Marketing Best Practices
Events
One of the very best ways to reach families who have never used RAS before is through face-to-face events. Events offer an opportunity to showcase what RAS is all about and give parents and kids a chance to interact with our curriculum firsthand.
Attending a School or Community Event
Hosting Your Own RAS Event
Attending a School or Community Event
Finding Events
- Ask your principals or school contacts if you can have a table or presence at your district or school’s back to school night, open house, or curriculum night.
- Brainstorm local community events where Right At School may be able to host a table, or may be able to sponsor an activity. You know your communities best – think about events parents or families with children are likely to attend! Examples include: Block Parties, County Fairs, Farmers Markets, National Nights Out, Movies in the Park, Street Fairs, Fall Festivals, etc.
- Fill out this form to request any payment needed to sponsor or attend the event.
Planning for the Event
- Plan to bring RAS marketing materials (pricing flyers, subsidy flyers, brochures, etc.).
- Everyone loves a freebie – fill out this form to order swag.
- If you have space, plan for demonstrations of actual RAS activities! Make sure families have a chance to see what makes RAS special.
- We’ve included specific curriculum activities below, along with eye-catching activity signage and instructions.
- Make sure you have staff to work the event!
- At minimum, there should be 1-2 people working a general table where families can ask questions, get help registering, and receive marketing materials.
- If you have curriculum activities, you should also have a staff member working each one.
Setting Up the Event
- Use signage at the event. Bring your RAS tablecloth(s) and any large banners you may have. The more RAS vibes, the better!
- Give away a FREE Month of After School! Print out a simple contact form to collect prospective parents’ names and email addresses. Then, using a random number generator, select one family to give away a free month certificate. Email marketing@rightatschool to request a certificate for your event.
After the Event
- Be sure to share your free month of after school list with the RAS marketing team so we can add those families to our email list!
- Send a follow up email to families thanking them for attending the event!
- Customizable, Ready to Order
- English
- Customizable
- English, Spanish
- Ready to Order
- English
Hosting Your Own Event
Picking a Location
First things first: get permission from your school principals! Most of our school partners want to see our programs thrive! Ask if you can use the school gymnasium, cafeteria, or playground (weather permitting) to host an event.
While we encourage you to host as many back to school events as possible, it may make sense to host one larger event at a ‘hub’ school where all district families can attend.
If you are unable to use a school space, look for a local park or playground with a pavilion and bathroom access.
Picking Dates and Times
If time permits, we recommend you host the event before school begins so we can get in front of as many parents as possible and give them more time to register. In general, we recommend hosting an event with at least 3 weeks in advance so we can assist you with properly marketing it.
Set a time that you think will work best for your community. That may be 3:00 if you want to capture parents as they pick their kiddos up or it may be 5:00 or 6:00 (after parents get out of work).
Buy Snacks!
Choose something that your community will enjoy, whether it’s pizza from a local shop, an ice cream sundae bar, cookies from a favorite bakery, etc.
Work with your School to Market the Event
Have the principal send out an email blast, send out the event flyer through Line Leader, and ask your school if you can put a stack of fliers in the front office or put a flyer on the school’s entrance.
Check your RSVP List!
Depending on the size and scope of the event, the marketing team will manage RSVPs, but make sure you have an idea of how many families are attending so you can accurately staff the event.
Setting Up the Event
- Plan to bring RAS marketing materials (pricing flyers, subsidy flyers, brochures, etc.).
- Everyone loves a freebie – fill out this form to order swag.
- If you have space, plan for demonstrations of actual RAS activities! Make sure families have a chance to see what makes RAS special.
- We’ve included specific curriculum activities below, along with eye-catching activity signage and instructions.
- Make sure you have staff to work the event!
- At minimum, there should be 1-2 people working a general table where families can ask questions, get help registering, and receive marketing materials.
- If you have curriculum activities, you should also have a staff member working each one.
- Use signage at the event. Bring your RAS tablecloth(s) and any large banners you may have. The more RAS vibes, the better!
- Give away a FREE Month of After School! Print out a simple contact form to collect prospective parents’ names and email addresses. Then, using a random number generator, select one family to give away a free month certificate. Email marketing@rightatschool to request a certificate for your event.
After the Event
- Be sure to share your free month of after school list with the RAS marketing team so we can add those families to our email list!
- Send a follow up email to families thanking them for attending the event!
- Customizable, Ready to Order
- English
- Customizable
- English, Spanish
- Ready to Order
- English
Get in touch if you need help!
Whether you have questions, need marketing or event support, or just want to chat through an idea, we’re here for you! Reach out to us through the form and a member of the team will be in touch.
— Josh Bailey, Yesenia Resendez, and Emily Yanchuck