You can’t please everyone: How language schools can target their market

January 6, 2011

One mistake I see language school directors or literacy program leaders make is believing that their courses are for everyone. This is fairly common among enthusiastic entrepreneurs who are so jazzed about their product or service that they assume everyone else will be, too. The problem gets worse when what you’re promoting is something that people need – like better literacy or communication skills.

Trust me about one thing. Your market isn’t the whole world. And if it is, you’re in trouble because the competition will claw your eyes out trying to get a piece of the same market.

Ask yourself three questions:

  1. How do you deliver your courses (over what time frame, using what materials and methods)? Courses offered at a local community centre have a different target market than online courses. Intensive week-long courses target a different population than programs lasting for an entire academic year. The method you use will work for some and not for others. No matter how much you may believe in the communicative method, for example, there will be students who hate that method and feel more comfortable reciting verb conjugations aloud and learning vocabulary by rote. Don’t worry about pleasing everyone. Worry about clearly articulating what you do and how you do it. That way, people who appreciate how you approach learning and teaching will be more likely to sign up with you. Spending your time trying to “convert” others to agree with your method takes much more energy, and gives you much less return, than focusing on those whose philosophy already aligns with your own.
  2. What concrete outcomes can your students expect from your courses? The word “concrete” is critical here. Now is not the time for vague promises or saying that learners will “improve”. How will they improve? What will change? Give examples. Do not confuse this with over promising. Be clear and realistic when you articulate your objectives. The changes a student can likely expect in a month are not as great as if he or she continues on at the same school with progressively challenging courses, delivered in the same way, over a year. Incorporating regular assessments that demonstrate a student’s progress and growth are also part of your marketing. Ultimately, if people take a course, they want to see change in a particular direction. Be clear in stating what students can expect from your courses, then deliver it. Document their progress to show them how far they’ve come. If anything, it is better to under-promise and over-deliver.
  3. Why would students register with your school? This is a simple question, but don’t let that fool you. It is critical. Really, why would they register at your school and not some other school? What makes you so special? What sets you apart? Do you have a great downtown location? Do all your teachers have a minimum qualification? Do you have specialized courses? You can have all these things, but really, students will register with you when they get results and enjoy the learning process. The learning environment needs to be safe, enjoyable, inspiring and challenging. The balance you strike among these things is what makes you unique.

Your target market is likely much more specific than you think it is. The more you focus on who your prospective students really are, the easier it will be go out and recruit them.

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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.

Who You Gonna Call? Marketing Isn’t a Solo Sport

October 12, 2010

So many educators seem to think that they have to market and promote their programs all by themselves. Not only is this ineffective and exhausting, it is impossible. Marketing isn’t a solo sport.

Get yourself out of the mindset that you have to do it all yourself. Ask people for help. Ask them to attend your events or give a guest lecture in your class. And if that makes you uncomfortable, ask for their advice, as for suggestions, or even get their opinion.

There’s no shame in asking other teachers, administrators, parents, colleagues, or members of the community for help. Call up a teacher at another school and ask if you can have an inter-school event like a talent competition or speech contest. Partner with the dance teacher in your school to do a lunch time program on Latin dance to promote Spanish language and Hispanic culture.

Even asking, “Could you give me some ideas…?” is a powerful question to start with.

Ask with a smile. Be genuine. People will help.

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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.

The biggest mistake educators make when marketing new programs

September 17, 2010

My first job in educational administration was in 1989 at Saint Mary’s University. I worked in what was then the Division of Continuing Education. Part of my job was to promote current and new programs. I’ve learned a thing or two over the past twenty years of working in education. What’s the biggest challenge of marketing of new educational programs?

One word: Impatience.

As educators, we tell our students that they need to study regularly. We tell them that consistent effort over time brings results. We tell them to set aside time every day for their studies. We tell them that if they put in the work, that they’ll see results… but they just have to be patient.  If we followed the same advice, we’d be much better at promoting educational programs.

Instead, administrators want results NOW. If a program is posted in the course calendar in one semester and it doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for registrations, it’s canned. Wiped off the books. Written off.

Imagine if you saw a student giving up so easily after getting less than stellar results on a test. Would you say, “Yeah, you’re right. You bombed this first test, so clearly you don’t have what it takes…”

No, of course not! You’d sit down with the student, review the results, determine strategies to improve and then monitor their progress. We can do the same thing with educational programs. If a new program bombs the first time, examine the results and try to figure out why. Develop some new marketing strategies and go out and try them. Keep an eye on your process and watch for improvements.

If we promoted our programs with the same vigilance and patience that we have with our students, we’d have better long term results.

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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.

Is your language program under the threat of closure? Strategies to rebuild program health

September 1, 2010

Are enrollments in your language program dropping? Is your program under the threat of closure due to low registrations? Here are some strategies that may help.

Saving a language program from closure takes a dedication and strategic planning. The best thing you can do for any educational program that gets a failing grade when it comes to its own sustainability is create positive buzz about it. Get people excited about the impact that learning a language can have! Or at the very least, catch their attention. Here are a few ideas:

1. Every semester plan second or foreign language events.

Events are important. Think about it. School sports tournaments generate interest in physical activity. Science fairs generate interest in science and math. Performances and recitals highlight the importance of dance and music. Events generate buzz and may even get media coverage.

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 they are absolutely worth it.

2. Communicate the importance of languages with passion. For 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.

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.

Come up with your own ideas for contests. Start small and let the idea take hold and then grow over time.

There is no short-term solution to the issue of dropping enrollments in any educational program. Events that engage the community are critical in generating interest, creating buzz and boosting program morale. The trick is to invite people from a broad audience who have an interest in what you’re doing. Go beyond the idea of  “round up the usual suspects”. Even if you invite new people and they don’t come, they’ll at least have you on their radar, which is a good thing.

Doing events consistently, such as once a semester, builds credibility over time. You can’t do one event and expect that to save a failing program. Think of it as re-building your program’s health. Go for long-term health and vibrancy, not just a band-aid solution. Nourish your program’s health on a regular basis, so it can grow strong and shine.

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 some positive buzz about your program start to generate more interest. More interest means more investment. Sometimes, emotional, pedagogical and community investment in programs is the best thing to rebuild your program’s health.

If you found this article useful, check out my other site full of free, downloadable resources: MarketYourLanguageProgram.com

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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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