Many colleges still believe they need to print a catalog, mail to a mailing list and hope for the best! Unfortunately, catalogs have such a short shelf life—and may actually never make it to the intended addressee! Catalogs cost a lot to produce, are almost out of date by the time they arrive, and generally don’t get passed around in the business.
By contrast, eMarketing can be quick, simple and targeted to a specific group of people repeatedly. The best part is the no-cost factor in doing e-mail blasts. Here is a prime example—before my retirement from Johnson County Community College, we offered a showcase to promote a new product. In earlier years, we would print an announcement or invitation for mailing. Unless we did repeat mailings or follow-up phone calls, the enrollments were low. When we offered a Lean Six Sigma Showcase, we decided to utilize e-marketing. We developed a short e-mail invitation and sent it out once a week for four weeks. The results were fantastic with over 120 people attending the showcase!
As a small business owner of Contract Training Edge, I appreciate the options of using Facebook, LinkedIn, e-newsletters, slideshow.com, and more in my business. My customers are excited to hear from me in these different venues, and I can reach a large amount of people for a very low cost on a monthly basis.
The best part has been the ability to analyze my response rate, open rate, click-through, and country segment of who is reading my newsletter and going to my website. I challenge any college to compare this to a print mailing for strategic marketing data. In fact, my Workforce Development Benchmark Project uncovered that 63% of institutions do not track their marketing pieces to determine effectiveness. In my estimation—this is a waste of money and time!
Just as colleges are learning to conduct Solution Selling for better results in this economy, they are just beginning to understand that eMarketing can help them reach the “right” customers. The economy has changed—and colleges need to change, too, if they want to remain competitive.
Contract Training Edge, LLC is a national consulting firm in the areas of Solution Selling, Benchmarking, Workforce Development, Sales Coaching, and Advanced Sales Skills. For more information on how to move your college contract training sales team into Solution Selling, contact Kathy Yeager at 913-593-5347, kyeager@ctedge.net or visit our website at www.ctedge.net