Often about this time of year advisers and their staffs ask the question "why yearbook?". The deadlines, cover creation difficulties and technology challenges often seem to get in the way of the steady progress needed for the production of the school yearbook. You're not alone. Yearbook staffs tend to live in their own little bubble often believing that their problems are unique. They are not. It's quite normal to feel a little overwhelmed by mid October. Perhaps that theme idea just doesn't seem to work beyond the cover, or maybe the budget is really tight this year. Here are 3.5 tips to getting out of your own way and getting it done.
1. Communication is the key
Sometimes talking it out really does work! If you feel like that cover you wanted just isn't coming out the way you like we can get a Herff Jones cover artist involved to help put those finishing touches on the cover. After all a Yearbook IS a book judged by the cover.
2. Celebrate the little victories
Over the past few years I've noticed yearbook staffs not celebrating their mini victories. Did you finish flowing and editing the mug shots? What about the endsheets and cover? Then celebrate! Order a pizza, get a dozen doughnuts or treat the staff to popcorn. Make little achievements a BIG deal and watch the staff attitude improve dramatically.
3. Create a promo video
Brampton Centennial in Brampton, Ontario is an incredible staff with great spirit. Check out this link. It's loads of fun! http://youtu.be/DAgSqkzQXj8
Yearbook editors are the rock stars of your school!
3.5 Remember last year?
Ask last year's editors if they have any smartphone video of the unboxing of the yearbooks. Watch it and you will be reminded "why yearbook".
Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
The Office of Matt & Mary Sloan
Yearbookplanet Incorporated
Representing Herff Jones Yearbooks
Monday, October 19, 2015
Sunday, September 6, 2015
The Students Don't Want The Yearbook Anymore! Really? 3.5 Ways To Fix School Spirit... Now!
The heartbeat of every school is the Yearbook. The Yearbook records every positive event that happened last year and will happen this year. It's the go-to resource for new and alumni students and it's the best public relations tool you have at your disposal. If sales are down and fewer yearbooks are in the hands of your students you could have a school spirit issue. How do you fix a spirit problem? Here are 3.5 ways.
1. Get to a Yearbook workshop! We host Canada's largest one day workshop each fall. This year it takes place on Thursday October 1st. Networking with other schools that also want to create their best book ever is the key to better sales. More sales = better school spirit and pride. Visit www.bigeventworkshop.com to get registered.
2. Meet with your Yearbook representative. We just announced a partnership with DECA. We will help your DECA club build a sales campaign they can be proud of and get international recognition.
3. Increase your price, don't decrease it. Students are savvy these days. A ten dollar year yearbook conveys a message that the book is not worth much, or worth buying for that matter. The price of the school yearbook needs to reflect the quality, hard work and image of difference of your school.
3.5 Your spirit will define the school year, the yearbook and the culture at your school. Lift your spirits, open your eyes to new possibilities and reimagine this school year. Our office is here and waiting for your call. Let's make a difference together.
Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
Matt Sloan
1. Get to a Yearbook workshop! We host Canada's largest one day workshop each fall. This year it takes place on Thursday October 1st. Networking with other schools that also want to create their best book ever is the key to better sales. More sales = better school spirit and pride. Visit www.bigeventworkshop.com to get registered.
2. Meet with your Yearbook representative. We just announced a partnership with DECA. We will help your DECA club build a sales campaign they can be proud of and get international recognition.
3. Increase your price, don't decrease it. Students are savvy these days. A ten dollar year yearbook conveys a message that the book is not worth much, or worth buying for that matter. The price of the school yearbook needs to reflect the quality, hard work and image of difference of your school.
3.5 Your spirit will define the school year, the yearbook and the culture at your school. Lift your spirits, open your eyes to new possibilities and reimagine this school year. Our office is here and waiting for your call. Let's make a difference together.
Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
Matt Sloan
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
You're worth meeting - why getting an email quote for your 2016 Yearbook is a bad idea
Everyday our local office fields many many emails. Email is a great way to confirm a meeting, verify we have the pages and more. It's not a good way to get to know you. Back in 2000 we would gladly email you a quote for your next yearbook. Number of pages, copies and cover. That's all we needed. Fast forward to 2015. That system doesn't work. Why? There are so many moving pieces when putting together a school Yearbook. Are you implementing Augmented Reality? Are you submitting spring sports that happen in May? So many questions.
Recently I received an email asking for a quote. It's a school I've never visited, but would love to! As I awaited the Adviser's response to confirm a meeting I was told "if I can't get a quote we can't use you". Yikes. I'm sure my competitors sent a quote via email. Let's face it it's cheaper and doesn't use up a lot of their time. Maybe they can even sign up the school and never visit or have any interaction with them :) My philosophy has always been that schools invest a lot of their time in a yearbook and that time is valuable. Why not hear all your options? We value your time so much that we want to respect that with an in-person meeting. So..let's get together and make a plan for #yearbooksuccess today and make a mutual investment in the Yearbook. It's going to be a great year.
Life is good,yearbooks are amazing, and you are appreciated.
Matt Sloan
Yearbookplanet Inc.
Representing Herff Jones
Recently I received an email asking for a quote. It's a school I've never visited, but would love to! As I awaited the Adviser's response to confirm a meeting I was told "if I can't get a quote we can't use you". Yikes. I'm sure my competitors sent a quote via email. Let's face it it's cheaper and doesn't use up a lot of their time. Maybe they can even sign up the school and never visit or have any interaction with them :) My philosophy has always been that schools invest a lot of their time in a yearbook and that time is valuable. Why not hear all your options? We value your time so much that we want to respect that with an in-person meeting. So..let's get together and make a plan for #yearbooksuccess today and make a mutual investment in the Yearbook. It's going to be a great year.
Life is good,yearbooks are amazing, and you are appreciated.
Matt Sloan
Yearbookplanet Inc.
Representing Herff Jones
Monday, March 30, 2015
Yearbook Budget 101 - How to plan next year's budget
Like your school each Yearbook is unique. From the way the Yearbook is put together to the actual number of printed pages and copies getting a handle on your Yearbook budget does not need to be a difficult task. Here are three tips for #yearbooksuccess
First, start to get excited about the book that will be delivering in less than two months. Ask for distribution day materials to help get the school pumped and sell the 2016 book now- before the school year starts. These great "Sign my yearbook" pens are a fun way to get rolling.
Second, dream big! I encourage all customers to spend the end of the year and beginning of the fall dreaming. Ask questions like.. if budget is not a consideration our book would look like.... This is a crucial part of budgeting. Involve your Yearbook sales professional as well. Often we have tips on how to achieve the look you want with a minimum impact on budget. I like to propose three potential books, then when the book sale is final we can decide on which direction to go.
Third, the base pricing of a yearbook revolves around number of pages and copies. The more copies printed the lower the price. For example 500 yearbooks may be less than 300. Keep in mind that the number of copies and pages are just part of the equation. Involving your Yearbook sales professional is key. Far too many schools don't add enough "wiggle room" to the budget for the really important items like deadline parties, end of year editor dinners and of course any unexpected costs. I like to see schools ad $3-5 dollars to the sell price to cover the cost of a broken camera, replacing lost memory cards and have a celebration budget. Each deadline and yearbook staff birthday should also be celebrated.
Finally, remember we are not publishing a Yearbook, we are making history. What we do together this year and next has an incredible impact on school spirit and tells the story of all of the great things happening this year. You and your staff make a difference.
Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
The Office of Matt & Mary Sloan
Yearbookplanet Inc.
Representing Herff Jones
905.605.1069
First, start to get excited about the book that will be delivering in less than two months. Ask for distribution day materials to help get the school pumped and sell the 2016 book now- before the school year starts. These great "Sign my yearbook" pens are a fun way to get rolling.
Second, dream big! I encourage all customers to spend the end of the year and beginning of the fall dreaming. Ask questions like.. if budget is not a consideration our book would look like.... This is a crucial part of budgeting. Involve your Yearbook sales professional as well. Often we have tips on how to achieve the look you want with a minimum impact on budget. I like to propose three potential books, then when the book sale is final we can decide on which direction to go.
Third, the base pricing of a yearbook revolves around number of pages and copies. The more copies printed the lower the price. For example 500 yearbooks may be less than 300. Keep in mind that the number of copies and pages are just part of the equation. Involving your Yearbook sales professional is key. Far too many schools don't add enough "wiggle room" to the budget for the really important items like deadline parties, end of year editor dinners and of course any unexpected costs. I like to see schools ad $3-5 dollars to the sell price to cover the cost of a broken camera, replacing lost memory cards and have a celebration budget. Each deadline and yearbook staff birthday should also be celebrated.
Finally, remember we are not publishing a Yearbook, we are making history. What we do together this year and next has an incredible impact on school spirit and tells the story of all of the great things happening this year. You and your staff make a difference.
Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
The Office of Matt & Mary Sloan
Yearbookplanet Inc.
Representing Herff Jones
905.605.1069
Monday, March 16, 2015
The REAL Reason Your School Is Suffering From Yearbook Adviser Turnover
It's March and final Yearbook deadlines are near and your staff adviser has just told you they won't be advising next year. Now what!? First, don't panic. Advising on the school yearbook can often be a difficult job and not everyone understands what the staff adviser does. Here are three things you should say and three more things you should immediately do.
1. Thank your staff member for everything they have done this year. Remember when you left the building and noticed a staff member's car still in the lot? That was the yearbook adviser.
2. Ask your staff member to sit and chat about how you can help make his or her life easier next year. A little relief during on-calls may be just the right thing to do.
3. Ask your staff member to become involved in recruiting the new staff adviser. If the staff member is serious about moving on at least they will feel involved and perhaps mentor the new adviser.
Now...here are three things you should start doing immediately.
1. Plan a party. If your school takes delivery of the yearbooks and makes a boring announcement "Yearbooks are in" and nothing more then you may have hit on a school spirit issue. Talk to your representative about distribution day materials. Banners, prizes, autograph supplements and more. Plan a day and time for a huge distribution day party. If the outgoing adviser sees you care perhaps she will reconsider.
2. Speak with your yearbook sales professional immediately. I often work behind the scenes with schools to be sure they ramp up distribution day and planning ahead is the best way to ensure success.
3. Visit the yearbook room. A thank you from the school Principal or VP goes a long way with the students, and again may send just the right message to the staff adviser.
Life is good, yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
Matt Sloan
Yearbookplanet Inc.
Representing Herff Jones
1. Thank your staff member for everything they have done this year. Remember when you left the building and noticed a staff member's car still in the lot? That was the yearbook adviser.
2. Ask your staff member to sit and chat about how you can help make his or her life easier next year. A little relief during on-calls may be just the right thing to do.
3. Ask your staff member to become involved in recruiting the new staff adviser. If the staff member is serious about moving on at least they will feel involved and perhaps mentor the new adviser.
Now...here are three things you should start doing immediately.
1. Plan a party. If your school takes delivery of the yearbooks and makes a boring announcement "Yearbooks are in" and nothing more then you may have hit on a school spirit issue. Talk to your representative about distribution day materials. Banners, prizes, autograph supplements and more. Plan a day and time for a huge distribution day party. If the outgoing adviser sees you care perhaps she will reconsider.
2. Speak with your yearbook sales professional immediately. I often work behind the scenes with schools to be sure they ramp up distribution day and planning ahead is the best way to ensure success.
3. Visit the yearbook room. A thank you from the school Principal or VP goes a long way with the students, and again may send just the right message to the staff adviser.
Life is good, yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
Matt Sloan
Yearbookplanet Inc.
Representing Herff Jones
Monday, March 2, 2015
3.5 Things Every School Board Should Know About Yearbook Publishing
It's been an incredibly busy spring. Most of my time recently has been spent with school board privacy officers and IT folks helping them get familiar with the yearbook world and achieve #yearbooksuccess. What I have discovered is that many times most people just are not familiar with what we do. After all our focus is always to deliver the Yearbook in a timely fashion with the least amount of stress and pressure possible. We focus on making our software and services so easy to use that we don't need an IT ticket or call to the board to troubleshoot. Here's 3.5 things that I hope every school board considers.
First, the Yearbook is a key source of school pride, spirit and is the original anti-bullying program. It's not an app or a download. It's a treasure that students continue to purchase in this age of social networking.
Secondly, the Yearbook team- the Advisers, editors and photographers are some of the most important people in the school. They document the year and preserve everything. They are super stars and their hard work is often not appreciated. Getting them involved in the process of choosing a publisher is a great idea.
Third, forget about the "specifications". The number of copies and pages are not important. What is important is working with a company that is flexible. We know schools will miss the occasional deadline and students will make mistakes. It's our job as the yearbook sales professional to fix those issues and deliver the yearbook as promised.
Finally, we welcome questions about security, ftp files and other technical questions. Like you we want the best for every school we visit. We have families just like our customers do and ultimately want a great book and a fantastic experience for everyone involved.
Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
The Office of Matt & Mary Sloan
First, the Yearbook is a key source of school pride, spirit and is the original anti-bullying program. It's not an app or a download. It's a treasure that students continue to purchase in this age of social networking.
Secondly, the Yearbook team- the Advisers, editors and photographers are some of the most important people in the school. They document the year and preserve everything. They are super stars and their hard work is often not appreciated. Getting them involved in the process of choosing a publisher is a great idea.
Third, forget about the "specifications". The number of copies and pages are not important. What is important is working with a company that is flexible. We know schools will miss the occasional deadline and students will make mistakes. It's our job as the yearbook sales professional to fix those issues and deliver the yearbook as promised.
Finally, we welcome questions about security, ftp files and other technical questions. Like you we want the best for every school we visit. We have families just like our customers do and ultimately want a great book and a fantastic experience for everyone involved.
Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
The Office of Matt & Mary Sloan
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Does Your Yearbook Staff Have A Mission Statement?
I spent some time thinking this week about what impact a mission statement might have on the school Yearbook. What do you think? Would the following describe the ultimate mission statement?
The Yearbook staff will tell the story of the year using the only permanent record of the school year- the Yearbook. The Yearbook team will use great photographs, layouts, graphics, captions and body copy to show the school in the best possible light. They will celebrate the highlights of the school year, tell the story of the student body and show what an important role the staff plays in student success. The staff will make EVERY student, staff member and parent proud to be part of the school community. The Yearbook staff will never be satisfied with "average", instead they will use the latest technology along with time proven graphic design techniques to make magic this year. School work and marks will never suffer as a result of the hard work on the Yearbook. Yearbook and all that it involves will enhance the school experience because when the staff graduates their legacy to the next group of editors will be the passion to create the ultimate Yearbook.
Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
The Office of Matt & Mary Sloan
matt@yearbookplanet.com
The Yearbook staff will tell the story of the year using the only permanent record of the school year- the Yearbook. The Yearbook team will use great photographs, layouts, graphics, captions and body copy to show the school in the best possible light. They will celebrate the highlights of the school year, tell the story of the student body and show what an important role the staff plays in student success. The staff will make EVERY student, staff member and parent proud to be part of the school community. The Yearbook staff will never be satisfied with "average", instead they will use the latest technology along with time proven graphic design techniques to make magic this year. School work and marks will never suffer as a result of the hard work on the Yearbook. Yearbook and all that it involves will enhance the school experience because when the staff graduates their legacy to the next group of editors will be the passion to create the ultimate Yearbook.
Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
The Office of Matt & Mary Sloan
matt@yearbookplanet.com
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Three Predictions For Yearbooks In 2015... And One Is Not A Good One. Every Principal Should Read This.
The new year is here and as we begin the 2015 school year our office sees three big trends for this year. Copyright concerns, Augmented Reality and Adobe Creative Cloud applications will likely dominate conversations with customers and prospective customers this spring.
Copyright and potential exposure to legal action for the school, school board and students will need to be addressed. Canada has finally tightened copyright laws and amongst other powers internet service providers will begin providing information to authorities when copyright protected videos, music and other materials are downloaded. The fines range from $5000.00 to $20,000.00 and schools should be very concerned about content in the school Yearbook. Every spring our office needs to stop production of pages due to copyright infringement and schools often believe because they are a school they are somehow immune to prosecution. Principals should consider a conversation with the school Yearbook Adviser and their sales professional regarding this very important issue.
Augmented reality will continue to dominate Yearbooks. It's everywhere! Simply wave your smartphone over a Yearbook page and video and audio plays. Take a closer look at most of the newspapers and advertising pieces landing in your mailbox- it's there! Want more information? Give me a ring and I'm happy to help.
Adobe Creative Cloud seems to be gaining traction. The web based applications of Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator in particular are of great interest to Yearbook staffs. Our creative cloud extensions automate many of the Yearbook tasks required but installation can be tricky. If you are considering Creative Cloud touch base with us soon. Training your staff if likely the first step to a successful deploy and we can help.
All the best in the new year. Life is good, Yearbooks are amazing and you are appreciated.
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Regards,
Matt & Mary Sloan
The Office of Matt & Mary Sloan
Representing Herff Jones Inc.
905.605.1069
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