School budget cycles differ from those of other industries. They can be complex, and even daunting at times. It’s often a long process with schools planning their budgeting a full year before they’re ready to purchase. To make your efforts to reach educators more effective, you need to navigate this budget cycle path, delivering information when educators want and need it most.

To help you with this, we’ve put together our School Budget Cycle Monthly Blog Series. In this series, we’ll share info each month on what’s happening in schools, the stage they’re at in the budget cycle, and what you can do to achieve your goals.

Don’t be lulled into thinking that all is quiet in schools during the summer months – July is a very active time. Most state fiscal years begin on July 1st and this is the time that new fiscal year purchase orders are released. If you are anticipating certain purchase orders and haven’t received them, now is the time to contact the school district business office to check if the purchase order has been requisitioned and if so, when it will be released.

Educators are also using this time during the summer to plan for the upcoming school year, and they can often be found on social media catching up on new products, researching lesson plans and activities, and preparing for back to school. They’re checking email, too – 81% of educators check email at least every week in the summer and 33% check every day.

Here are some items for your school budget cycle to-do list:

• If it’s not done already, complete your marketing plan for the coming school year. You’ll want to have everything in place and ready to go as the summer winds down.
• Begin implementing back-to-school campaigns. With administrators figuring out what is needed and educators researching resources, now is not the time to slow down your outreach.
• Consider utilizing social media campaigns more heavily during July. Not only does this provide more brand awareness but educators also have more time to sit and read about your product or program.

If you need help understanding or getting in sync with school budget cycles and getting your custom education solution ready for the education market, MMS Education can help.

Clients choose MMS Education because of our deep understanding of the education market, backed by nearly 40 years of working with schools, systems, administrators, and agencies.

Call us today at 866-382-6116 or fill out this form to see how MMS Education can help you reach, engage, and measure impact in the PreK-12 education market.