How to use the best products to support your school’s brand and instill school pride in both students and the community

schoolsuppliesEducational institutions of all levels have embraced branding as a necessary measure to recruit students. This is closely linked with school pride. If you’re looking for ways to show off your school’s brand, here are three best practices.

Better homework supplies:

Selling supplies and apparel with the school’s brand (or logo) is a long-standing strategy for building pride. Depending on what you use the items for – recruiting, fundraising, or appreciation – a school may sell these supplies, offer student discounts, or give them away. Pens, notebooks, binders, and folders are traditional supplies. These are great, but also don’t have much longevity. Remember that whatever you’re using, the quality of the item will reflect the quality of the school. Things like custom sheet protectors and presentation folders will last longer and also convey the school’s expectations of how a report or presentation should be submitted. There is a great opportunity to reach students by their interests, too, by offering supplies specific to each program. For example, a school could give art students archival-safe art folders.

Fundraising Items:

Extracurricular groups always need to raise money. Fundraisers, especially at the K-12 level, are often not met with enthusiasm. Neighbors and family members are reliably easy to persuade into buying things, but if it’s strictly obligatory, they buy the bare minimum. If, however, people had a chance to buy something that is A) useful and B) shows community pride, they will be more excited to buy. Sell lunch bags, water bottles, backpacks, apparel, phone cases, and fun items that are branded with your logo and a tag line that reinforces community pride.

Promote Safety and/or Protection of Belongings:

Safety continues to be a major issue, especially at the college level. There are a number of promotional items you can give prospective or new students that promote safety. The easier it is for students to keep these things on their person, the more visibility your brand gets. Logo-embossed LED flashlight key chains, smart wallets for mobile devices, and even protective pouches for thumb drives are great examples of these kinds of promotional items.

If you’re looking for quality school products to show off your brand, Vinyl Art has a line specific to schools. Everything from student ID card holders to briefcase-style file folders can be customized with your color, graphics, and branding. For a detailed description of these products, visit http://www.vinylart.com/products-for-schools/, call 800-569-1304, or email sales@vinylart.wpengine.com.