Marketing Strategies

Transcription

1 Marketing Strategies to Drive Class Enrollments and Event Registrations Why Marketing? It generates more sales-ready leads, at lower costs; the return on investment is much higher than with other forms of marketing. (Hubspot) 60% of companies using marketing in 2015 are increasing their marketing budget. conversion rates are three times higher than social media, with a 17% higher value sale (McKinsey & Co.) 1 2 What We ll Cover Who we are, what is our experience Open/click rates & subscriber growth Industry developments Best practices what to do Traps and gotchas to avoid Founded in 1983 / #7 in rankings Gross annual revenue $730K $540K from Classes/School $190K Events & Other 3 4 AF de Portland Today Core Business Four 10-week terms of group classes students/term; mostly adults Private lessons 20% of school revenue Staff of 15+, mostly part-time events per year, with 10 to 5,000 attendees per event Good Times, Lean Times... Running in the red in 2006 Now in 2015, there is $900,000 in the bank marketing played a huge role in the turn-around & in on-going success

2 The Engine: Marketing Subscriber list of 6,537 s bulletins 2-3 times per month Timing is event- and needs -driven Open rate = 31%-37% Content clicks = 400 to 1000 per issue All-Star status for six years Fine Points This is a multi-topic, periodic newsletter. It is NOT single-message e-blast using the same distribution list would erode the subscriber base. (Alternately using FB/Twitter for single-message pushes.) Schedule is dynamic and is driven by needs of the school, needs of our partners and by events. 7 8 Subscriber List Growth Open to ALL and is FREE Easy, fast signup box on our home page New students get added each term; sign-up at events, a click-the-box option with raffle List grew from 1500 to 6600 Growth has slowed net per year 9 The Process Collect content, links and graphics continuously for and feeding into future bulletins. Editor is native English speaker; spends 2-4 hrs/week. 2-4 active proofreaders (Americans) plus 2 French. All are volunteers. Sending is done on Sundays or Tuesdays, 1:30pm works best in our market. 10 Statistics & Results Newsletter=Primary Catalyst for: Driving events sales/participation, approx. $40K in the 3-mo. period Driving class enrollments $100K 11 Important: Even More Strategic Creates and binds subscribers into a community of like-minded people Creates an appearance of ENERGY, activity and dynamism in the Alliance (and in the broader Franco-American community) 12 2

3 Statistics The leaders for SMEs are these two. CC wins for rate of deliverability. MailChimp slightly lower in price. Rated equal in support & features. Survey of groups who used both: 75% ended up preferring MailChimp. Try both (free trials) Look closely at integration & options. CC modules: survey, event registration. CC s EventMarketing integration with Authorize.net has technical issues. MailChimp has more sophisticated mobile-responsive templates. (Our readers: 55% read on their computer, 45% via mobile devices.) new: integrated translation 16 Shopping cart for classes, membership donations of AF website and Event Marketing from CC both pass secure credit card info through Authorize.net gateway to merchant services that then batch the money to our bank account. 17 The Format Professional graphic 4-5 key articles of 75 words (short) Calendar Quick Reference Cost $1200/year The Format Job postings Blue section = Hodge Podge Partners, Postings hyperlinks 3

4 What We Try to Remember Who Is the Audience? WHO is our audience? WHAT are they really interested in? WHAT will keep them engaged? WHAT turns them OFF? You have a contract to inform/educate. Students of French (continuing, non-credit) Mostly adults Francophiles who enjoy French culture, food and wine Teeny smattering of French people oh so small In the best of all worlds... Segmented, themed s for the different interest groups No time/resources for differentlythemed bulletins, plus the interests often overlap So: Be everything to everyone! 21 What are the Hot Buttons? Travel tips/updates Language mastery tips, tools and links Job openings where French is relevant Coupons, savings, insider tips Cultural gems and tidbits News extracts (curating) You heard it here first, or You heard it here, and nowhere else. Bulletin of Oct. 18, 2015 # Clicks % of All The Topic Area % Property in France % Events in Our Region % Jobs Where French Is Required % Shopping Savings & Tips 125 9% Travel France Article 83 6% French Culture Article 22 2% AF Website and Social Media 4 0% Conversation Groups % Where to Get Interesting Content Internet, curating services Other Alliance/FACC newsletters & media Your own events and pat-on-the-back recaps of successes Your own photos or use free stock Pull from multiple themes to address all interest segments 4

5 Getting Content Train the Readers to Expect & Act Upon: Timely notices of school terms, new classes, open enrollment, open houses Subtle reinforcement of member perks via give-aways Notices about events Act before they sell out. Best Practices (Set 1) Accuracy is important. Use proofreaders. Test links. Do not issue dedicated corrections. Shoot for stylistic consistency in good English. Emphasize fresh content each time. Do not repeat. Find new angle. Stay true to your mission/style despite pressure. Do not waver from the French connection and remember the service relationship/agreement with the reader. Best Practices (Set 2) Subject Lines: Create honest yet interesting subject lines. Reference good content. You have 3-4 seconds to drive an open; the decision to open is 40% dependent on the subject line! Don t overthink ranking of articles. Be generous in promoting the good work of other French organizations. Promote partnerships and harmony a win-win! Interplay with Social Media and Website Events and term announcements are coordinated to stay in sync with the website FB and Twitter are used to alert to the newsletter launch; they carry other more playful content Newsletter archives are on the website Policies for Accepting Submissions We have broad readership due to providing free service to other nonprofits (must tie in with French). Terms and posting rates are published online. Transparency. Jobs are posted for free - usually there is a win-win benefit. 5

6 Possibilities - the Future Sharing content with other Alliances Tighter integration with social media Keeping a steadily growing engaged readership will minimize future slumps in the traditional non-profit Bell curve. MERCI Contact info: linda.witt@comcast.net Emeritus Executive Director AF de Portland OR Vice President, French-American Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest 6