Generate yearbook funding by including adverts for local companies

Generate yearbook funding by including adverts for local companies

Click the image to download the yearbook rate card

Raising funds for your yearbooks can be challenging. However, there are ways to lessen the financial impact, one of these ways is by asking local companies if they can subsidise your yearbooks in exchange for advertising space. You and your coordinating staff member might want to start by thinking of companies with a link to the school, for example parents’ own businesses or companies whose target market is teenagers or their parents – for example local colleges and universities or sports/fitness clubs and craft classes.

The amount you can ask for to subsidise the yearbook will depend on the size of the advert – whether it’s a full page, half page or quarter page and its position within the book, with those more towards the front and on right hand pages costing more than those towards the back and on left hand pages. In addition to pricing structure, the companies you contact will probably also ask about the quantity you expect to be printed (circulation) as the more yearbooks are printed, the more appealing the venture will be for them as it has greater potential for reaping new business.

A ‘rate card’ is a document used by magazines and newspapers to let marketeers and advertisers know the rates of their publication’s advertising space. Download the yearbook advertising rate card, fill in your own prices and school contact details, then distribute to potential advertisers.

Be brave and good luck!

SPC Yearbooks sample guide 2012

 

Get your free copy of our Sample Guide 2012 by clicking here!

Free posters to advertise your yearbook!

Free yearbook posters to promote yearbooks from SPCNeed to shout about your yearbook project in school? Use yearbook posters to spread the word. We’ve spoken previously about the many ways you can market, advertise and sell your yearbooks.  In this post I’m going to tell you all about SPC Yearbooks’ free posters and how simple they are to create… and yes you read it correctly – the posters are completely free (with the voucher code given on the site).

What’s it all about?

Using SPC’s online system Yearbook Designer Live!, you can edit a choice of pre-designed posters, adding your own school name and deadline details. Alternatively, if you fancy getting creative or you’d like to design the poster to reflect your yearbook style, you can create your own poster from scratch (just select the blank template in Step 4 below).

How do I start creating posters?

Step 1 – visit http://online.spc-yearbooks.co.uk and click ‘Sign in or Sign up‘ on the right hand side of the screen.

Step 2 – if it’s your first visit, you need to create an account.  Fill in the ‘New to Yearbook Designer Live?’ form on the right and once you’ve received a confirmation email, you can log in and get started.  If you’ve already created an account, log in using the ‘Already With Us?’ form on the left.

Step 3 – once you’re signed in, click ‘Yearbook Posters’ on the left hand side of the ‘Home’ page.  Here you’ll find information about the posters and also that all important voucher code for free yearbook posters (make a note of the code and keep it handy for when you’re submitting your order).

Step 4 – click ‘Start editing your posters now!‘ at the top of the page.  Decide which design you wish to use, or opt for the blank yearbook poster if you want to get your hands dirty and design your own.  Click on the yearbook poster you wish to use to open the editor, and begin customising your yearbook poster! Take a look at our tutorial videos and download our Yearbook Designer Live! User Guide for help using the online software.

Step 5 – when you’re ready to order, click on the trolley symbol (Add to Basket) and begin the order process.  Don’t forget to type in that all important voucher code when prompted.

Where should we put the posters?

Place the posters in any common areas such as the canteen, halls/corridors, notice boards, library, assembly rooms and reception areas (so visiting parents can see it too). Promotion is key to getting your yearbooks sold, so grab all opportunities to thrust your yearbook into the limelight.

Got a question about using Yearbook Designer Live! or need assistance with your posters? We’re happy to help – give us a call on 0845 838 6161 or email us at yb@spc-yearbooks.co.uk.

Get your free copy of SPC Yearbooks Sample Guide

Get your free copy of SPC Yearbooks’ Sample & Information Guide by clicking here.

More great ways create a buzz about your yearbook…

Ideas on how to promote, market and sell your yearbookFollowing our posting on 15th December titled ‘4 great ways to promote (and sell) your yearbook…’, we’ve got a few more ideas for you…

When you first start promoting your yearbook and making students and teachers aware, you will either find that people are falling over themselves to buy one or that the uptake is a little slow.  If you find there is a lot of interest in your yearbook then you’re halfway there.  All you need now is the initial commitment from the students – maybe a deposit of some sort which commits them to their yearbook order.  Beware that you will come across people who say they want a yearbook, but then decide they don’t.  Keep up the memento of interest by showing them the yearbook proof when it comes through.  Allow others to see what the yearbook will include, as this will maintain that buzz of excitement and they will see what they are paying for (similar to buying an item from a shop or seeing an image of something you’re buying online).  If you are in the position where you are finding it hard to gather interest for your yearbook, then it’s time to start promoting the idea and speaking about the advantages of having a yearbook.

There are many different ways that schools are promoting their yearbooks, so here are a few ideas to help out:

  • Keep your yearbook at the forefront of people’s minds – put a note into the register every morning that mentions the yearbook, this way it will stay fresh in people’s minds.
  • Another easy way to promote your yearbook (as mentioned in our previous yearbook marketing post) is to create a social buzz – ask a member of staff or a fellow student to set up a Facebook group where staff and students can keep up with what’s going into the yearbook.  Get involved or ask questions. Make others aware of your Facebook group in letters home or send an email to the school’s contacts which includes a link to join.
  • Once you have started promoting your yearbook using the above ideas, try creating your own video commercial. You could post it onto both the school website and the Facebook group page you have set up.  SPC could help you out with this by providing you with various samples that you could use in the commercial to show the students and teachers what they can expect from their yearbook.  If you’re short of time or facilities for producing a video commercial, why not put a power point presentation together to show during your assembly?  This presentation could include the pages going into your yearbook as well as other ideas you have, such as award pages – these always create a good vibe for your yearbook. During assembly is also a great opportunity to ask for ideas, feedback and contributions for the yearbook.
  • You could hold a ‘Yearbook Promotion Day’.  Going back to when I mentioned having a yearbook proof to show everyone, on the ‘Yearbook Promotion Day’ you could have your yearbook proof to show all the students and teachers, and note down their ideas and suggestions for the yearbook. You could also offer a ‘one day only’ special price to encourage people to sign up for their copy on your promotion day.
  • Get the competitive people among you involved in a challenge – for every 100 yearbooks sold, a willing teacher could perform a forfeit or bring in a treat for those who have bought a yearbook.  Perhaps for every 200 copies sold the school could donate something special to your end of year prom.  If your teachers are a little shy about getting involved, arrange a friendly contest just between the yearbook committee members – a prize to the member who sells the most yearbooks.

Remember to order your free yearbook marketing posters from SPC Yearbooks, put these up in around school to advertise your yearbook.

Get your free copy of SPC Yearbooks Sample Guide

Get your free copy of SPC Yearbooks Sample & Information

Meet the SPC Yearbooks team!

Wondering who will be working on your yearbooks? Here’s your chance to learn more about the SPC Yearbooks team and put faces to names of our yearbook designers, customer service team, managers and production staff. Watch the video below…

Find out more about each person by watching individual staff videos.

SPC Yearbooks Sample and Information guide

Request a FREE Sample Guide – packed full of hints, tips and ideas to get your yearbook off to a flying start.

4 great ways to promote (and sell) your yearbook…

Help and ideas for promoting your yearbookOne of the most challenging tasks of your yearbook project is making people aware that you have a yearbook, then actually signing them up to buy one! You don’t want to be left with piles of yearbooks at the end of the year, so it’s important to get people to commit early on. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you get your marketing and sales off on the right foot.

1. Early bird incentives – Introduce a special price for your yearbook until a pre-defined deadline, keep this deadline fixed (and don’t be tempted to extend it). Make sure that the discount works with your budget and that you’re not going to be out of pocket when it comes to paying for your yearbooks.

Promote this early order deadline as much as you can – include details on posters, leaflets, letters home, newsletters etc. and if you have an announcement system use this to remind staff and students about the deadline.

2. Get students excited about your yearbook – take a sample yearbook around during tutor time and show everyone how great their yearbook will look. If you have the resources to create video, why not make a TV-style advert for your yearbook and show it in the common areas at lunchtime. Remember to always have your order book to hand!

3. Create a social buzz – ask a member of staff to help set up a Facebook page where staff and students can keep up with what’s going into the yearbook, get involved or ask questions. Make others aware of your Facebook page in letters home or send an email to the school’s contacts which includes a link to your page.

4. Utilise your school’s website – this is a great place to reach parents, staff and students to advertise your yearbook. Find out who is responsible for your school’s website and ask if it’s possible to put an article on the website and/or intranet homepage with details of your yearbook (to go one step further, include an online form to order their copy). If your school sends out email newsletters, ask if an advert can be included here too.

To gain more help and ideas on marketing SPC Yearbooks have put together a ‘How To’ guide to marketing your yearbook to help you plan and organise your strategy. If you or your school have discovered a really great way to shout about your yearbook, or get your order book filled, please let us know about it

Also see our post ‘More great ways create a buzz about your yearbook…