Child Authors and Illustrators Week (1st Week of February)

The first full week of February is Child Authors and Illustrators Week. It's a great opportunity to reach out to parents of school-aged children to build brand awareness and affinity.

Child Authors and Illustrators Week Marketing Ideas

Whether children, tweens, teens or young adults make up a significant part of your target market or not, their parents do!

Hold a contest for their kids to enter in writing, illustrating or both. Set up a panel to review entries or hold a drawing to determine the winner. Enable voting in-store and/or online, and use the voting forms to help build your contact database. Award prizes redeemable in a future visit to your business, and be sure that all entrants receive a small reward and a special offer.

With parental permission, feature the work and names of winners in business communications and in a press release.

Highlight some of the best young creative talent in posts on your website, Facebook page, blog, e-mail newsletter and media press releases.

Create a publication inclusive of all entries and have it printed by a commercial printer for retail sale. Give a copy to participants as a keepsake. Or use the best entries to create a book or calendar to give to clients, gift-with-purchase, use as contest prizes or for retail sale. Make sure entrants and/or their parents sign a release giving you permission to reproduce the artwork, or include a release on your contest entry form.

Conduct a campaign to raise funds or solicit donation of specific items for a local school art or literacy program. Host a children’s art and/or writing class or series of classes. Hold story book reading hours for young children. Add art instruction books to your retail or give them away as contest prizes.