Why Language Teachers Need Business Cards

February 28, 2011

Often, I have heard that schools or programs consider it too expensive to give out business cards to staff or faculty. How ridiculous!

Your staff and your faculty are ambassadors for your program. They talk to people all the time about what they do, where they work or what they teach… in business meetings, at family gatherings, at social events. Consider these two scenarios:

One of your teachers meets a foreign man at a social event. He wants to send his son abroad to study languages. He begins to talk to your teacher about the program and is impressed with what he hears. He asks for your teacher’s card so he can contact him for more details.

Scenario #1: Your teacher says, “Oh sorry… I don’t have a card… Let me write down the e-mail for you on a napkin… Ummm… Do you have a pen, by any chance?”

Or

Scenario #2: Your teacher says, “Of course! Here you go. All the contact information is right there. If you e-mail us at that address, we can get an information package out to you right away. We’d be delighted to have your son study with us!”

Information that can be included on a business card includes:

  • Individual’s name
  • Organization name
  • Organization street or mailing address
  • Organization phone number (with the area code, and if you are doing business internationally, your country code, too)
  • E-mail
  • Website
  • Facebook page
  • Twitter username
  • Skype username

There are many companies who offer templates for business cards. Big box office stores are a good place to start, but also check out online printing businesses. If you can’t afford a graphic designer, use a template to keep the design clean and professional.

In the big picture, business cards are not expensive when you consider the incredible marketing force your staff and faculty can be for you. By providing them with business cards, you are treating them as the professionals they are.

Not only will this help to build their loyalty to the program, it also demonstrates to others  that you respect and honour your staff enough to provide them with the tools necessary to endorse your school.

Order business cards for each and every member of your team today.

This post is adapted from “Idea #20: Give your staff their own business cards ” in 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Marketing Language and Literacy Programs: Focus on the benefits

February 21, 2011

Marketing materials are meant to draw in customers. You want to show them how they’re going to benefit from your program. This does not mean making false promises, but it does mean showing them what they will learn, how they will grow and what they will experience. Consider the difference between these two statements:

Option 1: “Our program is 13 weeks long and we offer classes at the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.”

Option 2: “Whether your level is beginner, intermediate or advanced, we have a 13-week comprehensive program to fit your needs.”

The first statement is a description focused on the program. The second is a persuasive statement focused on how the student benefits from having a comprehensive program at the right level for him or her. It also uses the word “you” more.

Too many educational marketing materials focus on describing programs, rather than highlighting the benefits to the students. Sometimes lots of information is given with no indication to the student that he will actually benefit from any of the services provided.

What do your own materials say? Do they highlight the benefits of your program? If not, now is the time to re-work them.

This post is adapted from “Idea # 13: Focus on the benefits ” in 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Be positive in all your marketing materials – avoid negative words

January 24, 2011

There’s a theory that says if you project negativity, you will get negativity in return. So if you fill your marketing materials with rules and regulations about what students must not do and what the program will not provide, chances are you will not attract very many students.

Review your marketing materials looking for negative words – “no”, “not”, “never”, “can’t”, “won’t”, “shouldn’t”, “don’t”, etc. Then, change the sentences to give them a positive spin. For example, “Classes are no larger than 15 students” can be changed to, “Your class will have a maximum of 15 students.”

Another classic example: “Don’t hesitate to contact us” can be changed to a positive statement, starting with a strong action verb: “Contact us today to reserve your place in our course!”

Precisely because our schools often have strict policies and procedures, we find ourselves mentioning what can’t be done and what is not allowed. We need to remember that marketing materials are not the same as application and registration forms, policies, procedures or waivers. It’s important that every document serve its purpose. Marketing materials are meant to generate interest and make students want to take part in your courses. Tell your students what you will provide, what they will experience and what they can expect. Focus on a having a positive, simple, upbeat tone, filled with action verbs.

Fill your marketing material with positive, energetic words and you are likely to generate positive feelings in your prospects. That could lead to an energetic, “Yes, sign me up!”

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This post is adapted from “Idea # 12: Be positive in all your marketing materials – avoid negative words” in 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Promise only what you can deliver

November 8, 2010

There are no two ways about it: education is a competitive business. A huge component of a learning organization’s reputation is its credibility. As non-profit organizations and schools jump on the marketing bandwagon, there is a temptation to promise more than you can actually deliver. There is no faster way to lose a good reputation than by disappointing your learners, or their parents, depending on who is footing the bill for their education.

Promising fluency in three weeks or guaranteeing students a certain score on internationally recognized tests are bad ways to market your program. Why? Because you’re lying to them. And lying does little to build trust or an excellent long-term reputation.

A more effective way is to show students what they will be learning and the benefits they will receive. You can do this by including a syllabus in your promotional package and on your web site. Be honest about the kinds of activities and excursions you take them on. Don’t promise them they will go whitewater rafting and horseback riding unless you actually plan to take them. (By the way, it is a good idea to check with your insurance policy before endorsing high-risk activities for your students.)

Many language schools do promise only what they can deliver, only to work with the occasional agent or representative who inflates the promises while they are promoting the school abroad. While many agents are legitimate, there are those who are not. It is worth your while to review all literature your agents plan to send out on your behalf, even if that means hiring a translator. Your credibility is on the line, and it is your responsibility to ensure that prospects are getting a true picture of your school before they sign up.

Another way to boost your credibility is to outline on your web page exactly what students can expect from your program. That way, it is clear and you will show that you are being accountable to your students and to your own sense of credibility.

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This post has been adapted from “Idea # 14: Promise only what you can deliver” from 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

In their own words – Boost ESL enrollments with multilingual marketing materials

September 20, 2010

Imagine this: Your daughter wants to go away and study a foreign language… maybe Chinese or French or some other language that you don’t speak. She tells you that she has found two possible schools and wants you to have a look at their web sites. She sends the links to you at the office. During your coffee break, you check out the first school’s site. All the information is written in English. You find out about the school, the teachers who work there, the homestay accommodations available and the program she will be taking.

You move on to the second site. All the same information is there (you think?) but it is written only in the language your daughter wants to learn. You surf around, look at the pictures and try to get back to the home page again.

After you’ve looked at both sites, where do you want to send your daughter?

The fact of the matter is that both schools may have excellent programs, but if students (and their parents) can read about it in their own language, you will build an unspoken relationship of trust with them. It’s both perception and perspective. You trust what you know.

For ESL programs that recruit international students, translating your web site (or at least major points of it) into the languages of your major markets gives you an advantage over your monolingual counterparts.

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This post has been adapted from “Idea # 16: Sell yourself in as many languages as possible — translate your marketing materials into the languages of countries you want to target” from 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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