Entrepreneurship
As the presence of social media has expanded in the lives of Har-Ber students, we knew to stay up to date with the masses, the yearbook staff would need an instagram page. In fact, our school’s student council, student section, band, and many others had social media accounts, showing how they are vital to reaching our students. We post a lot about the staff as a “get to know us,” hoping to encourage future students to join as well as prompt students to read the work produced by both staffs. The account has also been helpful during big events, such as when our boys won tennis state. We were the first to post photos and the results of the match. Our photos were then shared by other students and organizations. This provided great publicity to the journalism department.
This year, we have also branched out by making banners and game day graphics for many of the sports teams. This allows our program to be seen in a good light. We do not charge any of the teams for the photos and banner designs we make. Then, our name gets thrown around and our work is put up in areas such as the gym and stadium. I personally have had to take photos for the banners because some programs did not have the resources to take good quality photos for the banners. While this may not initially boost book sales, our program is gaining more popularity as students and teachers realize it is our students who are producing the work. Hopefully, as the years go by, our yearbook, the Wildcat, will gain more popularity and become an essential part of our students’ lives.
Speaking of book sales, this year The Wildcat has already surpassed previous years’ book sales. We have sold 410 books this year as of February, which our school has more than 2,000 students and faculty. While these might not seem like impressive numbers for the size of the student body, our school has a high number of students living in poverty. With poverty being a real problem at our school, we do everything we can to accommodate students who might not be able to pay for the book with a single check. For example, we provide layaway contracts for every student, where they can pay for the book in installments. We also work with other school programs that might offer to pay for a student’s yearbook. We personally ask many of our parents if they would like to participate in our version of Guardian Angel, where they pay for a senior who can’t afford a book. Also, the price of The Wildcat at the beginning of the year is very reasonable at $60. With the staff and book achieving numerous awards, we could bump up the original price, but instead, we have chosen to continue offering this low price.
We have tried new approaches this year as to how to sell our book to students. We made “parking tickets” and put them on every car in our school’s parking lots, and each contained an advertisement meant to encourage students to buy a book. While some students found it clever, others like my own brother was livid that we scared him half to death. In any case, the book was the topic of discussion for the next few days. Another tactic my staff and I used to promote the book was a Cyber Monday sale. The price of the yearbook goes up from $60 to $75 dollars shortly after Halloween. While from the start of the school year we advertise that the book price will increase after this day, we still have students who will claim they had no clue. I saw Cyber Monday as a chance to buy the book at the original price and jump on the shopping fever from Black Friday. We promoted this deal and had several students decide to purchase the book on this day. Lastly, we also gave out Valentines to all of the customers who had purchased a book. Each contained a sweet note and a piece of candy. We did this not to exclude those who hadn’t bought a book, but instead to show appreciation to those who had. From what I heard around school, many enjoyed the candy.
Speaking of book sales, this year The Wildcat has already surpassed previous years’ book sales. We have sold 410 books this year as of February, which our school has more than 2,000 students and faculty. While these might not seem like impressive numbers for the size of the student body, our school has a high number of students living in poverty. With poverty being a real problem at our school, we do everything we can to accommodate students who might not be able to pay for the book with a single check. For example, we provide layaway contracts for every student, where they can pay for the book in installments. We also work with other school programs that might offer to pay for a student’s yearbook. We personally ask many of our parents if they would like to participate in our version of Guardian Angel, where they pay for a senior who can’t afford a book. Also, the price of The Wildcat at the beginning of the year is very reasonable at $60. With the staff and book achieving numerous awards, we could bump up the original price, but instead, we have chosen to continue offering this low price.
We have tried new approaches this year as to how to sell our book to students. We made “parking tickets” and put them on every car in our school’s parking lots, and each contained an advertisement meant to encourage students to buy a book. While some students found it clever, others like my own brother was livid that we scared him half to death. In any case, the book was the topic of discussion for the next few days. Another tactic my staff and I used to promote the book was a Cyber Monday sale. The price of the yearbook goes up from $60 to $75 dollars shortly after Halloween. While from the start of the school year we advertise that the book price will increase after this day, we still have students who will claim they had no clue. I saw Cyber Monday as a chance to buy the book at the original price and jump on the shopping fever from Black Friday. We promoted this deal and had several students decide to purchase the book on this day. Lastly, we also gave out Valentines to all of the customers who had purchased a book. Each contained a sweet note and a piece of candy. We did this not to exclude those who hadn’t bought a book, but instead to show appreciation to those who had. From what I heard around school, many enjoyed the candy.
Our school district does not fund all of the yearbook. Instead, my staff and I participate in a town wide ad sales day. We personally go door to door at local businesses and pitch the benefits of having an ad in our book. I divided the staff into teams with roughly three to four members in each car. We then divided our town into sections and tackled each one. Unfortunately, we sometimes struggle selling ads against our cross town rival, Springdale High School. Despite this, Ad Sales day still makes up the majority of our funding. We also sell ads to seniors and offer them a free book if they purchase a full page. Through this activity, the staff members learn how to conduct proper business conversations and how to handle and keep track of money. Many professional skills can be taught, such as perseverance, determination, and developing an overall businesslike persona. This day not only helps fund our book, but also serves as a team building activity and teaches staff members new skills.