Today Kristy Roschke, MJE spoke to the fellows about going online. However, as part of her remarks she made an observation about yearbook.
I was one of those dissenters until this year. After an adviser institute and two yearbook camps, I'd heard this same advice one too many times to ignore it anymore.
This spring we created a yearbook bulletin board outside my room. We posted six to seven submitted double page spreads on the wall, along with a folder that held yearbook order forms. We also put up an index card with the number of yearbooks still available for sale. We changed that card at the end of the day, putting the new number of books available. This gave students a visual reminder that they needed to order their books now. Extra copies probably weren't going to be available.
I was stunned at the number of students who came in with a completed order form and payment only because they saw their picture on a spread on the wall.
I've also heard of locker posts for students who are in the book but who haven't bought the book. Our students don't use their lockers, so that wouldn't work for me. I did like Mike Simons post on Facebook from the Yearbook Ladies. It suggested you deliver lollipops with a reminder taped to the stick to students who have not purchased a book yet.
This week, I've thought of another idea to use. Using the index we will run at the end of each deadline (I give them one a month, even though we only have 3 from the company), my business manager can check the index against the purchased list. At the beginning of second semester, we will create a postcard from card stock for each student who is in the book, but who has not purchased. The post card will say something about the student being in the book and on what page(s). The picture from the book that the student is in will also be featured on the card. These cards can be delivered to students at the end of third block during announcement time. If we really want to make it special, we could even attach the card to a balloon or lollipop.
The reality is we have to market our product. As Roschke says in the film clip, the day of people paying for something they haven't seen is over.
Karen L. Swortzel
Alleghany High School
Covington, Va.
This will be my 25th year at Lawrence Central, and my 25th year of advising the student newspaper. But it will be my first year of advising LC's yearbook. I like all of these ideas for promoting sales of the book. When I met with the retiring yearbook adviser in May, I was stunned to learn that fewer than 500 books had been sold -- out of a student population of 2,500. I know these marketing ideas will serve me well.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Granger
Lawrence Central High School
Indianapolis, Ind.