Jeddah – As summer winds down and the school year approaches, GoDaddy is sharing eight back-to-school marketing strategies for small businesses actively selling their products and services online. With online shopping becoming the norm post-pandemic, these tactics are designed to help small businesses grow and build customer engagement during one of the most active shopping periods of the year.

"At GoDaddy, our online tools can help small businesses easily create digital marketing campaigns and keep their eCommerce stores fresh for the season,” said Selina Bieber, Vice President for International Markets at GoDaddy.  “By leveraging these targeted marketing tactics, small business owners can help raise the visibility of their business, meet immediate needs of their shoppers, and build lasting customer relationships.”

1. Understand Your Shoppers' Needs
Identify the diverse needs of students, parents, and teachers. Beyond basic school supplies, consider including electronics, apparel, shoes, and sporting goods to meet the varied demands of back-to-school shoppers.

2. Create Specialized Back-to-School Marketing Strategy
GoDaddy’s Prompt Library offers a free tool to explore AI-driven marketing strategies. This resource can help small business owners create targeted back-to-school campaigns, saving time and enhancing their marketing efforts.

3. Display Products by Buyer Personas
Tailor your offerings to different demographics. Create targeted collections and sections by grouping related items into back-to-school bundles or creating dedicated landing pages for parents, high school students, college students, and teachers.  This can make it easier for customers to find what they need and can enhance the effectiveness of a paid advertising campaign.

4. Leverage Current Trends
Stay up to date with trending topics and incorporate them into your marketing. Utilize tools like Google Trends and Think with Google’s Shopping Insights to align your promotions with popular interests, whether it’s a new app, a hit movie, or trending social media hashtags. Check school websites to see what information they are sharing for their back-to-school activities. 

5. Use Back-to-School themed Content Images
Utilize GoDaddy Studio back-to-school templates to create visually appealing and easily customizable content for social media and email campaigns. Whether it's product reviews, buying guides, or checklists, GoDaddy Studio offers a variety of tools to make marketing efforts stand out. 

6. Offer Attractive Incentives
Draw shoppers in with special discounts, free shipping, buy-one-get-one deals, and loyalty rewards, and let them know they are available from your business through email and social media marketing.  These incentives can help attract new customers and encourage repeat purchases. 

7. Engage on Social Media
Be active on social media to connect with your audience. Use the insights gained from these interactions to create meaningful marketing campaigns and promote your back-to-school sales. 

8. Cater to Late Shoppers
Don’t overlook those who shop at the last minute. Implement urgency reminders, such as countdown banners, to encourage these last-minute shoppers to complete their purchases before school starts.

Back-to-school shopping season offers an extended opportunity for small businesses to grow their business and meet the needs of shoppers during this important time of year. By implementing these marketing tactics, small businesses can effectively target busy back-to-school shoppers and keep them informed on how their offerings can meet their needs. 

For more information and detailed guidance on preparing your eCommerce business website for the back-to-school season, visit GoDaddy’s blog.