Transcript Marketing Adventist Education in a Competitive Marketplace

Marketing Adventist
Education
in a Competitive
Marketplace
Marketing 101
Larry Blackmer,
NAD Vice President of Education
Marketing 101
• What is Marketing
– Theory
– Practice
• Is Adventist Educational Marketing
Different than Business Marketing?
• What and to whom do I market?
• Research on Adventist Schools
Marketing Definitions
• “an organizational function and a set of
processes for creating, communicating
and delivering value to customers and
for managing customer relationships in
ways that benefit the organization and
its stakeholders”
» American Marketing Association
Marketing Definitions
• My first definition of marketing is to
find out what your customers want and
then give it to them.
My second definition - "Marketing is the
invisible hand that moves products
from sellers to buyers."
Tim Cohn
Marketing Definitions
• Taking actions to create, grow, maintain,
defend, and own markets.
• Al Ries and Jack Trout define marketing as
simply “war” between competitors.
• Building positive relationships and
generating compelling experiences
• What does Marketing mean to
Adventist Education?
Marketing Definition for Adventist
Education
• Accessing the needs of the target
markets (potential customers), and
deciding which needs can be met
within the mission of the school, then
finding methods to meet those needs.
• Can we be all things to all people?
• Can we please everyone?
Marketing Theory
• Two factors in marketing
– Recruitment of new customers –
acquisition
– Retention and expansion of the
relationship with existing customers
– base management
Marketing Theory
• 4 Ps
– Product
– Pricing
– Promotion
– Place
• 7 ps - extended marketing mix for service
organizations
– People
– Process
– Physical evidence
Marketing Mix
Product
• What is the product that we are
‘selling’?
– Curriculum?
– Quality teachers?
– Spiritual values?
– Good students?
– Safe environment?
• We need to know what we are selling
and why!
Pricing
• Is this the issue most affecting our
enrollments?
• Tuition in schools around Washington.
• Target market vs price point
• Quality vs price
• Value vs price
• Discounts – budget driven
scholarships
Cost
NO
SALES!
Value
Cost
Promotion
• Advertising, promoting the school,
publicity, etc.
• Overt and natural promotion
• “A good product sells itself” is this
true?
Place
• Where do you find your customers?
• The channel by which a product or
service is sold.
People
• Who is responsible for marketing your
school?
–
–
–
–
Principal
Teachers
Board
Pastor
• Any person coming into contact with
customers can have an impact on overall
satisfaction.
• In the customers eyes they are inseparable
from total service.
• They must be trained, well-motivated, and
the right type of person.
Process
• Process(es) involved in providing
service
• Customer service
– Answering the phone
– Planting flowers
– Registration
– Conflict resolution
– Availability to staff
Physical Evidence
• Unlike a product, a service cannot be
experienced before it is delivered.
• Potential customers could perceive
greater risk in using service
• Provide case studies, testimonies,
samples
Customer Focus
• Which is more important– Policy
– People
• Is this the way in which we operate?
• In this approach the customer wants
are the driving force.
• Starting point the customer, no sense
selling what people don’t want
Product Focus
•
•
•
•
•
The product is king
Innovation is key
Niche marketing
Product depends on market research
Thomas Edison – if using this method
would have invented larger candle
rather than the light bulb.
Internal – External Marketing
• Internal marketing
– Adventists
– Spiritual, Safety, Academics
• External Marketing
– Community
– Mission-appropriate
– Academics, Safety, Spiritual (Character
Development)
• Difference in focus from internal and
external marketing
Who is our competition?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Other Adventist schools
Public schools
Charter schools
Home schools
Other private schools
Yourself?
The Behavioral
The process of managing change and
remaining flexible in its response to
changing market conditions, competition,
and innovation.
Example:
From
Bureaucratic
Boss and critic
Covering content and moving on
Teacher-centered
Out of context and textbook driven
Passive Learner
Assembly line, one-size fits-all
To
Collaborative
Servant-leader and coach
Teaching for mastery
Student-centered
Authentic, relevant, meaningful
Critical thinker and problem
solver
Differentiated, honoring
students individual
uniqueness
Is Image Enough?
No!!!
You need a product that
matches the image you
project.
Mission of Adventist Education
• Should we accept Non-Adventist
Students
• Accept mission appropriate students
• Know your mission – why you do what
you do.
• Dilution Dilemma
What Your
Parents Want
What God
Wants
Values – Why we do what we
do
Vision – What success looks
like
Mission – Generally … how
Strategy – Specifically … how
Right brain
activity –
Inspired,
Creative,
Visionary
God’s
Masterpiece
(Ephesians
2:10)
Parent Research
Community Research
Targeted Segments
Define Personas
Realities / Demands of
Your Environment
Secularization / Paganism
Postmodernism
Local School Competition
Area Demographics
Left brain
activity –
Analytical,
Thoughtful,
Wise
Adventist Research Findings
70
SDA/Christian
Beliefs
Safe/Caring
Environ.
Quality
Academics
Teacher/Stud.
Ratio
Cost vs. Value
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Top Strengths
N=243
Adventist Research Findings
Leadership/
Admin
Cost vs. Value
90
80
19%
70
Quality
Academics
SDA/Christian
Beliefs
Extra/co-curr.
Act
Identity/Image
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Top Fix-it Points
Special
Education
N=464
Church Growth
• Financial Analysis – five years – see
www.larryblackmer.com
• Looked at tithe and membership as a
function of school constituency
• Both tithe and membership increased in
churches in a school constituency
• Both tithe and membership decreased in
churches without.
Most Important!
•
•
•
•
Be authentic
Be spiritual
Be Adventist
Be about quality
Future of Adventist Education
•
•
•
•
The World is Flat
Traditional cannot mean old
Innovative cannot mean risky
Instruction must be Christ-directed,
student-centered, and globally
integrated.
• We must break out of our silos and
begin to work as a system
• TDEC discussion- where do we go from
here
Conclusion
• Schools need to be customer driven
• Teachers need to be student focused
• We all need to be about our Father’s
business – every day, in everything we
do.
• Jesus is coming!!!!!!
Resources
• Entrepreneur.com *Offers several articles with advice for creating
plans.
• HowStuffWorks Tutorial *If you are looking for another site offering
a plan tutorial try this one. While not as in-depth as the one offered on
KnowThis.com, it does provide good basic coverage.
• Sample Marketing Plans *While the company offering this site is
primarily in the business of selling its planning software they do offer
several marketing plan examples that may prove useful.
• Sample Software Plan *PDF file from a marketing textbook publisher
site, shows a simple plan for a small software company. While a good
guide for learning about plans, it is very basic and does not include
much financial information.
• Knowthis.com – marketing resources on the web
• New Product and Service Development *It will take the better part of 10
minutes just to get acclimated to this busy site, but it is worth the effort
for anyone seeking good product development information. Lots of good
ideas, explanations of concepts, graphics and more.