Best Practices for Effective Back-to-School Ads Campaign

With the back-to-school season coming up, businesses are preparing for the second-largest retail shopping season of the year. The opportunities are plentiful and varied, from stationery and clothing to electronics and accessories. Retailers have a great chance to engage with families and students preparing for the new academic year and boost sales. But how can you ensure your back-to-school ads campaign stands out? Leverage our experts’ ads campaigns best practices to make your back-to-school season successful.

Table of Contents:

1. The Start of the Back-to-School Season
2. Understand the Back-to-School Audience
3. 2023 Back-to-School Shopping Statistics and Consumer Trends
4. Back-to-School Ads Campaign Best Practices from VIDEN’s Experts
5. Back-to-School Ads Campaigns to Get Inspired
6. Measuring and Analyzing Campaign Performance
7. Reach Out VIDEN to Boost Sales During the BTS Season

The Start of the Back-to-School Season

To get the most of your back-to-school campaigns, you should keep up with the season’s start. Do you know that the timing of the back-to-school shopping period varies by region? For instance, in the US, Europe, and Canada, it generally starts and ends in August before the school year begins. And it usually occurs in February to align with their school calendars when we talk about Australia and New Zealand.

Being familiar with the local school calendars is crucial for businesses to maximize the impact of their ads campaigns. Strategic planning (based on regional schedules) allows retailers to boost sales regardless of location. As well as with the time when parents start shopping for goods for the new school season. For example, 49% of school shoppers got ready for the new school year from 3 weeks to 1 month before school started, 23% went shopping at least 2 months before, and only 5% made last-minute deals.

At the same time, understanding the shopping trends, consumer behavior, and back-to-school audience is fundamental to creating a successful back-to-school ads campaign. Let’s delve into the key numbers of the 2023 season.

Understand the Back-to-School Audience

To craft compelling advertising campaigns, it’s vital to understand the behavior and preferences of the back-to-school audience. Here are some numbers. Approximately 56.6 million students are enrolled in elementary, middle, and high schools in the United States alone. This massive demographic comprises students seeking the latest trends, parents focused on budget-friendly purchases, and educators in need of classroom supplies and resources. Let’s get a deeper look at their demographics and needs.

Characteristics and Behaviors of the Back-to-School Audience

For example, parents with elementary school children may prioritize items like backpacks, lunchboxes, and school uniforms. High school students, on the other hand, may be interested in trendy fashion, electronics, and stationery. College students may have different needs, such as dorm room essentials, textbooks, and technology gadgets.

Furthermore, different demographics may have varying motivations for their back-to-school purchases. For instance, parents may be driven by the desire to provide the best educational resources for their children while staying within a budget. Students can be motivated by the need to fit in with their peers, express their individuality, or have the latest tech gadgets. Understanding the characteristics, behaviors, and motivations of the back-to-school audience will help you fine-tune your advertising strategies and create campaigns that truly connect with your target market.

2023 Back-to-School Shopping Statistics and Trends

According to the National Retail Federation report, 68% of back-to-school shoppers are waiting for holiday sales discounts to make their purchases. This gives businesses a chance to attract a new audience and delight loyal customers with exclusive back-to-school deals and products.

During 2023’s back-to-school (BTS) shopping season, American parents, guardians, and children spent 41.5 billion U.S. dollars on school supplies, or about 890 U.S. dollars per household.

Common educational necessities include clothing, accessories, and school supplies, such as books, pens, and backpacks. Over the past years, the number of parents buying school-necessitated electronics has increased significantly. However, only 66% of parents plan to buy electronics and computer-related gear for school purposes this year, while 95% plan to buy school supplies for their children during the BTS season.

The graph shows that the percentage of buyers doing more comparative shopping online is steadily growing, from 30% in 2021 to 45% in 2023.

In many cases, consumers purchased school supplies online (55%). And similar to past years, this season is no exception. The most popular destinations for back-to-school shopping are online (57%).

Millennials were more likely to browse for products on social media than Generation X parents (46% vs 40%). In contrast, Gen X consumers were more likely to look for promotions and try to acquire coupons during the back-to-school shopping season.

As online purchases continue to rise, the importance of running effective advertising campaigns is increasing as well. Let’s examine the best practices from VIDEN’s Google Ads, TikTok Ads, and Meta Ads experts to maximize sales this back-to-school season.

Back-to-School Ads Campaign Best Practices from VIDEN’s Experts

Nikita Tarashkevych, the Google Ads expert, and Maria Bobchenok, the Meta and TikTok Ads expert, share the following best practices:

Best Practices for Google Back-to-School Ads Campaigns

If you want to create a Google Ads campaign, we suggest the following:

1. Prepare all the campaigns/ads/asset groups/extensions in advance. It takes time for Google to approve new content, so don’t miss out on valuable sale time.
2. Run promotion and sitelink extensions across both Search and Performance Max campaigns. It’s important to communicate your sale not only through ad copies or images but with the help of additional part of the ads.
3. Create a separate asset group in your Performance Max campaigns. We always run sale ads as separate asset group in Performance Max campaign, it helps to better evaluate the impact of sale and not trick the algorithm with fantastic data.
4. Create promotion in your Merchant. One more essential part of a successful sale strategy, it will help to improve your conversion rate across the shopping network.
5. Push your sale ads as hard as possible. That is very important to have higher CTR when sale is running, and using mostly sale ads and ad copies can help you bring more traffic to your site.

Follow the link for more tips to boost sales around the back-to-school season with Google. Still have questions? Contact us to schedule a free back-to-school marketing campaign strategy session. Click here to book an appointment.

Best Practices for TikTok Back-to-School Ads Campaigns

If you are considering a TikTok Ads campaign, you can use next practices:

1. 46% of TikTok users want to see ads featuring creators who are teachers, professors, or instructors. Collaborate directly with educators to develop solutions that address the unique needs of their students, going beyond the traditional curriculum and school supplies.
2. 59% of TikTok users want to hear recommendations on which Back-to-School products to buy. Promote your product well in advance to give consumers ample time to test it and build trust in your brand.
3. Users are 3.3x more likely to click on or engage with entertaining TikTok ads. Create compelling TikTok campaigns that capture attention and enrich your audience’s experience with meaningful engagement.
4. Keep an eye on platforms for new trends connected to back-to-school themes. Swiftly promote content that aligns with these trends, keeping your campaign fresh and relevant.
5. Try out a few compelling hooks in your video content to see which ones resonate most with your audience. Once you identify the best-performing content, refresh it with updated messaging to keep it relevant and engaging.

Looking for Best Practices for creatives? Check the key ones for the TikTok ads campaign.

Best practices for branding advertisers:

• 2-3 assets per ad group;
• 3-5 ad groups/campaign;
• refresh every 14 days.

For a campaign that will run for 6 weeks with 3 creative assets & have 3 ad groups, you will need:

• 3 creative assets x 3 ad groups = 9 assets;
• 9 assets x 2 refreshes (~4 weeks/2-week refresh period) = 18.

You will need 18 total creative assets.

Best practices for performance advertisers:

• 3-5 assets per ad group;
• 3-5 ad groups/campaign;
• refresh every 7 days.

For a campaign that will run for 6 weeks, with 3 assets & have 3 ad groups, you will need:

• 3 creative assets x 3 ad groups = 9 assets;
• 9 assets x 2-4 refreshes (~2-4 weeks/1-week refresh period) = 18 to 36.

You will need 18 to 36 total creative assets.

Need help configuring your Back-to-School Ads campaign?

• Book a consultation today
• Read our success stories

Best Practices for Meta Back-to-School Ads Campaigns

If you are thinking about a Meta Ads, look at these practices:

1. Start planning in advance. Review past year’s data to identify peak times and use this to plan budget allocation.
2. Don’t get too granular with the audience. You can definitely test narrower combinations if you like, but Advantage+ or your other best setups will have the most volume.
3. If you have a lot of video content, try adding reels-only or reels & stories only placements ad sets to the mix.
4. Use remarketing with expansion ad sets to the mix. They tend to perform really well and allocate a lot of spend to actual prospecting.
5. Regularly monitor the platforms for emerging trends that can be tied into back-to-school themes. Quickly create and promote content that aligns with these trends, ensuring your campaign feels fresh and relevant.
6. Leverage both image and video content (you can test a couple of engaging hooks with video content and repurpose best-performing ones with updated messaging).

A few examples of ad copies for your back-to-school campaigns:

• “Get Ready to Ace Your Style this School Year! Shop Our Trendy Back-to-School Collection Now and Enjoy 20% Off Sitewide. Hurry, Limited Stock!” 
• “Power Up Your Success this Semester with Our High-Performance Laptops! Experience Lightning-Fast Speed and Seamless Multitasking. Shop Now and Enjoy Free Shipping!”
• “Stay Organized and Inspired All Year Long! Discover Our Wide Range of Stylish Notebooks, Pens and Planners. Buy 2, Get 1 Free for a Limited Time!”
• “Save Big on Textbooks this Semester! Rent Your Required Books at Affordable Prices. Get Instant Access and Free Return Shipping. Start Saving Now!”

Let’s see the great examples of the image and video content for back-to-shcool ads campaigns created by the best.

Back-to-School Ads Campaigns to Get Inspired

Apple. Tom Kuntz’s new back-to-school campaign for Apple Mac highlights the benefits of being a Mac user. It showcases the various features of its Mac line while embracing the back-to-school spirit. The three mini-films combine a creepy atmosphere with a comedic twist. Students initially hear about the drawbacks of their laptops from teachers, only to counter their arguments with Apple-focused responses. Each film humorously emphasizes the impressive performance of Apple silicon on Mac, the long-lasting battery life, and the Find My support feature, showing that there’s no substitute for a Mac.

Amazon. On July 18, Amazon launched its 2024 back-to-school marketing campaign, reintroducing the popular “Dorm Roomz” video series just in time for the college season. A highlight of the campaign is a 30-second ad featuring actress Michelle Buteau, which encourages parents to save money using Amazon’s Back to School shopping guide. The “Dorm Roomz” series offers valuable tips for designing the perfect dorm room on a budget.

Nike. Nike’s back-to-school campaign, “Never Done Playing,” featured a series of films and photographs highlighting the theme of “finding the magic in the mundane” through sport. Departing from traditional back-to-school themes, the campaign celebrated the joy of summer by showcasing families, including Dutch football star Virgil van Dijk and his family. The goal was to inspire millennial parents with playful moments from everyday family life.

Measuring and Analyzing Campaign Performance

As an eCommerce shop owner, you’re eager to understand how your campaign is performing and what actions you can take to improve results. Here’re some practical tips to help you measure the impact of your campaign and assess its performance:

1. Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Identify relevant KPIs that align with your campaign objectives. A list of them to consider:
   • Conversion Rate: Measure the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase. A higher conversion rate indicates the effectiveness of your campaign in driving desired outcomes.
   • Click-Through Rate (CTR): Calculate the percentage of people who click on your ads. A higher CTR signifies strong engagement and interest in your offerings.
   • Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Evaluate the profitability of your campaign by measuring the revenue generated compared to the advertising costs incurred. A positive ROAS indicates a favorable return on investment.
2. Utilize Analytics Tools. Leverage analytics tools like Google Analytics 4 to gather data and gain insights into your campaign performance. This tool provides valuable information about website traffic, user behavior, engagement metrics, and conversion rates.
3. Implement conversion tracking. Set up conversion tracking on your website to monitor specific actions taken by users, such as completing a purchase, submitting a form, or downloading a resource. Conversion tracking enables you to measure the effectiveness of your campaign in driving desired outcomes.
4. Conduct A/B Testing. Experiment with different variations of your ad creatives to determine which elements perform best. By conducting A/B tests, you can identify the most effective messaging, visuals, calls-to-action, and offers to optimize your campaign performance.
5. Analyze data periodically. Regularly review and analyze your campaign data to track progress, identify trends, and spot areas for optimization. Compare performance against previous campaigns, industry benchmarks, or your own goals to gain valuable insights.
6. Adjust and optimize. Based on the insights gained from your analysis, make data-driven adjustments to optimize your campaign. Tweak ad creatives, messaging, targeting, or offers to improve performance and achieve better results.

Remember, measuring campaign success is an ongoing process. Continuously monitor performance, make iterative improvements, and adapt your strategies as needed to maximize the impact of your back-to-school campaign.

Reach Out VIDEN to Boost Sales During the BTS Season

The back-to-school season presents a significant opportunity for eCommerce shops to increase sales and establish a strong presence in the market. However, navigating the complexities of back-to-school marketing can be challenging. If you’re seeking expert guidance and support to elevate your campaigns and achieve exceptional results, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our experienced professionals are here to provide tailored solutions and help you take your back-to-school marketing efforts to new heights.