Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Ideas On How To Market To A Specific Industry

Posted by Anonymous on 6/20/2011 at 4:23 PM ET 125 Points
Hello, I was recently at a trade show and received a list of emails which we are permitted to to make contact with. I work for an educational institution and would like to contact the list of emails letting them know of students in supply chain which are available for internship and for our free recruiting services. Ideally I am looking at spending less than $500 for this initiative but finding it hard to think of any simple campaigns but having enough incentive to want them to make contact with us. Any ideas????
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 6/20/2011 at 5:37 PM Accepted
    I'd research each contact name and see if you can get an appointment (either face-to-face or by phone) to discuss your innovative and cost-effective approach to solving one of their most important problems.

    A mass mailing or eblast telling them that your educational institution has a lot of out-of-work students who are begging for internships isn't likely to do much for you, because you're not addressing the needs of the target audience. You're dealing with your own needs, and you're taking up their time to deal with you.

    You need to figure out what's in it for the employer to provide an internship for your students, and then go to them with a solution to their problem, not beg for a solution to yours.

    Save the $500. Instead invest your time to plan and implement a one-on-one sales strategy, and place the students in internships one at a time. Maybe you can even get the students to help you research each of the prospective employers so you can be most relevant to each one you contact. That's going to be much more effective than some mass mailing that promises generic interns for everyone.
  • Posted on 6/20/2011 at 8:03 PM Member
    If you are just trying to help the students get an internship GIVE the prospective students the list of names and let THEM come up with the strategies on how to get the internship. Seriously, you are not going to be there holding their hands while they are in the interview process or while they are on the job are you? So, why are you taking the time to find them an internship, when they should be doing it themselves. I am glad you took the energy to visit the trade show and get a list of companies, but you have to let the students do it on their own. Then I would have the students report back their findings as well as what they did, that is the only way they will learn.

    If you are looking to add recruiting to the institution as a whole, then I would get a committee comprised of the heads of all the departments including Marketing, the dean, president, principle, and other top educators. Decide what companies to focus on such as industry, Small organizations, Large Corp etc. Find out what the challenges these companies face. Find out how your students can solve these problems in terms of subject that is being taught, experience the students might have etc. Then you can lay out a strategy of lead generation and a communications campaign
  • Posted by Sharon Ernst on 6/20/2011 at 8:48 PM Accepted
    Hi, Karina. Maybe you have something on hand already that you can repurpose as an incentive. Have you ever created a guide to selecting an intern, or a whitepaper on the benefits of having an intern perhaps? Maybe a guide to recruiting interns? Or even an article you've had published somewhere that's useful and helpful for your target audience could work. The cost of repurposing something you already have would be free! :-)
  • Posted on 6/21/2011 at 9:38 AM Author
    Hi there, unfortunately I don't have the list, the organizers of the trade show will be providing it to Constant Contact, so I will not come in contact with the list (their policy), it's kind of a one time thing.

    And, part of Career Services is to help the student on internships and job finding...that is what we do. So having them do all the work is not an option, we are here to assist and help.

    I love the idea about the guide!!! Thanks...
  • Posted by marketbase on 6/21/2011 at 11:59 AM Member
    Agree with your position; as a partner in a regional CRE business, we relied on local colleges to supply student interviewees for internships. Found that of the three institutions that we used, one definitely provided better qualified ''workers.'' To that end, several not only made it into our employee pool but are still employed in the industry many years later. It''s gratifying to see a name or face in the news whom I knew "when."

    Before doing any sort of contact (one on one or email) recommend knowing what your product (student) is most interested in so you can better match businesses to potential need. And yes, you need to know WHAT need may be filled by your product. In this economy with so many workers doing double and sometimes triple duty, filling internships could be a tough sell but not impossible.
  • Posted on 6/24/2011 at 8:42 AM Accepted
    Let me add my strong support to the answer from m-steilen. You commented: "And, part of Career Services is to help the student on internships and job finding...that is what we do. So having them do all the work is not an option, we are here to assist and help."

    Do you really help someone by giving him a fish -- or by teaching him how to fish? And fishing is hard work. To repeat my answer to a previous similar question:

    As an adjunct faculty member I have been approached often by students who wanted the school to improve their internship opportunities. My answer was always the same. At best, the school could fire a shotgun aimed at the mass, undefined target of "possible employers."

    The student could aim a rifle at exactly the industry and company which would make for a great internship. My feeling therefore is that the best possible way to help your students is to give them guidance on how to become a sniper, "to create your own internship."

    For instance, you could be the impetus to offering a semester long "internship" course, with the teaching load shared among faculty -- and guest speakers from companies.. Sections could include "researching your ideal company," "your personal website instead of a CV," "defining your value proposition," "developing your internship campaign - including the right people in the company to make contact with (not just the human resources department)," "negotiating terms and conditions," "hitting the ground running - your first ten days" and so forth.

    The course could be with credits and graded or not. More important is that at the end of every week a specific assignment is given which represents "real world" progress in the internship hunt. When I did this, I threatened to exclude students from continuing with the (non-credit, volunteered by me) sessions if the "homework" were not properly done. It almost always was, or at least a serious attempt had been made.

    Returning students are invited as guest lecturers to the next class, to tell them what worked, what hadn't, and the outcome.

    In short, you are creating a multiplier. Instead of you researching xxx industries and companies to sell one generic product "our interns," you have 10, 20, a hundred or more students doing the work to sell a "custom" product, namely himself/herself. Teach them how to market themselves well, and you get a double benefit, good for the reputation of the school with a) students, and b) companies.

    If a semester course is not an option, one could try to organize a weekend seminar along these lines -- required reading BEFORE the seminar: asigned chapters from Richard Nelson Bolles "What Color Is Your Parachute?"

    Summer interns from places like Harvard Business School cost the employer thousands of dollars a month. These students are picky about where they do their internships, have done their homework, and, costing what they do, are hardly set to work making coffee or photocopying. With the right preparation (can solve a problem for the target company) a student from a no-name school can wind up every bit as well placed as the Harvard intern.

    Why more schools do not offer such internship courses is a mystery to me.

    Regards,
    JH

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