Presented by: Tina Allishaw & Kelly Stedman Marketing on a Presented by: Tina Allishaw & Kelly Stedman

Agenda Welcome Objective/Outcomes S.W.O.T Analysis Marketing Approach Conclusion

Objectives/Outcomes Develop a clear program marketing message Identify marketing methods that would work for your region Learn new ideas for preparing, planning and executing a marketing plan

What does the analysis consist of? What is the purpose? What does the analysis consist of? Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats SWOT analysis (or SWOT matrix) is a strategic planning technique used to help a person or organization identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to business competition or project planning. Understand your individual landscape Get focus Plan properly and utilize resources efficiently Can be used in conjunction with an: Environmental Scanning is the process of gathering information about events and their relationships within an organization's internal and external environments. The basic purpose of environmental scanning is to help management determine the future direction of the organization.

Organizational S.W.O.T. Geographical region Organization Department & Programming Funding Partners Geographical region: Urban versus rural, transportation availability, sites within your geographical region Labour market conditions and employer needs Income and demographic make up for the region Trends Community service providers and other agencies in the area what do they deliver Organization: Work within the college infrastructure Full time programming Our funding is different Our marketing needs will be different Finding the balance between MTCU and college requirements to fulfill LBS needs Department & programming LBS can be tricky to understand “Best kept secret” What to do to get the attention and traction that is required for targets Funding partners - Make sure we are working within the guidelines

Strengths What are the strengths of LBS? Consider things like: What is working with recruitment now? Areas where targets are being met. Customer service satisfaction. Courses or delivery that you offer that is unique to you. What are you getting good feedback on? What are the learners saying?

Strengths of LBS Brainstorm

Weaknesses What are the weaknesses of LBS? Consider the following: What limits our programming? What areas are we unable to serve? Why? Areas that are not being met? Union & MTCU rules and regulations from both sides Lack of flexibility in some cases

Weaknesses of LBS Brainstorm

Opportunities What are the opportunities of LBS? Consider the following: Things that we could offer What new things could we do that would align with learner needs? New programming? New scheduling? New delivery options?

Opportunities of LBS Brainstorm

Threats What are the threats to LBS? Consider the following: Competition Funding structure College/union guidelines Threats: Keeping up with new deliveries can be costly Increasing staff costs limit funds and don’t always allow for new advancements or investment in initiatives to further the LBS delivery.

Threats of LBS Brainstorm

Messaging Messaging usually has to: Be Clear Be Concise Have a Call to Action Often marketing can try to compact all parts of information into a brochure or flyer which overwhelms the reader and by the very nature of business isn’t going to appeal to our target audience. The message should: Leverage the strengths that you have identified and speak to your regional demographic and separate you from any competition The clear part of your message is allowing the recipient to understand what they would use your programming for The concise part of a message needs to compact and with the ability for the reader to see and grasp the purpose of the programming in a minimal time The call to action is two fold – the first part is the message should be clear enough for the reader to want to explore and/or read the information you have provided. The next part of the call to action is to have them engage by following up via email, phone, walk in etc.

Messaging Comparison of Conestoga’s Marketing Material

Demographics Information and characteristics about a specific population. How is the demographic identified for LBS?

Marketing Approach Brochures & flyers Social media campaigns Radio ads Changing format and updating messaging Social media campaigns Radio ads Bus ads Direct marketing & Referrals Utilizing college marketing avenues: newsletters, catalogues, email campaigns

Marketing Approach What is your marketing vehicle? What are you recruiting for? Timelines Budget Brochures & flyers Changing format and updating messaging Social media campaigns These are great because they can adapt to any budget They can be targeted and aligned with the suitability factors Outline timelines Typically used best when it is complemented with other marketing approaches Key things to remember with this one is to have a specific call to action Radio ads Bus ads

Pulling the Plan Together

Pulling the Pieces Together on a Budget How to Get the Work Done Work study/placement /co-op/international students Part time contract Responsibilities for admin during summer/slow period Unique marketing/promotional pieces Work study/placement / co-op / international students Part time contract Responsibilities for admin during summer/slow period Unique marketing/promotional pieces: No dates on the material Smaller marketing pieces such as post cards which you can get more out of a one page Targeted pieces – one for providers/agencies and other for learners Website page that houses additional information no cost to change/edit and faster Direct access and contact point for all the promotional material

Pulling the Pieces Together Where to Start Review the S.W.O.T Devise annual plan with timelines and expected budget Decide where the money will be spent (PT / marketing method) Assign recruitment times as well Focus on the weak areas, and the opportunities Think outside the box, where are the referrals coming from, where are the opportunities?