Building your practice through communication

Gail Grand, The College Advisor, Inc

Bombarded with hype and exaggerations,

parents are hungry for information they can trust

Through regular communication and a

consistent message, you can become the resource

families trust

Steps to effective marketing 1. awareness 2. comprehension 3. conviction 4. action

Don’t be afraid to give away “too much”

information

Methods of communication

• Blogs

• Tweets

• Newsletters

• Workshops and seminars

Blogs

Tweets

Newsletters

• Regular

• Informative

• Well-written - reflection of your practice

• One function - remind potential clients that you’re here

Regular• Should be published on a regular schedule -

monthly or bi-monthly

• Families grow to expect this communication

• Allows regular communication with prospective clients - buying decisions are made on the client’s timetable

• Maintains contact with existing clients - especially with families of younger children

Informative• Keep information general- not specific to a

particular client

• Articles linked to admissions cycle

• Include articles of interest to all families of high-school age children

• Include a time-line of tasks

Article topics• College finances

• College search

• Careers and college majors

• The application process

• Testing

• Learning issues

• Succeeding in high school

• Transition to college

Well-written

• Reflect your practice

• Conversational style

• Know your audience (readers)

• Proof reading is essential

Do it yourself or

professional publication?

Do it yourself

• Target your clientele or specialty

• Reflects your views

• Amount of time needed to do it right

But if you don’t have time to do it yourself…

Professional publication

• Can it be customized to make it "yours"?

• Does it reflect your views?

• Is it appropriate for your audience?

• Who are the authors of the articles?

The College Advisor Newsletter• Individually customized for each

practice

• Newsletter uses practice name, logo, contact info, company colors

• Arrives monthly (September - June) as a PDF ready to attach to an email

• All articles written by professional (and published) independent educational consultants

Distribution• Send to existing clients and encourage them to forward

to friends

• Send to families who have contacted you for information

• Send to local referral sources: test prep companies, tutoring , educational therapists, psychologists, financial advisors

• Have a sign-up feature on website

• Offer it at workshops or through blogs and tweets

Distribution

• email through MyCCA or your own website

• use a bulk emailer such as Constant Contact or Mail Chimp - readers need to opt in to circumvent spam filters – must use their newsletter format

Workshops

Workshops• Allow you to reach groups of prospective

families

• May be complementary or may charge a fee

• Opportunity to showcase your services

• One-time or single topic

• Series that covers the whole college process

Venues and sponsors• Schools - especially through parent associations

• Test prep or tutoring companies

• Parent contacts - form their own group

• Religious organizations

• Charitable organizations - such as National Charity League or Junior League

• Financial advisors

• Book stores

• Libraries or community centers

Single topic workshops

• Usually these are free community workshops

• Address a single topic such as testing or scholarships

• Attract families who want information but may be unwilling to pay for it

• Presenter has limited face time with families

• Generally a low percentage of attendees will seek further services

Comprehensive workshops• Provide in-depth coverage of topics

• Families pay a fee to attend

• Presenter is fairly compensated for information

• Audience and presenter have opportunities to build connections

• Higher percentage of families seek further services

Market your workshop

• ideally, sponsors will market for you

• create an announcement with a catchy title, a brief description of what will be covered, and who you are

• your announcement should make them want to attend

Marketing / Registration• Announcement or article in local paper

• Provide a way for attendees to sign up (Eventbrite or register on your website)

• Have attendees complete a form that allows you to contact them (could include a sign-up for your newsletter and/or a way of expressing interest in scheduling a free consultation)

Be Prepared

• Handouts or powerpoint presentation

• Practice, practice, and practice some more

• Be sure you can use technology necessary for presentation

• Be ready to answer GENERAL questions

• Four workshops that are essentially "college 101"

• Focus on ways parents of 9th through 11th grade students can help their children

• Presented over four sessions of 1 1/2 hours each

• Provide families with a road map to navigate the process

Session 1: College admissions today

• Overview of the state of today's college admissions

• Factors important in the admissions decision

• How parents can help their high school-aged children prepare for college selection and admissions

Session 2: Finding the colleges that fit

• Helping kids determine what type of college best fits them

• Doing a college search

• Researching college options

• Creating a college list

Session 3: The application process

• How and when to apply

• Types of college applications

• Parts of an application

• Final decisions

Session 4: Paying for college

• Types of financial aid

• Applying for financial aid

• Scholarships

• Cutting college costs

• Professionally produced slides

• Most up-to-date information

• Presenter notes provide supplementary information

• Consultant adds her (his) experience to bring the slides to life and meet needs of audience

College Unraveled presentation system includes

• Flash drive with four PowerPoint presentations including presenter notes

• A parent manual ready for duplication

• First slide of each presentation is customized with presenter's company logo and information

• Manual cover and table of contents customized with presenter's logo and information

• Includes additional handouts, marketing suggestions

• Turnkey solution to workshop presentations

To learn more about College Unraveled

• www.collegeunraveled.com

• www.thecollegeadvisor.net

Get a sample issue of The College Advisor Newsletter

• download from www.thecollegeadvisor.net

• contact me: Gail Grand 818.263.7536 gail@thecollegeadvisor.net