In August, children will begin to head back to school which means every mom finds herself with more time to get things done. With the approaching holidays, she’ll need every moment she can get! In the upcoming series of articles, Vector Designer Tay Silver will demonstrate how you can turn seasonal events into easy ways to promote vinyl sales.

This is Tay, hoping you’ve all had a wonderful summer and are looking forward to an exciting fall! The coming months each have a holiday or special event which means with a little insight and thoughtful timing, you can capitalize on it to promote additional sales you might otherwise miss out on. I’m here to help you get organized by mapping out a game plan, including promotion schedules used by the most successful businesses to capture the greatest numbers of sales. This article will focus on back to school, which is a gold mine if you know what products to offer. Let’s begin!

Back To School: August

When to Begin Offering Products: Late June / Early July through End of September

The Catch: Getting a child back to school is expensive – with new clothing, new supplies, ordering school t-shirts, paying student fees and making classroom party donations. Families won’t be spending money on frivolous items but will be buying things that help keep their family organized. By placing relevant products front and center in your shops, you’ll help customers find what they need and make it easy for them to send their friends and neighbors to buy, too!

Products Needed:

• Name Labels: Everything for school must be labeled, from jackets and backpacks to water bottles and lunch boxes. Many elementary schools are requiring children to bring their own sports-top water bottles each day so students are not frequently in the hall unsupervised using the water fountain, which helps increase school safety. Every child must have a water bottle with their name clearly on it and vinyl has been the most desired option. Offering dishwasher safe vinyl decals specifically for plastic bottles and lunch containers, as well as super tough tag labels for clothes (if you have a printable vinyl business), is an excellent way to reel in tons of back-to-school business.

• Organizer Labels: Life is about to get very busy for these families, as fall sports and extra curricular activities follow close behind the start of school. Showcase anything that helps corral the clutter and moms will gladly snap it up because with the kids in school, they’ll finally have some time to get the house in order. Check out our Pantry Label Shapes, Basic Label Shapes and our family-friendly line of cute Bin Decals to give moms what they need!

• Teacher Gifts: Many moms start out the year with a gift for the teacher that introduces their student and thanks the teacher for all the work she’s put into getting ready. The designs that sold well for you last spring when the year was ending will receive new attention as the first day of school draws near. Stock up! You can find our Teacher designs here.

Helpful Hints: Most likely the moms on your site will be shopping for their children so make sure to also suggest your other kid-appealing designs. Vinyl for children’s rooms, playrooms and family spaces make great add-on sale ideas. Just be sure to have your back-to-school products up by the first week of July. That way you can catch the early shoppers who are typically the very organized ladies most likely to be asked by other moms where they purchased their items and be referred to you.

 Good Luck!