Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Jr Colleges are a mix of underachievers (college material people with lousy HS grades), the lost (maybe I'll try junior college I don't know what else to do), and self-improvers (often past 35 folks who just want to about learn something).

(I fell into the underachiever category but I'm better now thank you--heck I even have a lifetime California Comm College Teaching Credential.)

All three represent marketplaces that bring in revenue so you want to appeal to all of them.

Unless the college has some specific focus (for instance, here in L.A. we have one Jr. College that is heavily weighted toward agriculture and animal care) the marketplace will be as the name implies very local to the community so you don't need to reach farther than, let's say, a 15 mile radius.

You'd want the college, therefore, to appear a) not like a place where only the bozos go b) a place where you can have fun and c) a place where you really can learn--each message touches on one of those three groups, in the order presented.

Of course, if you go into the interview talking like this you'll butt up against someone who wants to disagree, so you have to present this is a general hypothesis. You know, tell them you would need to more specific information about their student population but your initial research points you certain assumptions which are . . . .

And go easy on the loser part and heavy on the really want to learn something part.

billc24,

excellent advice by Markitek. Another thing you might want to consider is that Community Colleges are generally at least very difficult to market to if the community has an Urban environment. Marketing to the future students will be similar to marketing to High School students. Appealing to students who have not yet discovered who they are or what their purpose in life is may also be another way to think about it. So to me being very motivational and trying to spark an interest in their own desires might be a way of peaking their interest in your Community College. Find ways to see what is driving the students locally and use this as a catalyst. When people have not yet identified what their interest are sometimes you have to help them get to the core of this. So using a small sample survey of what do you think you might want to do after High School? Maybe a way of drawing attention.

Also consider the way the military markets to the High School and borrow from the tactics they use. They often get right into the High School and market on the grass roots level. You might want to also consider that. I there anything else I can do for you?

Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)