Social Media
The Back to School season is a short but intense period when brands make significant investments to attract attention, increase sales, and acquire new customers. However, the intensity and time pressure often lead to strategic mistakes, causing campaigns to underperform their potential.
In this article, we share the 5 most common strategic mistakes brands make and practical solutions for each.
1. Mistake: Starting the Campaign at the Last Minute
Downside: Advertising costs increase, optimization time shortens, competitors get ahead.
✅ Solution:
Start preparations in early July. Conduct target audience research, plan campaign creatives and landing pages in advance to launch early.
Google & Meta algorithms optimize over time. Starting early provides an advantage in ROAS (Return on Ad Spend).
2. Mistake: Sending the Same Message to the Entire Audience
Downside: Ads lack personalization, fail to grab attention, and engagement rates drop.
✅ Solution:
Create different creatives tailored to distinct personas like students, parents, and teachers.
On Meta, test separate messages with different audience sets:
“For students returning to school: technological accessories”
“Complete your child’s school supplies here!”
3. Mistake: Focusing Only on Discounts
Downside: Brand perception is damaged; competition is based solely on price.
✅ Solution:
Diversify campaign content:
Share benefit-focused content such as “Back to School Guide.”
Produce videos showing product use cases.
Even if there is a discount, focus the message not only on price but also on how the product makes life easier.
4. Mistake: Mismatched Landing Pages
Downside: Clicks don’t convert to purchases; users are lost.
✅ Solution:
Create landing pages that exactly match the ad copy.
Use mobile-friendly, fast-loading pages with clear CTA flows.
Especially on Meta, post-click experience is “instant,” so milliseconds matter.
5. Mistake: Allocating the Entire Budget to a Single Campaign
Downside: Budget runs out without testing; campaign diversity is lost.
✅ Solution:
Manage budget with A/B tests:
- Different creative sets
- Different target audience groups
- Different bidding strategies
Use a combination of Search + Shopping + Performance Max on Google.
Try Reels, Carousel, and Story formats together on Meta.
The Golden Rule to Avoid These Mistakes
Let data speak.
Set up your analytics tracking systems (GA4, Meta Events, Google Ads conversion tracking, etc.) flawlessly throughout the campaign.
Continuously monitor which creative works when and which audience generates more conversions.
Back to School campaigns are among the most attention-grabbing yet error-prone digital marketing periods of the year. To make this season not only busy but also smart, avoiding strategic mistakes is essential.
To learn more about Marker Groupe’s development services, visit MarkerGroupe.com or reach out to us via hello@markergroupe.com.
