Programs
Roanoke College offers 33 undergraduate major degree programs, 28 minors, and
17 concentrations.
Location
Salem, Virginia
Enrollment
1,900
Bookstore Size
3,100 square feet
CASE STUDY
A Bigger, Better Buyback
Roanoke College - Salem, Virginia
"With the MBS Personalized Emails, students completely understood the buyback process. They knew exactly how much cash they would get when they came into the bookstore... Addressing students personally and letting them know what we'd do for them really instilled trust and created personal relationships." Chris Smallwood, Bookstore Manager, Roanoke College
Client Challenge
Knowing that buyback is the best source for used books, and understanding that
the key to a successful buyback is student participation, the Roanoke College
Bookstore staff was looking for a new way to get more students involved.
Having been an MBS client for years, Roanoke was familiar with the promotional
materials available through the MBS Buyback by Design catalog. They had often
used the themed kits full of advertising goodies to inform students of buyback
dates and times. While Roanoke had always had good turnouts at its buybacks,
staff felt like they could further drive participation if more students really
understood the value of their used books and that buyback means on-the-spot
cash.
Solution
Roanoke's MBS Marketing Representative presented the latest in buyback
promotions: Student Email Notifications. Understanding that email has become
many students' preferred method of communication, Roanoke employees were
excited to use this technology to draw attention to buyback.
The concept of broadcasting buyback information to the entire campus via email
was impressive in and of itself, but when MBS representatives explained how
emails could be personalized to include student-specific information about what
prices would be paid for particular books the student owned, Roanoke knew they
had a real buyback-driver on their hands.
After easily merging Roanoke's enrollment data with textbook data from the
bookstore, MBS created personalized emails that quoted buyback prices on only
the books that each particular student used. The students were informed before
buyback of exactly how much cash they could expect to receive. MBS not only
created the emails, but totally managed the campaign as well, taking care of
delivering the emails securely in a timely fashion.
The results of the email campaign were amazing! Students who had never
participated before showed up eager to sell. They were thrilled to get cash
back for their books, and the bookstore increased its used book intake
significantly. It was Roanoke's most successful buyback ever!
