Fun Fact!

The most productive day of the workweek is Tuesday.

Fun Fact!

Contrary to popular belief, opossums, squirrels, chipmunks and mice do not carry rabies.

Fun Fact!

The average American uses eight times as much fuel energy as an average person anywhere else in the world.

Social Media...tools

A big part of social media is frequent updates to stay "top of mind" with your facebook fans, Twitter followers and blog readers.

My weapon of choice is the Apple iPhone.

It is the easiest smartphone on the market to use and has a number of social media applications that can be used to update facebook, Twitter, blogs and PRWeb. You can pick up one for $99 at your local Apple store. Best bet is to get it directly form Apple so that they can give you the quick tour of how to use it!

Marketing Basics - Focus

"To accomplish more, sometimes you need to see less."

In a world where we put a premium in "multi-tasking", I'm going to ask you to learn to focus on one thing.

I have a theory on "multi-tasking" and it goes like this: We really don't multi-task, we do a bunch of disjointed single tasks which make us feel "busy/productive" which leads to mediocre results. Not applying our full attention and focus leads to "re-dos", mistakes and wasted resources. It also serves as a convenient way to avoid the development of a skill called prioritization.

The secret weapon in Marketing is focus.

Do your research and planning but stay focused on high impact activities that will benefit your center the most. Apply your time and effort to a specific program and follow it through all of its stages: concept, execution, tracking, reporting and refinement. Don't try to stretch yourself and do too many campaigns or programs at the same time. All you'll do is frustrate yourself and waste resources. The chance of success actually goes down if you have too many balls in the air at one time.

This is not to say that you shouldn't be doing multiple things at one time. The key here is to be realistic in setting your goals and targeted campaigns so that you have enough time and resources (money and people) to complete the tasks. It's better to do fewer things completely than doing a number of things half way.

This all sounds simple but take a minute to think about your current and past Marketing programs. Do you still have "open" tasks? Are you getting the results? How much time and money have you spent?

Here's something to focus on that will help your enrollment and retention. Set up a Referral Program for your staff and customers (parents). Incent people to find you two more people just like them. Give them a substantial reward, track and celebrate the referrals.

Focus on this one program and it's just a matter of time before you see something cool... results.

The million dollar question...

"How did you hear about us?"

A simple question that could save you tons of money and time!

Asking people how they heard about you is the easiest way to find out what's working and what's not in your marketing campaigns. Keep track for the responses and review every quarter. Keep going with the one's that make the phone ring and abandon the ones that don't!

Your Marketing Tool Kit

Here is another question that I get quite a bit. "What marketing tools should I have?"

At a minimum you should have:

• Business cards
• Signage (Street & Building)
• Letterhead
• Web Site
• Informational brochure

Advanced tool kit includes:

• All of the above
• Blog
• Email signature
• Email tool & template (Constant Contact is a good option)
  
• Counter top sign templates

That should be all you'll need to make a lasting impression.

Consistency

This first thing I do when I'm called in to help a center is gather up all of their marketing and printed materials. Every flyer, business card and pricing sheet. Anything that leaves the center is collected and evaluated.

Here's the secret... I'm looking for the most important marketing fundamental, consistency.

Nothing does more damage to a brand than inconsistent messaging and branding. When I say "branding" think look and feel. Mis-matched collateral and different design confuses people and hinders building brand equity. Simply put, inconsistent marketing leaves people with a bad impression.

Here are a few things I've found and simple solutions:

• Different business card designs for different people. All business cards should have the same design with just the name and title adjusted. Throw away old cards that do not match.
• "Mis-matched" collateral. All collateral should have the same design. Try something simple like your center name or logo at the top of a Word document. Keep things the same color and size for a more professional look.
  
• Multi-colored collateral. Use color sparingly to call attention to one specific point. Adults do not appreciate multi-colored communications, simple black and white is fine.
• Multi-sized copy. Here's another time where simple is better. You should use no more than two sizes in a normal document. The headline should be the largest with the content a smaller size. Think about all of the articles you read in the newspaper and magazines.
  
• No branding or messaging. Make sure that your name, tag line and 3 key points about your center are on all of your collateral. The top (header) and bottom of the page (footer) are good places for your "standard" messaging. Make sure it's easy to read but not overpowering. Assume that everyone is seeing your brand for the first and only time so it's important that we make it prominent and memorable.
  

Oh, one last thing... use good paper for all of your printed materials. It's better to have fewer pieces that are higher quality.