The Business of Yearbook, Now More Than Ever

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The Business of Yearbook, Now More Than Ever

• Scott Geesey
• Representative, Central Northern PA
• Jostens Yearbooks

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Scotts Story

• Yearbook representative for 12 years
• 1999 the hardest part of the job was
• Book creation
• Book sale easy part, most students bought one
• 2011 the easiest part of the job is
• Book creation
• Book sale hard part, bad economy, job losses,
  students want to be sold

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Whos Struggling with Book Sales?

• Go around the room quickly and share stories

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What do we do?????

• Think out of the box
• Using a cliché at a journalism conference is not
  a bright move, Scott

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What do we do?????

• Think out of the box
• Using a cliché at a journalism conference is not
  a bright move, Scott
• If what youre doing isnt working and you keep
  doing the same old thing, whos at fault? The
  economy? The students? How about
• YOU!!!

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Its All About the MARKETING and PROMOTION!

• How do you currently sell your book? Go around
  the room

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The first thing we need to do is recognize the
VALUE of the product youre creatingIts NOT
just a chore!
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• The next time someone tells you that the yearbook
  is too expensive or they cant afford one
• REMEMBER THE LIST!!

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Rule One Dont underprice your book!
• How-tos and ideas

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Start with a budget

• Dont just wing it.
• Create your own budget, or ask your yearbook
  representative for one.
• Dont paint a rosy picture.
• Estimate high.
• Always make your goal to make MORE than youll
  need to pay your entire bill, not just break
  even.

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Create a Yearbook Sales Team
• Separate group of students whose main job is to
  market the book, sell ads, do fundraisers
• Yearbook Business Manager, adult or responsible
  student, to lead the effort
• Yearbook Adviser is still in charge
• Maybe use business students? Get the business
  teacher and class to handle your marketing and
  sales as part of a real world project each year

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Create a Yearbook Sales Team
• Sales Team members can work on pages in the
  yearbook they do the ad pages!
• Create goals for the team and each member
• Offer sales incentives to team members for
  hitting sales goals?
• Free yearbook?
• Prizes?
• Money?

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Create a Staggered Book Sale through the school
  year
• Several book offerings through the year
• Plan the entire annual sale in advance
• Best price is the first offer
• The regular price for the book at the end of the
  year will be 60. Our current price of 45 is the
  best price offered this year.
• Constantly inform everyone during the various
  sales stages youre ALWAYS Promoting!

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Use your companys pay by mail program
• Parents/students are billed at home
• Can pay by check, money order or credit card
• Can pay in mail, by phone or online
• Money is collected for you and deposited into
  your yearbook account with your company
• Complete sales reports provided to you
• A must have for yearbook staffs without a sales
  team
• Extra charge for this service?

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Online book sales
• Rapidly becoming popular
• Always on, 24/7
• Can use a credit card
• No money handling at school
• Extra charge from your yearbook company?

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Email Marketing
• Get email addresses from students/parents
• Dont bury people in emails
• Include a link to an online sale
• Automated Phone Calling System
• Get school permission to use
• Dont bury people in phone calls
• Keep your message brief and to the point
• Texting Students?

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Social Networking
• Facebook, My Space
• School-specific channels

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• PERSONAL Marketing
• The yearbook should not be a secret
• Show students that they are in the book, how many
  times they are in the book, and even a page where
  they are pictured
• Would you buy an iPod, clothing or ANYTHING
  without first seeing it????

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Hold a Yearbook Assembly
• Hold the assembly early in the school year
• Do your book ordering all in one class period
• Get students fired up for your book
• Ask your yearbook company or company
  representative to get involved

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Who else would be interested in buying your
  yearbook?
• Local doctors and dentists offices
• Other local businesses
• Local police department
• Local public libraries
• Alumni
• EBay
• Think out of the box, who would want one?

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• A New Idea the 12 Month Yearbook Sale
• Old way very limited sale, only in school,
  maybe two weeks at a time, start in fall, wrap up
  by December, stop at companys ordering deadline.
• New way utilize online sales for the entire
  school year.
• Start with summer online sale, best possible
  price for early birds.
• Continue in fall and winter with different offers
  online and in-school.
• After your companys ordering deadline, continue
  book selling through spring online and in-school.
• Will your yearbook company cooperate?

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You have the VALUE, now make the SALE!!

• Build your brand
• Long term view
• Build your students a great product
• In future years, students will expect another
  great product from your group and wont hesitate
  to buy your book

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What about advertising sales?

• Business Ads
• Usually only done by high schools
• More difficult now with school restrictions
• But dont ignore! Local businesses want to
  support local schools buying a yearbook ad
  allows them to do that.
• Needs to be well organized
• Needs motivated staffers to succeed
• Perfect for yearbook sales team
• Incentives??

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What about advertising sales?

• Business Ads
• Consider an ad sale over the summer when students
  are more available to travel freely
• IDEA Business Ad Packages
• How many people actually read ads in the book?
• Package one set price gets a ad in the book,
  other mentions in school such as on a large
  banner or advertising magnet, on school website
  and elsewhere
• Give the business more bang for their buck

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What about advertising sales?

• Personal ads/PDAs
• More popular than in the past
• Can be done by ANY school, ANY age group
• Ads, one liner messages
• Parents/relatives want to honor students
• Dont just limit ads to seniors
• Personal ads for ANY student
• Buddy ads friends buy ads for themselves
• Sell to booster clubs, sports teams, etc.
• What to charge?
• Business rates vs. Less expensive rates

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What about fundraisers?

• Schools are fundraised to death, right?
• Only use high return fundraisers
• OR school wide fundraisers
• Get the most people involved as possible
• Offer earn a free yearbook plus possible other
  prizes
• Consider using fundraiser companies
• They succeed when you succeed
• They give you extra assistance
• They often offer extra prizes for students to
  earn
• Consider fresh LOCAL fundraising ideas
• Work with local restaurants or businesses

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Any unique ideas from the group??
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The bottom lines for yearbook business success

• Take an ACTIVE, CONSTANT approach to sales, not a
  passive approach dont wait for sales to come
  to you because they rarely will.
• Plan your ENTIRE sales campaign, books and ads,
  well in advance. Never wing it.
• There are no stimulus packages, no handouts, no
  easy solutions, else everyone would do it.
• BUT sales is not HARD, it just takes planning and
  effort. A yearbook with a solid financial surplus
  is a great reward.
• The experience also looks GREAT on a resume or
  college application!