Question 2

Martha's MARKETING PLAN for Foothill College, Summer 2012

Double Your Fun at Foothill this Summer!

Invite a Friend!

A.  WHOM to target? We know that we can expect the following people to come to Foothill this summer: high school kids, regular college students, university students taking transferable courses more cheaply, people retraining for another job, retirees who can benefit by enrichment courses, international students who are working from home country this summer, etc.

Other potential student populations include: mothers or fathers whose kids are at camp, fathers or mothers whose jobs would appreciate their learning extra skills, soldiers returning from war, employees whose job fell through, entrepreneurs who are ready to begin again. In fact, the potential target market can be almost anyone, living almost anywhere.

We know that we don't have much time to prepare for this marketing campaign, and we cannot count on being able to reach ANY of these people on a consistent basis. The ones who usually take classes in the summer at Foothill will probably do so again. We do not expect to create an email campaign, or a social media campaign, or mail out catalogs. What we DO know is that we have students registering right now for spring semester courses, from March 11, 2012 - April 08, 2012, and new and former students will begin to register for summer classes May 17-June 10. That gives us two windows of opportunity to reach the usual student body, and that is exactly what I propose: Narrow our focus, and concentrate on current Foothill students. Ask them to reach out, within their social circle, and "Bring a Friend".

B.  WHERE? - The place where Foothill has the fastest access and quickest impact is on its own Web pages. There is where the education-seeking public comes to find out what is available, and here is where an advertising campaign should begin. The information should be made available immediately. Right now, the page describing the summer sessions is so far buried that NO one would figure out where it is: http://www.foothill.edu/news/newsfmt.php?sr=2&rec_id=2510. Even the "regular" summer schedule is buried: http://www.foothill.edu/reg/summer12.php - it's not where someone would look for the page!

Since this campaign is mean to catch the eye of current students, it should be linked from pages where they look. Three pages stand out: Current Students, Prospective Students, and International Students. Take a look at these pictures:

and

The space in between the title page and the main content could easily have another bar, similar to the navigational bar at the top, and have either a scrolling or fixed message, with different slogans around the theme: Double your fun at Foothill this summer - bring a friend! It should link directly to the summer session page, which will explain what the campaign is all about. Also, every location of Foothill's Web presence should have the same icon, which links to the same page - the Facebook page, the Facebook International page, the Twitter page, and the YouTube channel - all should have the same logo and link.

C.  WHAT? (content of messages, interactivity, etc.) - The quickest and most effective way to get an increase in attendance at Foothill is to offer incentives to the regular clientele to come more often, and to bring a friend. A theme based on "Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun" and "Bring a Friend!" can effectively do two things: Encourage some students to actually sign up for both sessions, and encourage others to talk someone else into coming with them.

To be effective, some form of incentive would probably be necessary. Why not give a student $10 off if they sign up for both sessions? Or $20 back if they bring in someone who has never registered for courses at Foothill before? Flyers could be made freely available around the campus, posters hung, and someone assigned to the task of deciding which students qualify. Most importantly, the campaign must be branded to reflect coordination between all these avenues of advertising, and to present a consistent image.

Now, it just may be that this would violate some state-based regulations about schools. In that case, an effort can be made to secure a "sponsor" or angel investor, who will provide the funds for this new method of marketing. Or, some non-monetary incentive can be created. The important thing is to let customers/students know they are getting something back for bringing something new to the Foothill community.

Essentially, this idea is to use the concepts upon which social media is based - in a real, live setting, by asking students to bring their friends to school with them. Or perhaps they can bring their father, or their mother, their grandparents, or cousins. What courses would be not enlivened by having family and/or friends attend? Photography courses, art courses, language courses, astronomy courses, even (or especially!) economics - what class would not be better with a friend?

D.  HOW? (explain your choice of marketing tools). Word of mouth, handouts, posters, and online advertising could be complemented by radio advertising, TV, newspaper ads. But that takes too much time. The most valuable assets any school has are its teachers, and its students. And the people who best know how to be a success at Foothill, how to navigate the unknown hallways, and find the hidden Web pages - are the students. This will give them an opportunity to help someone else and themselves at the same time.

E.  WHEN? (what timeline/phases over the next 6 weeks, Apr 1-May 15). This plan depends heavily on the two periods of enrollment - now through April 8, and May 17-June 10. However, for the entire next few months, information should be available online about the upcoming summer program. Every Web page should/could have an icon for "Summer", which links directly to the sign-up page. And, the three most important pages, Current Students, Prospective Students, and International Students, must all have special advertising banner, displayed prominently, that offers the logo and slogan, and links.

F.  WHY do you think your plan would work?  Summer is a chance for change. Americans grow up with the expectation that summer is "fun". Most of us grew up in an era in which our student years were paired with having summer vacations. It's not much of a stretch to combine the two ideas into one - studying during the summer can be fun. It's a way to explore new careers, new hobbies, meet new people, take a break from the routine. And emphasizing "fun" can soften the blow of realizing how hard it actually will be, to cram 12 weeks of learning into 6 weeks. And for those few who actually sign up for 2 concurrent sessions - more power to them! They will need some extra incentive! And yet - it makes sense. For those who want to speed up their education, summer school allows them to do this. For those who are unfamiliar with the school environment, having a current Foothill student, either friend or family, bring them will make it so much easier to come. It could actually be a great way to introduce newcomers to the college.

Why would YOU be the best intern for implementing that job? As the originator of this concept, I have an inherent interest in carrying it through. As a long-time, frequent student, I have an understanding of what type of students come to Foothill. As a retired letter carrier, I have experience with the world-at-large, and know what types of people are NOT familiar with college environments. And, as a successful student of Web Marketing, I have the necessary knowledge of what can, and should, be done. But - please don't pick me!