Establishments with the primary objective of providing education are comprised of the Education industry. But, what includes in the educational industry? Let’s understand this concept first.
Education Industry
These may be institutions for-profit, public or non-profit. They include elementary & secondary schools, colleges, and universities, departments of education, or ministries of education. Yet other categories of modern education include online academics, charter schools, corporate, educational support, and vocational centers.
While considering promotional products for these organizations, we need to focus on the teaching personnel. Junior or senior teachers instruct students; lecturers and professors recommend undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students at college and university levels. At vocational centers, instructors teach students technical skills.
Reasons for giving Promotional Products
The above factors play significant roles in determining promotion products for the education industry. At this juncture, we may consider various events that necessitate the distribution of educational promotional products.
These events include National Library week, Teacher Application Week, Academic awards ceremonies, Bullying Prevention Month, School fundraising, fun for Field day, and stocking the school store. You can choose promotional products**** for volunteers, teachers, students, and administrative staff. The promotional products may be customized.
Events & Occasions
The educational establishments establish their brand image by imparting high-quality educational services. But they adopt an appropriate marketing strategy for reaching out to the students, college professor’s participants of sporting events, seminars, and first-year student’s orientation.
Promotional products having the power of enticing freebies can draw the attention of potential customers. The administration could be judged from a study that showed that 76% of the recipient of the promotional products could recall the company’s name distributing the freebies. On the other hand, only 53.5% of respondents were able to identify the advertiser seen in print media.
The existing customers of the recipients of the promotional products firstly have a feeling of psychological satisfaction that their dealings with the advertising company have drawn due recognition.
As a result, 75% repeat business is ensured. This may finally lead to brand loyalty as the clients will not switch to other clients. A survey conducted on the impact of promotional products reveals that 500% more referrals are generated because the referring person feels a sense of patronization for that particular brand. 55% of the surveyed persons retain the promotional items for more than one year.
For the Promotional Products to Be Effective
1: Utility Value
Pick up a product that has a utility value for the relevant recipient. You should consider if it is used only once or can be kept for a long time. If it is meant for students, think of a product that is helpful for their day-to-day life.
Here, you can differentiate for elementary, secondary, or high school students. You may pick up a piece of drinkware that includes has a printed message inside that advice on healthy eating or staying hydrated. Similarly, you can pick up a notebook for university students with calendar reminders.
2: Event-Focused
The products should be event-focused such as alumni events or orientations, fundraisers. The distributors should know what their clients want and the message they want to convey through the products. Having accessed these factors, the supplier of promotional products can take an informed decision.
The products may vary according to education levels and the categories of schools. At the same time, you should take care of the outside obvious. These include board gifts, recruitment, alumni networking events, open-house events, and enrolment giveaways.
3: Competitive Admission
Supplying promotional products to prestigious schools may be a competitive affair. You should be in a position to bid the school’s reputation, mainly if the schools are of more enormous regional or national importance.
You may face a significant challenge concerning price because numerous suppliers are bidding on each other. Your effort can be effective if you can set yourself apart creatively through supplier alliances. If there is a rush order, you must be able to get the products in time. Lead-time opportunities give an edge over competitors.
4: Benefits of Promotional Products
1. Increase the visibility of your brand
a. Freshmen orientation kits with more prominent space for writing
b. Welcome kits, with logos, brand, and message of your school and colleges
c. Goodies meant for annual cultural functions
d. Standard apparel wearable every day for school staff
e. Blazers and jackets for uniforms and special occasions
f. Certificates and awards for outstanding performances by teachers and students
g. Variety of stationery items that carry your logo, such as eraser, pencil, cutter, etc.
h. Computer and electronic gadgets
i. Laboratory apparatus carrying your logo
j. Bookmarks, bookstands, or pens
k. Trophies for Inter-school or inter-college sporting, academic or cultural competitions
2. Educational Giveaways for Marketing Strategies
a. Writing accessories
b. Drinkware
c. Notepad with sticky notes
d. Drawing backpack
e. Supply case
f. Highlighters
g. Masks
h. Hand Sanitizers
i. Barricade Cover
j. Disinfectant wipes
5: Digitalization
Parents and students expect a seamless online experience. Now that digital marketing is dominating the market of educational promotion products is becoming more complex and competitive. As a supplier of educational products, you need to evaluate the following factors regularly.
i. Consider key timings: Irrespective of your budget, work on your marketing strategy, keeping in view the future candidates
ii. Understand Social media: Students expect a strong presence on social media such as Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Tik Tok. If you are present on these platforms, you can better understand your audience is looking out for. Accordingly, you can devise your promotional products that suit their taste.
iii. Rank high on Google: Parents and students usually search on Google search engine. If you are on top of the search result, you can get good traffic to your website.
iv. Make a multi-channel approach with your printed prospectus on your digital communications and promotional items. Join up your theme so that you make the best of your investment.
v. Acquire some credibility by getting some positive testimonials from your past students.
