July 2006

For the past year or so, Internet marketing has been the “hot topic” in the career college industry.  Getting leads from the internet has proven to be fairly cheap and well-converting, and is now the “place to be.” 

With all of the cost-per-lead programs out there, many school owners/marketing directors tend to forget about their best Internet resource: their web site.

Because everyone is on the Internet these days, it’s easy to see why it’s such a resource for schools.  What most schools fail to realize, however, is how much they can leverage their web site to get high-quality Internet leads, and how important their web site is in helping potential students submit that web site lead.

Your web site is like your campus storefront: it’s the first thing people see that represents you, and how it looks and is updated influences whether or not they will enter.  If your building is in need of repair, you wouldn’t expect many people to enter.

This holds true for your web site.  If you don’t keep it up-to-date and make sure all the links are working properly, potential students won’t stick around to find out how great your school is or what programs you offer.

PlattForm’s Web Design team can create an explosive storefront that gets visitors excited about checking out the rest of your site.  Our design team also works to make sites user- and search-engine friendly so that you can harness the power of your web site.

If you’re ready to start making the most out of your web site, contact PlattForm.  Our award-winning group of designers is ready to help you create a site that looks great and converts well!

In my last couple of posts, I’ve explored the idea that employee retention is a key to student retention. To recap research by the renowned Gallup Organization: the most loyal employees feel they:

• Know what is expected of them
• Are recognized
• Have an opportunity to grow

We reviewed “expectations” last time. But what about “recognition”?

Does anybody care?

American psychologist and philosopher William James stated: “The deepest craving of human nature is to feel appreciated.”

Mary Kay Ash, cosmetic magnate, expresses the same concept slightly differently: “There are only two things people want more than sex and money—and that’s recognition and praise.”

Regardless of which quote resonates with you, the point is the same. Recognition is one of the most powerful forces on the planet. Buckingham and Coffman in First Break all the Rules (Simon and Schuster, 1999) report that the most motivated employees answer positively to the question: “In the last seven days have I received recognition or praise for good work?”

Think of your most valued employees. Have you praised them recently? Do they know you care? To keep employees engaged, be on the lookout for something positive. Make your recognition timely and specific.

We’ll wrap up next time with “Growth Opportunities.”

Aside from more leads, what do most career colleges wish they had? Many school administrators would probably respond to that question with one answer: credibility. A good name. The clout to prove that their school offers top-of-the-line career training and that, as school proprietors, they are interested in more than just the bottom line.

Those are respectable goals. But what’s amazing is that these same schools do very little to actually legitimize their school’s name. With the exception of an open house or the few medical training schools that offer free clinics, any tactics that could promote the school’s commitment to bettering the community are left in their toolbox of unused marketing tactics.

One easy way to create good word of mouth for your school is through a grassroots PR initiative that involves publicizing your lists of new starts and the accomplishments of graduates. These students, after all, are members of the community and are either embarking on or just completing an academic process that will better their lives. That’s news. And the best part is it’s CHEAPER THAN BUYING AN AD.

Earlier this summer, PlattForm’s PR department submitted press releases to the hometown newspapers of students graduating from one of our art schools. A press release that cost our client $5 was sent to the Stillwater News Press in Stillwater, Okla., and generated a feature story and photo spread worth $832.44 in ad space. Now that’s a bargain.

Small weekly newspapers and the community sections of large dailies WANT news like this. A small mention in the newspaper can create a buzz among your students’ families and friends who can brag about their student’s accomplishments. More importantly, you are also inherently establishing legitimacy for your school. The space isn’t paid for. And your students are being COVERED by the local news.

Everyone likes to see their accomplishments in the newspaper. Show your new or graduating students how important they are by sending a press release announcing their enrollment or graduation to their hometown newspaper.

As a kid, did you ever explore the recesses of a grandparent’s or neighbor’s basement. You know the kind. They were kind of dark (the overhead light never reached the corners), but you knew there were amazing things down there just waiting to be found.

PlattForm has one of those basements.

The difference is, instead of being packed full of amazing things, ours is packed with amazing people – people who work their butts off for our clients.

With Bachelor’s degrees in varying areas like Strategic Communications, Advertising, Business/Public Relations and Business Administration, PF’s Media Analysts are more than qualified to handle this fast-paced position.

Often the last to leave the office, organization is imperative for this busy team. Multi-tasking isn’t just a word they’ve heard, it’s a code they live by.

“As an analyst, everything must be in order and as accurate as possible to make sure our buys are on target,” said Media Analyst Rick Ragsdale.

Requesting and checking spot times to make sure ads ran as they should, entering leads, and analyzing markets are just a few of the things Analysts do to ensure that buys are correct and clients get the biggest bang for their buck. They also spend their days giving their communication skills a workout, talking with representatives at media outlets across the country.

The Media Analyst team is filled with people who enjoy testing and watching their ideas impact their markets.

In the words of Media Buyer Michelle Gonzalez, “There is always room for improvements to increase lead flow.”

This post is the first in a series focusing on the members of the Media department and the vital role they play in our client’s success. Keep your flashlight handy. In the coming weeks we’ll return to the basement to meet the rest our Media team and find out exactly how they come together to help our clients succeed.

Does anyone out there have a bull whip I might be able to use for a shoot next week?  And not to worry, identities will be protected, judgments won’t be made.  Thanks—Matt.

As God as my witness, this was the last e-mail I received from one of my coworkers.  Sure, I laughed at the e-mail … but I was unfazed by it.  See, not a single day goes by in my Production department that someone doesn’t need an odd prop or two … or ten.

Here’s just a sample of various e-mails still in my inbox from the past month:

“Does anyone know anything about a clown wig?”

“I need to throw a computer off a roof.  Anybody willing to part with their Commodore 64?”

“Where is the audition from Miss Kansas?  BTW, was she Miss America or Miss USA?”

Visit our prop closet and you’ll soon realize we have every prop known to man – minus a bullwhip.  Cheerleader outfit?  Check.  Handcuffs?  Got ‘em.  Sombrero? Chef’s hat?  Hardhat? You bet – two of each.  Human skull?  No, but I bet I know someone who can get me one in ten minutes.

Last month we took inventory of all the whatnot in there.  I had NO idea we had an XXXXXXXL pair of scrubs.  I certainly wasn’t aware of the finger painting kit.  And who knew we had KISS makeup?  (My boss would make a good – albeit chubby – Peter Criss.) 

If you get the chance to visit PlattForm … demand to see the prop closet.  Take whatever you want … but be sure to leave something fun in its place.  Like a tiara.  Oh, never mind – that’s mine.