Tomorrow’s free webinar on marketing literacy and language schools – Setting marketing goals, target markets, budgets

March 27, 2012

Join us tomorrow for the second in a series of ten free webinars on how to market and promote your literacy program or language school.

These webinars highlight different ideas from 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program. Every week you get practical, low-cost ideas to help you promote your program. Best of all, you’ll get to connect with others on line who are also interested in the same topic, ask questions and interact.

The webinars are  30 to 60 minutes in length. Bring a pen and paper. I’m going to give you lots of ideas you can implement right away.

Webinar #2 of 10 – What to expect

Tomorrow’s webinar will focus on:

  • How to set marketing goals
  • How to identify a target market
  • The difference between “end users” and “target market”
  • How to budget for marketing and promotion

There are some time zone changes coming up around the world, so double-check these times against your local area:

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Point of origin – 14:00 (2:00 p.m.) Mountain Time, March 21, 2012 – Calgary / Edmonton

16:00 (4:00 p.m.) – Eastern Time – Toronto / New York

20:00 (8:00 p.m.) – Greenwich Time – London, England

22:00 (10:00 p.m.) – Eastern European Time – Athens / Istanbul

05:00 (5:00 a.m.) – following day – Japan Standard Time – Tokyo

To join the webinar, click here: http://meet11548754.adobeconnect.com/saraheaton/ — There is no need to register. These webinars are free and open to everyone. Seating is limited though, so sign on early.

I’ll record the and post it so you can view it later, too.

Here’s what we’ll cover in upcoming webinars:

Week #3 – Focus on benefits, writing marketing materials

Week #4 – Business cards, newsletters, signs and other communications

Week #5 – What makes people care about you. How to stand out from the crowd.

Week #6 – Specialty tips for programs at large institutions

Week #7 – Relationship marketing. The power of connections.

Week #8 – It’s how you make them feel. Adding personal touches that make all the difference

Week #9 – Effective follow up with your marketing and not giving up too soon.

Week #10 – Social media for marketing

All you have to do is block off Wednesdays in your calendar at your corresponding local time and then log in using the link above.

If you can’t make the webinar, and you’d like to ask a question about the topic, feel free to leave me a comment. I’ll do my best to answer questions that come in before the program during the webinar. You can watch the recording to get the answer to your question, or I’ll answer you back in the comment section.

Related posts:

Webinar recording: 101 Ways to Market Your Language and Literacy Program (#1) http://wp.me/pNAh3-1jF

101 Ways to Market Your Language Program (10 Free webinars) http://wp.me/pNAh3-1j6

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Share or Tweet this post:  Tomorrow’s free webinar on marketing literacy and language schools – Setting marketing goals, target markets, budgets http://wp.me/pNAh3-1k6

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 Tomorrow’s free webinar on marketing literacy and language schools – Setting marketing goals, target markets, budgets | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, education, ESL, language program administration, second languages, Uncategorized, world languages | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Webinar recording: 101 Ways to Market Your Language and Literacy Program (#1)

March 22, 2012

We had the first of 10 webinars today on how to market your language or literacy program. Here’s the recording of the first 30-minute program:

Join us next week for Class #2. It will focus on setting marketing goals, allocating resources and budgeting. Get more details here.

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Share or Tweet this post: Webinar recording: 101 Ways to Market Your Language and Literacy Program (#1) http://wp.me/pNAh3-1jF

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 Webinar recording: 101 Ways to Market Your Language and Literacy Program (#1) | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, education, language program administration, Literacy, marketing, webinar | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Freelance teachers and tutors beware: New webinar scam targets professional educators

March 20, 2012

Are you a freelance or contact teacher? Are you interested in offering online courses or webinars?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, you’ll want to beware of a new webinar scam that targets teachers, trainers, tutors, coaches and consultants. Do not be fooled…

The scam

The scam goes something like this:

You are contacted by a person or organization offering to pay you a handsome sum for a webinar or a one-hour e-learning or Skype tutoring session ($500 to $1000 USD — or more).

You are invited to communicate with the organizers via phone, e-mail or Skype. If you agree to a phone or Skype session, they will keep you on the line, telling how great their organization is and the great results they get for their clients. (In other words, “blah, blah, blah…”)

This introduction could go from anywhere between five and twenty minutes. If you only agree to e-mail, they will likely push for a phone or Skype meeting. They want your undivided attention to engage you in all the hype, get your heart rate up and sweep you up in all their excited sales fluff.

When they think you are suitably convinced, you are then invited to give a webinar (or Skype tutoring session) for them. If you agree, this is where the scam goes into full force…

You will then be told that you will be billed or sent an invoice for $10,000 (or some other outrageous amount) which you must first pay, in order to take part in their program.

So, first they will offer to pay you, then it will be flipped around so that you have to pay them, in order to “be registered”, “be affiliated” or some other such nonsense.

Do not be fooled. The entire purpose of this scam is to get you to give up your hard-earned dollars and give them to someone who does not care about you, your teaching or your programs.

But wait… It gets worse…

You may then be told that they DID told about the costs from the beginning. If you challenge them on this, they will swear up and down that you are wrong. They will claim that they have been perfectly transparent and either you weren’t listening or you were negligent in not paying attention. They may go so far as to indignantly proclaim that you are insulting their professionalism and ethics.

They play with your emotions in order to try to make you feel guilty… This is part of the scam. The idea, of course, is that you’ll feel bad and then cough up the money that you already (supposedly) promised to pay. Do not worry, you are not crazy. You did not promise anything. This is part of their hook.

Do not be taken in by this, or any other con artists.

 Here are tips to avoid being taken in by a webinar scam

  1. Check out every organization or individual who invites you to do a paid webinar or e-learning class for them. Legitimate organizations who are interested in 21st century technologies will almost certainly have a valid website. (Even humble non-profits have websites these days. The site may be badly outdated, but they likely have one.)
  2. Be wary of e-mails coming from a public, free service. Ask yourself, “Why is this person not writing to me from a professional e-mail address?” I say that with tongue in cheek though, because I also use a Gmail account for some of my work… But not all of it. I am also highly searchable on the web, with books published on Amazon with papers published in peer-reviewed journals  and so forth. My point is: Investigate these new “friends”. Make sure they are legitimate and well known in their field.
  3. If the client, school or organization is unknown for you, treat an e-learning program, an online tutoring session or a webinar as any other course you might teach. Get a signed contract. Even the most meagre non-profit organization will agree to a contract for your professional services. Even a simple, one-page agreement will do. I always get an agreement with any school or non-profit I am working with. It helps both sides understand what is expected.
  4.  Trust your instincts. If a deal feels “off”, then it probably is. At the very least, it is likely not a good fit for you. Decline invitations that do not align with your professional values, ethics or area of expertise. Don’t waste your time (or your money) on professional “offers” that feel “off”. There are other organizations out there waiting for you and who would love to work with you.

You are a professional educator, tutor, instructor or presenter and you deserve to be treated as a professional — and get paid for your knowledge and expertise… not be scammed out of your hard earned money.

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Share or Tweet this post: Freelance teachers and tutors beware: New webinar scam targets professional educators http://wp.me/pNAh3-1jy

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.

6 Comments | education, teaching, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

101 Ways to Market Your Language Program (10 Free webinars)

March 14, 2012

What an amazing week! My blog is just over 2 years old and this week, we topped 100,000 all-time views and 200 subscribers.

It’s definitely time to celebrate.

10 Free Webinars on How to Market and Promote Your Language or Literacy Program

Over the next 10 weeks, I’m going to host a free webinar every week. Each one will highlight different ideas from 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program. Every week you’ll get practical, low-cost ideas to help you promote any language or literacy program. Best of all, you’ll get to connect with others on line who are also interested in the same topic, ask questions and interact.

The webinars will be 30 to 60 minutes in length. Bring a pen and paper. I’m going to give you lots of ideas you can implement right away.

We’ll do the webinars for the next ten Wednesdays: March 21 to May 23, 2012

There are some time zone changes coming up around the world, so double-check these times against your local area:

Point of origin – 14:00 (2:00 p.m.) Mountain Time, March 21, 2012 – Calgary / Edmonton

16:00 (4:00 p.m.) – Eastern Time – Toronto / New York

20:00 (8:00 p.m.) – Greenwich Time – London, England

22:00 (10:00 p.m.) – Eastern European Time – Athens / Istanbul

05:00 (5:00 a.m.) – following day – Japan Standard Time – Tokyo

To join the webinar, click here: http://meet11548754.adobeconnect.com/saraheaton/ — There is no need to register. These webinars are free and open to everyone. Seating is limited though, so sign on early.

I’ll record each webinar and post it so you can view it later, too.

This is essentially a 10-week course designed to take you through the entire book from beginning to end. I’ll include some marketing “best practices” and show you how to start thinking about promoting your programs to ensure they are sustainable over the long term. I’ll share some case studies and stories, along with lots of practical “how to” information that you can use right away.

Here’s what we’ll cover

Week #1 – How to develop your marketing strategy and plan

Week #2 – Setting marketing goals, target markets, budgets

Week #3 – Focus on benefits, writing marketing materials

Week #4 – Business cards, newsletters, signs and other communications

Week #5 – What makes people care about you. How to stand out from the crowd.

Week #6 – Specialty tips for programs at large institutions

Week #7 – Relationship marketing. The power of connections.

Week #8 – It’s how you make them feel. Adding personal touches that make all the difference

Week #9 – Effective follow up with your marketing and not giving up too soon.

Week #10 – Social media for marketing

All you have to do is block off the next 10 Wednesdays in your calendar at your corresponding local time and then log in using the link above. It’s that easy. And it’s my way of showing my appreciation to you.

Thank you to everyone who has viewed the blog, left a comment or subscribed. I really love the work I do and being able to share with you, learn from you and engage with you inspires me every single day.

___________________________

Share or Tweet this post: 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program (10 Free webinars) http://wp.me/pNAh3-1j6

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.

6 Comments | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, education, ESL, language program administration, second languages, Uncategorized, world languages | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Teaching Non-Profits How to Use Webinars Effectively

March 4, 2012

Tomorrow is an exciting day for me. I start teaching another “Build Your Own Webinar” course. This will be the third time I am teaching the program and I’m pretty excited. In the past, we’ve had participants from literacy and other non-profit organizations who run educational programs, as well as entrepreneurs, and people working in small to medium-size businesses.

The course basically teaches people how to build a webinar step-by-step, taking it from concept to delivery. The idea is that by the end of the program, participants have a webinar that is ready to go live.

Here is the course outline:

View this document on Scribd

Here’s what some participants of the webinar programs have said:

“I have nothing but gratitude and thanks for such a well planned and meaningful learning experience. This webinar was pivotal to a new career direction for me.” – Pat Minor, Canadian Parents for French, High River, Alberta, Canada

“Sarah is definitely an expert in her field. The breadth and depth of her information is excellent and she is very willing to share her time and expertise. I have attended several of her webinars. I highly recommend any webinar that she’s presenting in.” – Jeff Hough, Idaho State University, ISU Workforce Training, Pocatello, ID, USA

“Sarah is hugely knowledgeable in e-learning design to ensure that the audience is kept engaged. She also has a keen sense of what works and a broad knowledge of what tools are out there in the marketplace. I’d recommend this webinar to anyone contemplating developing their own programs!” – Peter Temple, Past President, Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, Calgary Chapter, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

“Great practical information for anyone who is looking at venturing into the world of webinar production. Sarah provided practical information and questions to ask when you are looking for a provider that will meet your needs.” – Laura Godfrey, LearningLinks Resource Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

I am excited to meet the participants who will be joining us for this new course. Love working with adult learners who are dedicated to lifelong learning, professional development and using technology to advance the good work they do.

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Share or Tweet this post: Teaching Non-Profits How to Use Webinars Effectively http://wp.me/pNAh3-1ia

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 Teaching Non-Profits How to Use Webinars Effectively | technology, Uncategorized, webinar | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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