Forums

We are going to be doing some forums for school districts to interact and have an opportunity to discuss what's working and what is not.  The first one should be in the middle of September.  Keep checking here for additional details.

The Size Of Online Ads Can Determine Your Worth

One of the most important factors that will determine whether a company (especially a larger company or an ad agency) will advertise with your school district is size. 

The group that dictates size is the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and the reason this is important to you is this:  If "my company" is going to spend money with your school district one of the deciding factors is the "ease of use" - meaning how much do I have to do to put an ad up on your site. 

If your website ad sizes are the same as the web sizes that my creative team is already producing for online websites, the online version of local newspapers, or anywhere else....then I don't have to do anything extra.  That means you should be using the web banner ad sizes found here:  http://www.iab.net/iab_products_and_industry_services/1421/1443/1452

You don't need all of them.  Just pick a few.  Work with your IT department to find out what sizes work and sync them up.  That way advertising agencies and major marketers won't have to pay a graphic designer $90 an hour more to design a web ad just for you...  and that should make you a buck or two.

The local dollar vs the district dollars

Don't forget the local dollars.  Schools are really good about getting them; school districts find it a bit more challenging.  Here's a simple rule of thumb:

The school should go to the franchise owner or individual location of the business.

If there is a chain or franchise, the school district should go to the regional marketing director, or franchise group responsible for all the stores in your school district.

The easiest way to find out this information is to call one of the locations and ask the franchise owner who their marketing representative is or who handles the marketing/advertising for that geographical area.

Identify Your Unique Selling Points

In Florida, Orange County Public Schools (Orlando, FL) has identified their unique selling points.  It's a fairly easy exercise but needs to be done.  Your unique selling point is whatever it is that you want to use to distinguish yourself to advertisers.  Whatever you think would make your school district more attractive than the next.

First, all school districts have unique selling points when talking to potential advertisers that should convince your advertiser that you are a better option than radio advertising, billboards, direct mailings, etc.  You should have a pretty solid list, but is should include:

• Ability to reach a targeted (and often hard-to-reach) audience of parents, educators, and students.
• Ability to segment these groups (by school, grade, zip code, etc)
• Ability to create an emotional connection with the community through the advertising sponsorship.

It pays off though to highlight your school district in more specific ways.  For example, Orange County uses  past athletes who have gone professional in their respective sports to highlight the history and pride in the county.  Last year, they had the ability to boast that they had the NFL MVP and the MLB Cy Young Award winner (Chris Johnson, Olympia grad) and Zach Greinke (Apopka grad).  

The next step is to push that information out to the public.  Here's what the ridiculously good video that theOrange County Public Schools Video Services team came up with to promote their programs:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqzs-ILp2jU

If your school district has done anything similar, send them my way.  I'd enjoy the chance to see them.

8 ways to increase your concession sales

If you want to sell more food and drink and make more money at your athletic events, there are a few ways you can do this that can be done relatively easy.  We're constantly looking for new ways to make money at schools and I have found that the concession stands are already set up but not being monetized to their fullest.

1.) Order in bulk - There's two ways to save and you can do it on the front end, back end, or both.  This is one way to save money on the back end.  If you can start a "collective" of sorts with all the schools in your district or, better yet, form a buying partnership with other school districts in your market you can do the same thing that large food services groups in school districts have been doing for years - leveraging their purchasing power to drive down prices.

2.) Sell name brands - It's a proven fact:  Name brands sell more product. 

3.) Kick out your outside vendors who aren't paying you a flat rate - I always hear that some "chicken sandwich" place or a pizza place wants to come in "to help our fundraising" - which is b.s. - it's a great way for them to brand their product to your audience, align their company with your community, and make a lot of money - traditional "cause" marketing.  Don't take 3% of their sales.  Tell them you want a flat rate up front since you will also be cannibalizing your own sales at your concession stands.  Companies that come in to stadiums and athletic events and don't pay out aren't worth your time.  

4.) Promote your concessions - Utilize signage, promotions, and your P.A. announcer to increase your sales.

5.) Take the food to the stands - If you're a mom with two kids on your arm and your at the game where there are no assigned seats, you might just wait out the game and just go sit down and eat afterwards.  If your school is serious about selling more food at games, take the food and drink to the stands.  It actually adds to the game experience since so many fans are used to seeing this at professional and college games.  

6.) Create something unique - Get known for something.  Can people get pit beef, cheese steaks, funnel cakes, barbeque, grilled wings, quesadillas, smoothies, fried twinkies, etc?  Is there something unique you have.  I love the barbeque pits because they send off smoke and a strong smell that send people running your way.  

7.) Show pictures of food and drink that you really want to sell - Next time you are at your favorite restaurant, check out their menu - you'll notice that the items they sell the most of (or often make the most money off of) are the items that have their picture on the menu.  People increase impulse purchases when there is visual stimulus.  

8.) Give away samples - I know, nobody wants to give away anything for free but try this:  Put a certain amount of product out for sampling and know how much it cost you (for example:  sample $200 worth of new pit beef) and then, at the end of the night, compare your sales with other nights that you didn't sample (of course take into consideration like variables such as attendance, weather, time of day, etc) but I bet you'll see a significant increase in sales.  Doesn't your grocery store do the same thing?

These are just a few ideas.  If you want us to talk about your situation and what we recommend, contact us at brian@tebopartnerships.com or check out www.tebopartnerships.com
contact us

WARNING: SUMMER SCAMS

Tebo Partnerships
Be aware.  Every summer companies start calling on local businesses in your area claiming that they are raising money for your schools.  They take thousands of dollars in and you don't see any of it. 

They call on companies when they think you're not paying attention and when the local businesses in your area can't verify the authenticity of their claims.  These scams are nation-wide. 

These companies survive off of two things:
1. That you don't care
2. That you won't know

There's ways to combat this.  Inform your school staffs, parents, and local chamber of commerce or any other business organizations or associations that if somebody claims they represent the schools or school district, make sure they authenticate that.  Give a phone number of a school representative.  Tell local businesses what companies you do authorize, if any, but more importantly lead them to your programs that you do yourself.  Give them the name of your boosters club or alumni association.
and don't forget.... CALL THE MEDIA.  They are great about these stories and actually do a great job of getting you free press.  It shows you are protecting their best interests and the television stations get great ratings because they look like the watchdogs in your community.... see an example where we (Orange County Public Schools) had a savvy investigative reporter help us.  He was real good.  He actually even got the States Attorney involved.

Do Your Research

Before you sign an agreement with a third-party company to represent your school district, Do Your Research.

There's no other post here that is more important to read if you understate the importance of this one.

Companies are holding school districts hostage after they sign their advertising agreements because they are not equipped or qualified to sell the inventory you're giving them.  It's like handing your baby to a drunk - don't do it.

Here's the perfect example:  A guy with a printing shop starts to send out promotional materials to schools.  No sales experience or background in education but he's got some coin and knows the Pantone Color Chart.

He grabs the following picture from my presentation at the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) conference and - probably snagged all his other photos - and sends out an email to superintendents all over the country asking school districts to 'trust them' with their advertising and sponsorship programs...  

What they pur in their promotional material (above)

Slide from the NIAAA annual conference (above)

Original picture from Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, FL (above)

They are hoping you forward their email-blast promotional materials along and ask somebody to contact them to learn more. They do this without ever doing any homework.

 If you cut corners you're going to pay for it.  If you want advertising to work for your school district, you're going to have to do some work and research - either on the front end or the back end.  You'll end up working harder and get less done if you don't do your research up front.