent of customers say they prefer email to other forms of communication from stores, according to the digital marketing platform Hubspot.

Consider segmenting your email list. That means you divide your contacts into different categories so you can tailor your email for different audiences. Customers are 75 percent more likely to respond to email sent from a segmented list.

Below we’ve created two versions of a similar message, one for students new to buyback and the other for those who have sold books back to your store in the past. The more you can personalize your communications for each audience, the more likely students are to respond.

Whether or not you choose to segment, be sure to keep your message simple. If possible, use the attached downloadable email image, which allows students to absorb your message with a glance. 

Online Buyback email image

 Pro tip: Divide your email list into segments to tailor your message for different audiences. Research shows that customers are 75% more likely to open an email from a segmented list.

If your store can contact students via SMS, we recommend reaching out with text messages, too. If students are away from campus, they might be less likely to check their school email. Include a link to the online buyback page in your message. As with the other communication channels, the top goal of your message will be to make it as easy as possible for students to sell their books.

Online Buyback email template 1: buyback newcomer

Online Buyback email template 2: buyback veterans

Online Buyback text message templates

Text 1

Text 2

Hosting an online buyback is a great way to show students you care. They will undoubtedly appreciate your effort to reach out and help them reduce the total cost of education.

MBS Online Buyback is available to colleges and universities located in the U.S.