Strategies to increase enrollments in language programs

August 18, 2010

It breaks my heart when I hear about programs that have decreasing enrollment or worse, under threat of closure due to low enrollment. From my experience of working with schools and programs over the past decade I can honestly say that there is no “magic bullet” in a situation like this. It will take time for the program to rebuild. If you teach for or manage a program that needs a boost in enrollment, here are some strategies that may help:

1. Every semester plan an event around the language. Events can include:

Native Speakers’ Day – Bring in native speakers who are successful and could be considered role models to come into the school to give presentations on their work, their life, their travels, their culture or whatever inspires them. Get bios for each speaker and have students prepare questions to ask them.

Second Language Speech Competition – Bring in “celebrity” judges from your local community who speak the target language (politicians eat this stuff up and we’ve had good success getting both local,  provincial support and even embassy support for speech competitions).

Cultural celebration day – Have students showcase their work through videos, poster presentations and demonstrations. They can prepare food, perform a dance (or better yet, give a short dance class) or have a sing-along. Make the students who are currently enrolled in the program the focus of the entire day. Invite parents and community stake-holders to observe, drop by and share in the celebration. Having a local “celebrity” native speaker to offer opening and closing remarks or emcee the day is a huge boost.

The idea behind all of these is to get involvement from people in the community. This not only generates interest, when we get outsiders involved, it also builds credibility and legitimacy. These events take a huge amount of organization and I can tell you for sure, they are absolutely worth it.

2. Get media coverage. It breaks my heart when I hear about programs that have decreasing enrollment or worse, under threat of closure due to low enrollment. From my experience of working with schools and programs over the past decade I can honestly say that there is no “magic bullet” in a situation like this. It will take time for the program to rebuild. Here are some strategies that may help:

3. Have a contest – any kind of contest – with the students enrolled in your program. My favorite is a video contest on centered around a key question. My favorite is “How does learning a language change your world?” You can get more details on this particular activity in my downloadable ebook – “Want to Change the World? Learn Another Language: Leadership Inspired by Language Learning ebook” at http://wp.me/PNAh3-5H

If your school allows it, students can post their videos on YouTube. Their friends see it… they get talking, and interest in your program goes up.

There is no short-term solution for a language program that is in need of “program rescue”, but consistently celebrating students work, adding in the element of community, getting a local celebrity native speaker or two to champion your program and getting some positive media coverage will all contribute significantly to bolstering the program’s image and generating interest. Do that for several months and you’ll see your enrollments go up bit by bit. all of the above, work with your school secretary, principles and district communications office to send out press releases. I guarantee you that if your events get media coverage, you will generate interest. There is an art to writing press releases, and often school districts have strict protocols around communications, so working with your admin team and district is not only helpful, it is essential.

There is no short-term solution to your question, but consistently celebrating students work, adding in the element of community, getting a local celebrity native speaker or two to champion your program and getting some positive media coverage will all contribute significantly to bolstering the program’s image and generating interest. Do that for several months and you’ll see your enrollments go up bit by bit.

______________

Share or Tweet this post: Strategies to increase enrollments in language programs http://wp.me/pNAh3-gR

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.

Comments Off on Strategies to increase enrollments in language programs | ESL, marketing, recruitment, second languages, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

One key tip to make your marketing materials pop – It’s all about you

August 16, 2010

Marketers of educational program make one fatal mistake. They think like educational administrators and not like marketers.

I’ve seen marketing materials that look more like a handbook of rules and regulations than they do promotional materials. They’re long, boring, tedious and impersonal. Here’s one key tip that will change the way you write and think about your marketing materials.

Use the word “you”.

That’s it. Sound simple? Well, if you’re used to writing your marketing materials that way, it is pretty straightforward. Many programs use third person plural – for example, “the students” or “they” – in their marketing materials. This weakens your marketing edge because it puts perceived distance between you and your prospective learner. This passive writing style is harder to follow by speakers of other languages, and is considered old-fashioned in modern writing of all kinds.

You are promoting your program to the person reading about it, so speak to that person directly. This is a marketing and communications technique that brings the product or service closer to the individual, and connects it to the client in a personal way. Consider the difference between these two statements:

“Students will be taken on interesting excursions every Friday afternoon.” (Yawn. Booh-ring!)

“You will go on interesting excursions every Friday afternoon.” (Who, me? I will go on interesting excursions every Friday? Well, sign me up!)

Do you see and feel a difference between these two statements? If the second statement has more impact on you, then you understand the power of speaking directly to your prospective learner.

One technique for writing marketing materials is to envision one single person you would like to sign up for your program. This could be a current student if he or she fits your vision of the ideal registrant. Bring a picture of your this ideal prospective learner into your mind. How old is that person? Where is your learner from? What language(s) does your learner speak? It is unlikely that you are only going to have one type of learner in your program. The point isn’t to focus on one person to the exclusion of other types of learners, but rather to bring a visual image into your mind so you have someone to “talk to” when you write your marketing materials.

Then write as if you were speaking to that person directly. You will be amazed at the powerful marketing materials you can produce.

In marketing, as in teaching, the most powerful word is “you”. It is always about the learner. In your classrooms. On your website. In your brochures.

_________________

This post has been adapted from “Idea # 11: Write your marketing materials using ‘you'” from 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program.

Tweet or share this: One key tip to make your marketing materials pop – It’s all about you http://wp.me/pNAh3-79

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.

Comments Off on One key tip to make your marketing materials pop – It’s all about you | ESL, languages, Literacy, marketing, recruitment, Uncategorized | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Why we should stop worrying about putting “bums in seats”

August 3, 2010

Remember that moment when you were so enthralled with what you were learning it seemed like time stopped? Your worries melted away and you were in that space somewhere in between reality and potential. It’s a little like being in a dream state isn’t it? You feel your untapped potential surging forward, about to launch you into a new space, where you had abilities you’d only previously dreamed about.

I remember a time like that when I was learning Spanish. It was the moment when I was so into a conversation that drudgery of memorizing verbs and vocabulary melted away. It was the moment – ever so fleeting that first time – when I was so into the moment that my lack of confidence vanished and I just spoke. It was the moment when my heart filled with joy because I realized that moment had been a dream for me – and it was coming true.

Having the ability not only to speak – but actually to engage with someone else in a meaningful conversation – was something I hadn’t been capable of in Spanish up to that point. Once I’d passed the threshold, I knew I could do it again. Knowing that spurred me on to keep learning.

Ever had a moment like that? Sure you have.

If you didn’t, you wouldn’t believe in the power of knowing other languages.

Your students have those moments, too. Or at least, they crave them. Learners crave breakthroughs; breakthroughs make a challenge worth the effort.

What are you offering your students to help them achieve those “ah ha!” moments? How are you challenging them to reach within themselves to tap into their potential? How are you making their dreams of fluency and sincere connections with others, enabled by their language learning experiences, come true?

When it comes to marketing your ESL, second language, literacy and other educational programs, keep your goals worthy and your sights firmly set on why we do what we do.

Stop worrying about how to put bums in seats.

Always worry about how to empower your students.

__________________

Like this post? Share or Tweet it: Why we should stop worrying about putting “bums in seats” http://wp.me/pNAh3-fk

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.

1 Comment | education, ESL, languages, leadership, marketing | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

A picture says a thousand words: Tap into the world of stock photos

August 2, 2010

A while ago I did a post on photo tips and ideas for language and literacy programs. In that post I gave some ideas on the types of things you can take pictures to marketing and promote your language and literacy program.

Really though, unless you have someone on staff who was has excellent photography skills, your photos may lack professionalism. Using stock photography has some advantages for marketing. Not only are you guaranteed to get excellent quality, royal-free images, you also don’t have to worry about getting students or their parents to sign waivers allowing you to use their image to promote your school.

There are a number of companies out there that offer stock photos, as well as images and sometimes audio tracks, too. Either you buy credits which allow you to purchase photos on a pay-as-you-go type of arrangement, or you buy a subscription for a certain period of time. Buying credits is a good way to test out the system for not very much money, just to learn how it works.

Once you get to the site, type in a key word that matches the image of what you’re trying to portray. You’ll usually get thousands of images, some of which will work and others won’t. Words I’ve used for marketing ESL and EFL programs include “multicultural”, “students”, “international”, “school” and so forth. Get creative with your key words if the results aren’t giving you what you’re looking for.

  • Getty Images
  • Jupiter Images
  • Fotolia
  • iStock – The photo from this post is from iStock. Every week they offer a freebie for members. This particular freebie was very appropriate for languages and literacy, so how could I resist?

The size of the photo you buy depends on what you are using it for. For website use only, you can get away with smaller images. If you’re using them in printed materials such as brochures, school prospectuses, etc. then you’ll want a higher quality image.

Once you’ve purchases the rights to a photo, you can use it for a variety of purposes, providing you stay within the agreements. For example, don’t go and re-sell the image by putting it on merchandise such as coffee cups or T-shirts that you charge money for.

Some people have said to me that using stock photos seems insincere because the subjects aren’t real students or staff from your school. That is true. It is one trade off of using pro quality stock photos. Ultimately you need to decide what you want – and can – do for yourself. Also, have a look at what your competitors are using in their photos. If their images are pro quality, you may be looking at stock photos.

For me, using stock photos for at least some of your marketing materials, is a good investment of resources.

Do you have a favorite site for photos that’s not listed here? Leave a comment, so others can find out about it, too.

__________

Likes this post? Share or Tweet it: A picture says a thousand words: Tap into the world of stock photos http://wp.me/pNAh3-cM

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 | ESL, languages, marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

3 “big rules” of 21st century marketing

July 30, 2010

In a recent post I talked about some signs your marketing is outdated. Today I’ll share some tips on updating your marketing for the 21st century:

Big Rule #1: Make it about people.

Build community. Clients, customers and prospective students and program participants are bombarded with options. Every day. Give them a place to belong and they’ll not only come to you, they’ll stay a while.

Eliminate the sales talk. It’s old. It’s tired. It’s annoying. Yes, you still need to sell services or products, but fast-talking sales pitches are out. The pushy sales approach is now considered harsh and insensitive to the other’s needs. Well, it always was that way, but now people have completely lost their tolerance for it.

Add a human element. I started talking about this when the first edition of 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program came out in 2002. Some people balked then, saying they didn’t have time for that; it took too much effort and there was not enough return on investment (ROI). My answer: If you don’t have time for other people, why would you expect them to have time for you? It’s about people. For example, on your website, list the names of people who hold positions of leadership. People want to connect with other people, not with some big (or small) organization they know nothing about.

Big Rule #2: Build trust

Give away a sample. Ever been to one of those big-box grocery stores and they’re giving away samples at the end of every aisle? Why are they doing this? Because people love to try new things. If they try it, and they like it, they’ll buy it. If they’re not sure, the chances of them buying it goes down. How do you do this if you have a service-based business? Offer a free workshop, webinar or class. Let people try you without risk.

Ask for testimonials. Ask prior clients for testimonials about your work. In order to be considered reliable a testimonial has to have the name, and preferably also the organization (or at least the city) of the person giving it. Testimonials need to be authentic in order to be credible.

Stick around. Doing consistent marketing over time is what gets results. People will trust you more once you’ve been around a while. In my experience, it takes at least a few months of consistent marketing, relationship building and community building before much happens. I’ve had clients come back to me years after an initial conversation or short contract. If I wasn’t still around, they couldn’t work with me, now could they?

Big Rule #3: Leave a digital footprint

Have a web site. Are you laughing when you read this? I still meet services organizations that do not have a website. Seriously! There’s no excuse today not to have a website. If you can’t afford your own domain, then start a blog through a service like WordPress or Blogger.

Use social media. You don’t have to be a social media addict, but it does help if you have a web presence. Social media isn’t going away. Learn to use it to your advantage, rather than resisting what is here to stay.

Be “Google-able”. Where do you look when you want to find out more about a product, service or an organization? On line. Where do you think other people look when they want to find out about you? The same place. You don’t need to pay a lot of money for “SEO optimization”. Just be out there. A website and using social media are good way to start.

____________________

Like this post? Share or Tweet it: 3 “big rules” of 21st century marketing http://wp.me/pNAh3-et

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.

1 Comment | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, marketing, social media, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »