Most families are itching for summer to arrive. They’re making travel plans, buying bathing suits, and looking forward to a little extra family time. Meanwhile, marketers and creators are already prepping their back-to-school content ideas and promotions.
It takes time to create a content strategy, generate pieces of content, and coordinate campaigns with influencers. As a result, marketers are already in back-to-school mode while everyone else is focused on finishing this school year.
If you’re looking for back-to-school content ideas, check out these ideas:
Create a back-to-school guide
You don’t need to sell a multitude of products to create a back-to-school guide. Instead, focus on how you can help families as they head back to school.
For instance, Earthley, which sells wellness and beauty products, created a “Back to School Survival Guide” covering topics like how to choose quality supplements for your child, handling respiratory bugs, and what to send in school lunches. Originally promoted on Pinterest for $14.99, the guide was later offered for free.
If you’re an influencer, start thinking about what product guides and recommendations you can offer your followers. This is an opportune time to partner with brands you love.
Host a giveaway
Consider pairing your product with a few generic school supplies. Parker’s Real Maple hosted a back-to-school giveaway on Instagram with several products students would like, including its own four-pack of organic maple cotton candy — all contained in a backpack, of course.
Share product images in a school-related setting
Rather than simply posting an image of a product, stage it in a school setting to help followers view it as a must-have for students. Pick & Pack Bags used several hashtags, including #backtoschool and #sustainablebags to promote its new Backpack L. Instead of having the students wear their backpacks, the brand opted to have the products slung over the back of classroom chairs.
Share tips related to your product or service
Everyone is looking for lunchboxes before the end of summer, but Yumbox wanted to go the extra mile to keep kids healthy. The brand shared food safety suggestions from Better Health — alongside a photo of its product.
Tie in unique holidays
While August and September are the standard months for returning to school (depending where you live), don’t be afraid to capitalize on secondary holiday tie-ins that fall within the same timeframe. Beef up your hashtags with lesser-known celebrations, like National Watermelon Day (August 3), National Sisters Day (the first Sunday in August), and Neither Rain Nor Snow Day (September 7).
Need some inspiration?
Brand My Spirit, which makes custom mugs, apparel, and home decor, shared an Aug. 12 promotion for National Middle Child Day with three children and plenty of hashtags about shopping.
Sponsor a student’s haul
Consider sponsoring a student’s or teacher’s back-to-school haul. Dick’s Sporting Goods helped prep one young lady for her first day back in the classroom and her family shared a photo, a video, and plenty of hashtags and shoutouts to thank them on their Instagram account.
Spotlight a personal story
Johnson & Johnson knows that part of the morning chaos on school days is due to the amount of time it takes to comb out and style kids’ hair. They turned to Pinterest influencer Tatertots and Jello to promote their No More Tangles products. Her “Back-to-School Hair Tips!” post included not only the hashtag #NoMoreTangles, but also a link to a personal story on her website about raising three daughters with long hair.
The back-to-school season is ripe for marketing a wide variety of products and services to students and their families. Use these content ideas as inspiration to promote your brand directly, through influencers, or with noncompetitive brands that can serve as partners.
Influencers:
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