Promoting Your Upcoming Class

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Derick Patterson
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1 Promoting Your Upcoming Class A resource for Harper College Continuing Education Instructors Developed by Mike McCandless, CE Marketing and Operations Manager, Updated Aug. 2017

2 Marketing resources for CE instructors 1. CE web pages 2. CE Course Schedule 3. CE Now! blog 4. Social media 5. s & newsletters 6. Flyers & collateral 7. Press releases and PR 8. Open houses/events 9. Market research 10.Working your network 11.Advertising 12.Videos More on the website at

3 1. CE web pages Harpercollege.edu/ce is a modern, responsive website.

4 The U of Chicago s Graham School for Continuing Studies has recently implemented a Destiny platform to create a better way for students to find and register for courses in an Amazon-like setting. Each course has its own page like the one here.

5 2. CE Course Schedule The print course schedule currently is produced three times per year and is mailed to 170,000 addresses each term. We are actively looking for ways to reach more people in our district with more information, more often. We welcome your ideas for reaching these goals within our budget.

organizes and pushes news and information out to our social media sites.

6 3. CE Now! (harpercollegece.com) The CE Blog is primarily a content marketing distribution platform that organizes and pushes news and information out to our social media sites. You can become a blog contributor if you have occasional content about your course(s) that makes interesting reading. We use a free WordPress.com site.

these pages and do your own posting or comments.

7 4. Social Media CE Blog posts are pushed to our social media pages: Facebook Twitter Google+ Tumblr LinkedIn Please visit these pages and do your own posting or comments. Post items to your personal pages and direct viewers to harpercollege.edu/ce.

8 5. and newsletters The bi-weekly Become More! newsletter, is mailed to our house list of about 21,000 addresses of past and prospective students. We can do custom s with your content and CSV-format lists. Each link in the newsletter takes readers to a custom page. The new registration system will insure our mailing list is up-to-date and let us segment the list according to interests and other variables.

9 6. Flyers & Collateral We can accept your copy, images, and ideas for flyers and other collateral to promote your class. Please provide either a complete and ready-to-go PDF or InDesign file, or unformatted copy in a Word doc and images that will look good when printed. We reserve the right to edit and conform your submissions to Harper standards.

10 7. Press releases and press relations Do you have any press contacts? Don t waster your time sending out unsolicited press releases. Use your blog and social media interactions to generate interest. It s not a bad idea to have a one page press release handy in case you need it to send to someone you meet at an event or online.

11 8. Open houses and other events Take advantage of the free Information Sessions we hold periodically to promote your class. Check with your coordinator for opportunities. We are considering an annual Continuing Education kickoff and orientation event to promote each fall term. Any thoughts on this? Look for opportunities to promote your class at professional and community events you may be attending.

12 9. Market research & surveys Online surveys delivered through a link in an are a great way to find out how people reacted to your course or to learn what they'd like to take next. CE uses Survey Monkey to design and distribute surveys and track responses. CE marketing to discuss how surveys might help your promotion.

13 10. Working your network In a marketplace economy increasingly driven by Consumer Reviews, a positive review from a student (Yelp?) or opinion leader remains the best way to create interest in your class. There is a best practice around getting testimonials from busy people. If they seem willing, say, Would you feel comfortable saying something like about my class? They ll refuse altogether; offer a revision to your idea; or say, Sure, go for it. Use your personal social media profiles, pages, and posts to stir the pot and generate interest in your class. A good way to get attention from others on the Web is to show interest in them by comment and re-blogging their posts.

11. Print and Digital Advertising We do not do much advertising due to expense and the need to be fully coordinated with the agency advertising that Harper is

14 11. Print and Digital Advertising We do not do much advertising due to expense and the need to be fully coordinated with the agency advertising that Harper is already doing. We will test some digital media ad campaigns this year to test messages, offers, and channels. We encourage you to do the same as you are able.

15 12. Videos Here s one of our first quick look videos. It s hosted on our YouTube channel. Today, we making short videos to help promote YOUR class. We will do more as we get better at it.

16 Harper Standards The Harper College Editorial Style Guide.PDF (updated 06/01/2015) has been designed to help you prepare copy for internal and external communication materials. For usage topics not covered in this guide, consult The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook or the college edition of Webster's New World Dictionary, or contact CE marketing with questions. Since its founding, Harper College has enjoyed a reputation for high quality. Maintaining that reputation takes some attention to the way we present ourselves to audiences within and outside our institution. In all of our communications, we must work to convey an image of quality, consistency and excellence. Harper College Identity Standards (Revised October 2013).PDF

17 What you can do 1. Write a course description designed to attract students to one of your courses. Try to keep it under 100 words. 2. In the Writing Studio, write an instructor bio of 100 words less that provides relevant info about you and why you teach this course. 3. Participate in a 1-2 minute video about your course. 4. Create a list of three tasks you plan to initiate to promote your course. These can be tasks will do yourself or things you will work on with CE marketing.

18 Questions?

19 Promoting Your Upcoming Class A resource for Harper College Continuing Education Instructors Developed by Mike McCandless, CE Marketing and Operations Manager, Updated Aug. 2017

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