The major components of my school’s marketing plan are as follows. First, the marketing plan supports the school’s mission to provide a quality educational experience that is focused on the job-oriented needs of nontraditional students in a learning environment that fosters on-the-job success. We also go one step further by helping our graduates find the right jobs, and in the process, helping employers find the skilled workers they need. My school has three brands and provides instruction through the traditional classroom, online, and a blend of the two. Since I work for the online element I will focus on our marketing plan.
Our plan creation process begins with a concept developed at the leadership level of the organization with input from instructors, employees, students, sales, and marketing professionals. The plan is aligned with the mission of the organization and is created by the marketing department and approved by the leaders of the organization. The plan’s objectives, targets, and implementation steps are then communicated throughout the organization. The plan emphasizes geography in its sales component, a careful distinction among our three brands that are managed by brand managers, and customer segmentation targets for the pull-push elements of the plan. Marketing, sales, finance, instructors, and academic advisors execute the plan.
The plan is both pull and push marketing. Television/radio adds and online advertising, and web site banners are pulled out to inform and persuade potential students about the benefits of enrolling in our school. These benefits include a deep curriculum, an asynchronous approach to instruction, financial aid, and employment assistance. Each of these benefits is included in our advertising. The pull element of our plan includes market research, and direct marketing executed with a sales force that quickly follows up on leads provided through responses to our online ads and face-to-face selling where some of our sales personnel go out and make presentations to employers and highs schools. All leads generated and sales closes are tracked as part of the plan.
The results of the marketing plan and sales are reported back through the organization on a monthly basis. In term changes may be created and communicated as the results indicate. The criteria used in the evaluation include results, profit, efficiency, and alignment with the company’s strategy.
Great idea about student referrals! Does your school have a program with incentives that encourages existing students to participate? If so can you please share some of the details?
Interesting approach using social media in marketing, is the site open to all students, instructors, and administrators? Also, who monitors the site to ensure security and correct usage?
Looks like a very comprehensive marketing program. Does everyone in the organization know about the plan and its key metrics? Also, are the results regularly communicated throughout the organization or just officers and managers?
Hi Tracy,
What about in the open ended recruiting side, is SM adding value there as well? It seems that social media would work within a circle of established common interests (i.e., active students versus unknown prospective ones).
The major components of our school's marketing plan includes direct mailing, newspaper and internet advertising. The process that our school follow when putting its marketing plan in place is target marketing.
Our school's student referral system is very effective in exceeding expectations. Students enjoy referring their friends to a school where they are enjoying the learning environment.
Our school recently ventured into the social media forum and has found great success thus far in connecting with the Alumni community which is a great source of referrals. Social media has a great appeal amongst our current students and facilitate a forum to share and learn amongst themselves.
The marketing strategies at our school are TV commercials, print ads in trade magazines, internet ads, trade shows, and career fairs. Majority of the students say they found us online!
Our school relies heavily on word-of-mouth marketing and referrals. We have created a web presence and offer aspects of our degree programs free of charge so prospective students can see if they would be interested in the one-to-one style of learning that is offered. Being a small liberal arts university we realize that our programs do not fit everyone's needs, but we do have a small niche market that our programs appeal to.
We cultivate relationships with employers, city community centers and agencies. Through them we gather inforamtion of what the community needs.
We also have our advisory board meetings to get feedback from the community on what is changing or what is being replaced.
Our marketing strategy includes print advertising in trade magazines,on-line directories, exhibiting at trade shows, field trips with related schools, career fairs, community functions.
About 90% of potential students when asked "How did you hear about us?" answer " I was told by a past student or a friend. the other 10% says the internet" I love expensive TV commercials, but don't have the resources.
Maggie
