Marketing- IEC Style

Last week, first semester report cards came out.  When report cards come out, our phone starts ringing.  Why?  I am not sure, but I think parents are jerked back to reality and realize they may need educational assistance with their child. As I closed the door after meeting with one of those 9^th grade students and parents, I wondered, “How could I have planned for this increase in interest, and made it better?”  I should have timed communication with families with the end of the semester to connect with more parents at an opportune time. I should have used this as a marketing opportunity.

Whether you are a new or experienced IEC, your key to accomplishing many of your goals for the next year lie in your marketing goals. Often it is the simple things that bring the greatest return for you in marketing.

Here are marketing goals for you to consider.  Each of these marketing goals can be supported through mycca.net; either in the counselor portal or within the student portal.

Four Key Marketing Goals for IEC’s for 2012:

1. Increase Communication- Make your communication to current and potential clients ongoing and consistent.  Send out broadcast emails through mycca.net on a regular basis, targeted to each group of students in your practice. Include prospects in broadcast emails. We send regular emails out to seniors, juniors, underclassman (9^th-10^th graders) and all students on mycca.net.  For example, before the holidays we send out an email announcing our holiday schedule. This went to every active and inactive student and their parents on our mycca.net account.  After it went out, we received emails immediately from 3 past clients, requesting appointments with younger siblings.  Communication reminds people (in a good way) that you are a valuable resource.  Sending out a newsletter, links to articles, college news and tips, and financial and scholarship information, are all good ways to communicate with past and potential clients.  Using the prospect tool on mycca.net allows you to send emails out to prospects in addition to current and past clients, and record it as a session note.
   
2. Tell your story.  Let potential clients know what you have to offer. Explain what your services are on your website. Putting the student portal link on your website is key to telling your story.  It intrigues people. One consultant reports how people see the “client login” she has on her website.  They want to know what they are missing.  She tells them, “become my client and you will find out”.  The student portal link on your website is an enticing marketing tool. Use Amy Awesome as your “sample student”.  Demonstrating what is in the student portal, the CSQ gauges and the multiple other benefits of the student portal can be a powerful marketing tool for you.  Click here for directions on linking your student portal to your website.
   
3.  Make it happen.  Have a schedule of what, when , where and why. Create a marketing schedule with a calendar and your own “action” list. Then stick to it.  You won’t be caught unprepared like I was this January.  One of the new features mycca.net is working on is the ability to schedule emails for sending the future. This feature will make it easier to meet this important goal.
   
4. Build visibility.  Build your brand, your identity in your community and professionally as well.  Adding your logo to your account is an important first step. This will display your logo on the student portal as well. Click here for directions to uploading or changing your logo in mycca.net.  Having your logo displayed on the student portal account and having it appear on every document you send out is key to building your brand. (In mycca any report you generate will include your logo.)  Any handout, document you create or article you write should have your brand included. You can download your logo into your mycca.net account.     One of our affiliates, Wendie Lubic, offers IEC forms that can be branded with your name and logo, making it easier to build your visibility.