Target-rich environment.

Target-rich environment. Have you ever thrown a dart, missed the target and hit the wall?Ever miss the wall? It takes place every day in education marketingbecause of a lack of focus on the target. Focus is the ability tocorrectly identify and then target prospective students. In previousarticles in Techniques, I have espoused the power of "SmartMarketing" by developing your bold "whistle A simple whistle is a woodwind instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air.Many types exist, from small police and sports whistles (also called pea whistles), to much larger train whistles, which are steam whistles specifically designed for use on " and blowingit loud and proud. Last month, I covered the importance of developing abrand plan and using consistent persistence (1) In a CRT, the time a phosphor dot remains illuminated after being energized. Long-persistence phosphors reduce flicker, but generate ghost-like images that linger on screen for a fraction of a second. in your community to become"Enrollment Rich." The next key to smart marketing istargeting your message to the right audience. Target marketing is sharpening For image sharpening, see .Sharpening is the process of creating or refining a sharp edge on a tool or implement. The term has a wide application but can be expressed as the creation of two intersecting planes which produce an edge that is sharp enough to cut through the target your enrollment goals and thendeveloping a strategic plan to accomplish those goals through the use ofspecific communication vehicles and community focus. It is critical toreach the right audience, with the right message, at the right time, forthe right cost. It can be done using the right plan! As the old story goes, there are two ways to hit a bull's eye.The first is to take careful aim and shoot a bull's eye through thecenter of the target. The other way is to shoot a hole in the wall anddraw a target around the hole with the bull's eye in the middle. Ifyou don't know Don't know (DK, DKed)"Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what you are shooting at, then any shot will get youthere. Like the hole with a target drawn around it, if you don't don't?1. Contraction of do not.2. Nonstandard Contraction of does not.n.A statement of what should not be done: a list of the dos and don'ts. set the goal, how will you know whether you have truly hit the target ordelivered your message to the right audience? The starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting pointterminus a quocommencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the of successful target marketing is to seek outthe right people with the right offer in a compelling presentation thatgenerates a favorable fa��vor��a��ble?adj.1. Advantageous; helpful: favorable winds.2. Encouraging; propitious: a favorable diagnosis.3. response. That means there is significantly moreinvolved than creating a catalog catalog,descriptive list, on cards or in a book, of the contents of a library. Assurbanipal's library at Nineveh was cataloged on shelves of slate. The first known subject catalog was compiled by Callimachus at the Alexandrian Library in the 3d cent. B.C. and blanketing the community ordeveloping an ad and running it repeatedly in mass media outlets.Because target marketing is more direct, the cost per thousand may behigher, but the response rate should be as well. Be careful not todismiss target marketing due to the perceived increase in cost, becauseit is definitely an investment that can pay off. The most importantnumbers to look at are your bottom-line bot��tom-lineadj.1. Concerned exclusively with costs and profits: bottom-line issues.2. Ruthlessly realistic; pragmatic: a bottom-line political strategy. profits and the long-term Long-termThree or more years. In the context of accounting, more than 1 year.long-term1. Of or relating to a gain or loss in the value of a security that has been held over a specific length of time. Compare short-term. valueof the students you enroll. Develop your strategic plan and consider the number of leads, phonecalls or inquiries you need to generate in order to convert a certainpercentage of prospects into viable students or customers. Then work theplan backwards to hit that particular number of leads, phone calls orinquiries. Break down your students into who they are and where theycome from. This can be accomplished by using or developing your databaseof current enrollment. Statistics such as age, gender, income level,address, or any information specific to pinpointing other"like" prospects in your community are extremely valuable andshould be used frequently to target specific areas and types ofprospects. I am reminded of a school we worked with recently that was locatedin a metropolitan area. The school had a specific budget to accomplishits marketing objectives and that budget wasn't large enough toblanket catalogs throughout the entire community. It would have taken240,000 catalogs to cover each of the primary zip codes zip codeSystem of postal-zone codes (zip stands for “zone improvement plan”) introduced in the U.S. in 1963 to improve mail delivery and exploit electronic reading and sorting capabilities. that thisfacility served, but we had enough in the budget to create and mail only20,000 catalogs. So, how do you choose who gets a catalog? Targetmarketing! We worked with the school to gain as much student information fromtheir database as possible. We then appended whatever public demographicinformation was accessible and created a profile of their students. Withthis information, we were able to target, from that population of240,000 within a 20-mile radius of the school, 20,000 people who matchedthe profile, and we sent those prospects a well-designed catalog. Theresults exceeded the school's goals. The target marketing effortspaid off, and the resulting enrollment was higher than their previousattempts. Target marketing is a strategy that will provide the biggestbang for your marketing dollars and fill your programs cost effectively. Here are several strategies to cultivate cul��ti��vate?tr.v. cul��ti��vat��ed, cul��ti��vat��ing, cul��ti��vates1. a. To improve and prepare (land), as by plowing or fertilizing, for raising crops; till.b. your target-richenvironment. Target Your Advantageous Zones Many programs today blanket catalogs throughout their entirecommunities and waste money in the process. Catalog mailings areexpensive and budgets are under consistent attack, so it is critical totarget your advantageous zones. Develop a zip code breakdown of whereyour students are coming from and analyze what zips For the fastener, see .For the Slovak province, see .For the University of Akron athletic team, see .Zips (also Siggies or Geeps , carrier routes andneighborhoods are your biggest supporters. Technology has gotten to thepoint where you can determine which postal carrier routes are the mostprofitable within each zip (1) To compress a file with PKZIP. See ZIP file.(2) (Zip) A removable disk from Iomega. See Zip disk.(3) (ZIP) (Zig-Zag Inline P and which are of no value, allowing you toslowly eliminate them from your targeted mailing list An automated e-mail system on the Internet, which is maintained by subject matter. There are thousands of such lists that reach millions of individuals and businesses. New users generally subscribe by sending an e-mail with the word "subscribe" in it and subsequently receive all new . Next, mail to each zip code or carrier route where you arereceiving adequate student enrollments. It has been our experience thata drop in mailing quantity of 20-40 percent is not uncommon withproperly targeted zip mailings. You can save marketing costs withvirtually no adverse effect in enrollments by eliminating the carrierroutes and zip codes where few or no students are participating. Use Your Existing Database Mailing List Your database mailing list should contain current and formerstudents, prospects who have called for more information, and anyone whohas requested that you follow up with them on a regular basis. This listis a valuable resource of prospects who already believe in the valuethat you bring to the community. If you do not capture this informationnow, start! If you do capture the information, start using iteffectively. This list is marketing gold and should be developed andmaintained. In your strategic plan, be sure to include strategies toconsistently target your database prospects. Mail a catalog to them andthen mail a second catalog two weeks later. In fact, if many of yourstudents repeat, perhaps even a third postcard of letter mailing duringeach enrollment cycle will pay dividends. Ensure that they are alwaysinformed and aware of what you are doing and how they will gain valuefrom being enrolled. As I wrote in the October Issue of Techniques, embrace the"Rain Effect." Every time you communicate your message throughthe various channels of communication it is like a drop of falling rain.The more your message drips, the sooner you move a viable prospect toaction. Target marketing ensures that you cost effectively drip on theright people, so do it consistently. Thoughts to bear in mind while developing your target-richenvironment: * Develop a strategic plan and systematically work the plan. * Learn who your students are and where they come from. * Create a profile of your students and find prospects that matchthe profile. * Test and measure every step of the way. Do not make sweepingchanges without testing your plan and your message for success. * Develop strategic partnerships with companies that understandwhat you are trying to accomplish and will cost effectively support yourefforts within your current budget. * Use consistent persistence in the fulfillment ful��fillalso ful��fil ?tr.v. ful��filled, ful��fill��ing, ful��fills also ful��fils1. To bring into actuality; effect: fulfilled their promises.2. of your enrollmentobjectives by dripping dripping1. continuous discharge of an exudate or secretion.2. rendered beef fat. on the right audience with the right message. Whether you market using catalogs, print ads of through high schoolfeeder feederabbreviation for self-feeders. Used in feeding groups of animals at intervals of several days. Feed has to be dry and comminuted so that it will run down the spouts from the hopper into the troughs. programs, it is imperative to learn everything you can about yourstudents and use that information to find many more like them. Cultivateyour target-rich environment and become enrollment rich! Mark C. Perna is the founder of "Tools for Schools" inCleveland, Ohio "Cleveland" redirects here. For the Cleveland metropolitan area, see . For other uses, see Cleveland (disambiguation).Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. , specializing in full-service marketing to the careerand technical education field. He has published numerous articles andhas worked with schools of all sizes in the pursuit of maximizingenrollment. Perna can be reached at 877-313-5300, via email atmark@MT4S.com., or through the Tools for Schools Web site atwww.marketingtoolsforschools.org.