Snapchats don't last forever, but yearbooks do!
And in years to come, you’ll laugh at your hairstyles, seek out the famous person that you swore you went to school with, or remembered the friends that you’ve since lost touch with (or maybe become re-aquainted with on Facebook).
And it’s not simply for the kids who participated in the schooling year - for parents, it can be a key to unlock your child’s world. Amy Carney of the ‘Parent on Purpose’ website goes so far as to say “The school yearbook allows us a window into our kids’ world that we may never gain access to otherwise. It is a private space somehow made public in the beauty of this hardbound memory book.”
Today, with Facebook, and the simplicity of sharing digital photos or connecting with people, the role of the Yearbook has remained the same: it is an important reflection of the events and lives of people who were involved in a students’ schooling during a given year. It’s a memory book, a record book, a piece of history.
And as one school’s yearbook squad has stated on posters around their school, “Snapchats don’t last forever, but yearbooks do.” Those of us still collecting yearbooks know we are sharing in a keepsake that our child will hopefully treasure in the future. We understand that social media posts will eventually be lost yet an analog book of memories is forever. We’re also supporting a group of students’ creative, hard work throughout the school year.
So, how do you keep your yearbook appealing for parents and affordable?
Beautiful design
Today, Yearbooks are much more sophisticated and visually pleasing than the books of the 80s, and show a greater diversity of design capabilities. The old cut-and-paste job of the 80s isn’t relevant or necessary today. By making sure that the yearbook is visually appealing, it will be a continuation of the schools brand, and make it a more beautiful ‘coffee table’ experience for your students’ families.
Unique content
From showcasing artwork and written word, through to photography and a record of all events throughout the school, the yearbook is an excellent opportunity to showcase uniquely captured content. By keeping the content exclusive to the yearbook (and not available in other areas, such as social media), you’ll increase the appeal of your yearbook, making it the ‘must have’ for the year (especially if the content has been created by your students).
Make it easy to buy
If your school doesn’t provide a Yearbook as part of your school fee structure then why not allow students and their families to respond instantly to communication with a direct online purchase. Set up an online payment system for students and their families, or seek help from a third party provider facilitate this function for you. (Ask DMC Group, we can help!)
Promote throughout the school
Use your in-school and take-home communication tools to promote throughout the school community for as long as possible. Consider using parent communication, social media platforms, and posters throughout the school.
And remember, it’s a keepsake which will stay with each of its recipients for generations to come. Make it memorable.
How can DMC Group help?
We have experience in designing, printing, distribution and online sales platforms for yearbooks, to take the pain out of the administration, and maximise your fundraising revenue. Contact us to see how we can help today.
Further reading:
https://yearbookdiscoveries.com/purpose-yearbook/
https://www.spc-yearbooks.co.uk/why-yearbooks-are-important/
https://www.treering.com/Yearbook-Costs
