Marketing Team Texas Distance Learning Association Fall Leadership Conference

Person to Coordinate Marketing  In charge of all social media sites – Facebook, Posterous, Podcasting, (E-vite)  Examine which social media sites work the best and are the most useful for marketing  Roxanne Glaser – great at Twitter, ask for advice

 Membership and Marketing go hand in hand  Create a way to market to current educators/teachers to where they will not delete s  Recruit legislators focused on education or STEM  Focus on STEM initiative in Texas, big right now in education  “We put the T in STEM”  Push all members to bring a friend to regional meetings, conferences, workshops  Reach out to ESC centers for new members

 Advertise to students, both graduate and undergraduate, high school (STEM)  Market discounted rate for membership and the conference  Have a student break out session at conference  Student table at First Timer’s Breakfast  Reach out to CATE teachers – create lesson plans for them to use with creating videos, logos, etc  Create a network or support for STEM teachers through TXDLA  Encourage students to submit proposals

 Surveys – ask interests for future groups/conference  Add to membership registration form a place for people to report who/what referred them  Send survey to members about how they get information, which sites they get updates from, what ways they would like to get more information  Who in the organization runs what when it comes to social media/websites

 Utilize video/podcasting more with video sites such as Youtube, video on Facebook  Podcasts of conference sessions – one especially for high school students  Ask surrounding states with DLA conferences to attend ours or even to share marketing information  Text Messaging for Marketing

 Database needs to be easily accessible for new members to meet others in their area  Look at groups (military, K-12, Higher Education, Legislator) as communities of their own, what benefits would there for each group  Testimonials from members, from each group (teachers, corporate, tech directors, etc.), from each region  Clarify registration fees and explain for new members  Put links, widgets or icons that link members from homepage to all social media sites we utilize (Example: UT Dallas site)  Website – flip important words, social, collaborative: “Distance Learning. We have an App for that”

 The region that the conference is being held in needs to be more active for higher local conference turnout and organization  Create consistent information for each regional leader to disseminate to region members, letters, newsletters, etc.  Encourage regions to increase student memberships  Contest for regions based on percentage

 Single versus separate  Annual campaign based on conference theme  Logo - all concur on its effectiveness  T-Shirts for Branding  Look at high school programs and college programs to get untapped resources for videos, posters, logos – free work exchanged for real world experience (21 st Century Skills)  Example:

 Reviewed current mission statement  Modify current Mission Statement  Modern, updated mission statement will help with marketing  Members should know mission statement

 Promoting and Supporting the Distance Learning Community in Texas

 Create a new slogan for TXDLA?  Important for branding  Key Words: Collaboration, Sharing, Best Practices  Idea: Collaboration of Distance Learning Practitioners  Idea: Fostering Collaboration and Enabling Texas to be a leader in Distance Learning  Idea: Enabling Texas to be a Leader in Distance Learning Collaboration  Idea: Collaboration and Resources to Advance Distance Learning in Texas  Idea: TXDLA – Innovation, Inspiration, Collaboration, Education  Idea for T-shirt: Distance Learning – We have an app for that!  Add: Technology word, virtual learning, advanced tech  Change Wording – Distance Learning….update?

 Registration begins December 6 th  Registering until March 15 th  Sandra in charge of Conference Marketing  Flash Drive/USB bracelets for Conference with all presentations  Create video to introduce Conference to members, new people – Show the site, the city, where they will stay, where it will be held, fun events  Streaming sessions for remote participation at conference

 Encourage people to join Facebook site/page/group  Provide Information on all social media sites  Information about contests for membership drives  Information about contests in general for students  Encourage members to refer new members

 Logo Contest (students)  Video Contest (students)  Student Member Referral Contest  Regional Member Referral Contest (percentages) – Two contests: Students and General new members  Have a vendor sponsor the prize for contests  Reward the Region for new members – gift cards, prizes

1. Focus on increasing student membership, graduate and undergraduate 2. Update our image – modern terminology, modern look, public relations 3. Update Images on Website, Information on Website, Website Widgets 4. Send Text Messages for Important TxDLA Information

 Katrina Adams, University of Texas at Dallas  Lisa Brown, Texas A&M University  Auburn Carpenter, Texas State Aquarium  Terry Comingore, Brazosport College  Teresa Lawson, Birdville ISD  Kelli Montgomery, Birdville ISD  Jessica Pettyjohn, Career and Technology Education  Marshall Scott, Remote-Learner  Brian St. Amour, Temple College * All images taken from