Maximizing your Summer Reading Program Incentives

Many libraries all over America rely heavily on their summer reading programs in order to increase patronage and, as a result, increase their government funding. Each local library’s incentive program is different, usually based on donations from local businesses.

If you back up a little bit, though, you’ll realize that libraries are getting from local businesses exactly what they request: free tickets to baseball games, donated toys, gift cards, or cash donations for pint-sized gift bags. The one thing that many of these prizes have in common is this: They don’t benefit the library.

What if, instead, you requested cash donations from area businesses? In exchange for sponsorship publicity, what if you asked for something that would help remind your valued summer readers about the library and keep them coming back?

Your source for custom promotional products is located right here in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. CFpromo can help you develop a plan for this kind of marketing initiative.

Requesting Sponsorship

When it comes to helping you find promotional products suitable for co-branding, we practically wrote the book. (In fact, we often offer our customers co-branding options, so be sure to ask us about those, too.)

After you request a quote on a specific number of products, you can figure out how much of a donation you’ll need to ask area businesses for. They’ll probably be happy to get their name out there, as well, so this kind of branding is a win-win situation for both the library and its sponsors.

Choosing Products

As marketing professionals, we can help you brainstorm about products that will delight your young readers and get your name in front of your community.

You may want to start with products that participants can use to carry books. Or perhaps you can allow only those with this year’s custom library travel mugs to drink inside the building.

Maybe you can promote book lending beyond the summer months by having prizes for those who get their key tags punched at least once a month throughout the school year.

Deciding Distribution

Will you give a goody bag to each child who reaches a goal amount of books, with each bag containing a water bottle or a pen, among other items donated by sponsors?

Maybe you’ll also hold drawings for larger items, such as hooded sweatshirts and blankets, both good for curling up with a good book. Your end-of-summer party can include souvineirs when you purchase these cups to hold refreshments.

The endless ways you can use custom branded promotional products from CFpromo are nearly as exhaustive as the number of books that line your shelves. What you see on our website is only a sampling, though; we have thousands more that we can customize to help promote your local library and literacy.

We love what you do for kids and adults and would love to work with you to help keep your doors swingin’. Give us a call today at (877) 773-5779, and we'll help you get started on next summer's reading program incentives!