SWAG for language and literacy programs

March 9, 2010

Swag is an important part of your promotional strategy. Otherwise known as “freebies”, “goodies” or “loot”, these are the items you give away to people in the hopes that they remember your program in a positive way.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines swag as:

  1. (slang) ( a) The booty carried off by burglars, etc. (b) illicit gains
  2. (a) an ornamental festoon of flowers, etc. (b) a carved etc. representation of this
  3. (Australia & NZ) a traveller’s or miner’s bundle of personal belongings.

Marketing swag has elements of all these definitions. We hope that people will carry their swag with them in their briefcase or backpack (i.e. their “bundle of belongings”). Swag is now considered de rigueur as part of “table decor” at trade shows. It is a necessary accessory to the adornment of any promotional booth. People love it because it is free, so they make off with it like hot cakes, often sheepishly tucking it into their bags with a slight feeling of either guilt or glee, possibly both.

Recently though, I came across a definition of swag that I like even better. In a 2007 blog post, Suzette Bergeron, a marketing expert in Maine defines swag as “Stuff We All Get”. She goes on to explain different types of swag such as promotional giveaways, prizes and business gifts. For those of you who work in with international clients, you know how important those business gifts can be when working with certain countries.

So rather than the traditional definition, I’m going to go with Bergeron’s. It’s easy to remember and it conveys the idea of marketing swag perfectly.

Swag for language and literacy programs should relate to your program somehow. Remember to include your logo and program name, and if there’s space your website.  The items need to reflect your purpose, your image and hopefully be useful to the recipients. Pens, pads of paper, book bags and even portfolios are all excellent swag ideas for language and literacy programs. Baseball caps, not so much. That is, unless you are offering an ESL program for baseball players. I’d also hesitate to go with items such as breath mints, eye glasses cleaning cloths and toys, all of which I have seen at educational trade fairs. When I see items like this, I scratch my head. I understand that they are novelty marketing items, but I question their longevity in the hands of the recipient once the novelty has worn off. Before you spend your money on swag ask yourself what is going to be most useful to those on the receiving end. You want them to hold on to it, make it part of the bundle of things they carry with them for a long time and most importantly, remember you by it.

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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.

5 Comments | branding, education, languages, Literacy, marketing, swag | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

How to Market Your Language Program – Idea #3 – Set reasonable goals

March 7, 2010

Use the SMART approach to reach marketing goals for your language or literacy program:

Specific – For many language and literacy programs increasing enrollments is a general goal. Make it specific by knowing how many students you have had in the past 3-5 years. If you do not know how many students you had enrolled in your courses over the past year (or 2 or 5), now is the time to find out. This is the kind of information you want at your fingertips so that when you are conversing with colleagues and business associates, you can mention both your current enrollment and your plans to increase it. From there you can set a specific target for increasing your enrollments.

Measurable – A Generally a 10% to 20% growth rate per year is an attainable goal for increasing student enrollments, providing there are no market crashes or other circumstances outside your control that could affect this growth. So, if you currently had 200 students, you could set your goal to 220 or 240 students.

Attainable – If you set the bar too high, you won’t be able to reach your goal. I have found that many “higher ups” in educational institutions insist on goals that are not easily attainable. One university language program director told me that the institution’s V.P. had imposed a goal of 300% increase in ESL enrollments in one academic year, or the program would shut down. Setting this kind of goal sends people (especially program staff) off into a panic. You can set goals, high and still keep them attainable. They key is motivation. In order for goals to be reached, people must believe they can be reached. Your staff have to be motivated to reach the bar you set for them. Ask yourself if the goals you have set motivate your staff to try and reach them. If the answer is yes, your goal is attainable.

Realistic – A realistic goal is one you can reach within a given time frame. If there were currently 10 students registered in your program, it would be unlikely that you could raise that to 1000 students in one year. Generally, the smaller your program, the more capacity for growth you have. It would not be unreasonable to expect a 100% increase in enrollment in one year if your program had only 10 students. However, if you are already at 200+ students per year, you will need to set a realistic goal for growth through your marketing program.

Imagine saying to your colleague, “Last year, we had 150 students. Our strategic marketing plan includes a 10% growth rate. We are expecting to reach 165 students enrolled before the end of the year.” Doesn’t that sound good? Well, that could be you talking in your next business encounter, providing you have your figures straight. That 10-second elevator speech is powerful, clear and conveys strong leadership.

Timely – Set a time frame for figuring out your goals. This can be by calendar year, academic year, semester or month. The time frame itself is less important than your consistency in using it as a measuring tool. For educational programs, yearly goals are common.

For the first year, set modest goals for your marketing program. Let your entire administrative team and teaching staff know what the program’s goals are. An example might be, “Did you know that last year we had 200 students enrolled in our program? It is our goal to increase that number by 20% this year. We’re going for a total enrollment of 240 students and two extra classes. Ask us how you can help!”

This post is adapted from an excerpt 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.

2 Comments | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, Communication, education, goals, languages, Literacy, marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

How to brand your language or literacy program

February 25, 2010

Branding is one activity that falls under the larger umbrella of marketing. It’s important to have an overall marketing strategy. Branding is a hot topic though and lots of people ask me about it. So today I wanted to focus briefly just on branding for language schools and literacy programs. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Be clear about what programs you’re offering. If you focus on programs for adults, then be purposeful and decisive about it. Do not try to be all things to all people. Focus all your efforts on programs that fit within your niche. Find trusted colleagues who offer complementary programs so you can refer prospects to them who don’t fit in your niche. So if your specialty is a program for those 18-50 and you get an inquiry from someone looking for a youth program, have somewhere to refer them. That’s just good professional courtesy. Then, send them on their way and stay focussed on your niche. Being clear about who you are and what you do is the first step to marketing yourself successfully. From there, you can focus more on other activities, including branding.

Use your logo widely – If you have a logo, use it on all your marketing materials – not just the website or the brochures. Make sure it is on your business cards, your letterhead and any promotional materials you produce. People associate the logo with your activities , your style and your philosophy. Your logo is a visual, often pictorial image that represents who your organization is and what you do. This idea is very powerful for language and literacy programs where words may be a barrier to your clients! You don’t words on your logo. You can have them, but you don’t need them. Your logo becomes an imprint on the memory of those who see it. Use it widely and people will get to know your program better.

Be clear and consistent -You want to deliver the same message to your prospects with all of your marketing materials. It is important to keep the logo consistent over time and also to use it consistently.  In my experience, programs that have one logo that they use on every piece of paper that leaves their office and every web page are usually very successful. This is because they are sending a message that they are reliable, trustworthy and that they’re here to stay.

Here are a few of my favorite online articles for branding. They’re directed towards business people and entrepreneurs, and what they have to say is also good for educational leaders who are responsible for promoting their programs within their communities or to the world.

Fundamentals of branding
http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=183

Approaches to branding
http://www.knowthis.com/principles-of-marketing-tutorials/managing-products/approaches-to-branding/

How to position a company, product, service or brand
http://www.adcracker.com/position/

and a good articles on the failure of some marketing campaigns (and the resulting failure of the associated products and services):

Product and brand failures: a marketing perspective
http://articles.mplans.com/product-and-brand-failures-a-marketing-perspective/

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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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