Essay on Marketing Campaign

Description of Service Selected

Marketing involves the communication of products or services to prospective clients in order to realize sales. It incorporates the anticipation, management, and satisfaction of demand for services or products and the enhancement of an organization ability to achieve the customer needs in the market. The paper has focused on the degree program and aims at examining diverse aspects of marketing the courses from a business perspective and also evaluating the student experiences through the marketing process (Belch, George and Michael 68). The marketing department of the university will help identify and understand prospective students, parents and academic sponsor needs and formulate ideas to communicate benefits and selling points of the selected service.

Objectives of the Campaign

Before the advertisement campaign was crafted, there was a need to understand the marketing concept in the education sector. Marketing a degree program is fundamental for institutions of higher learning that aims at raising awareness about their courses and faculties. Regardless of the aim of an organization, having a clear and established goal helps in getting the word out to the prospective clients to facilitate the ultimate implementation of the set objectives. The objectives were as a result of critical analysis of the university website. After the analysis and the critique, the following are the objectives that need to be achieved.

Specific Campaign Goals

Increase enrolment

Marketing is important for every learning institution that aims at improving their awareness and the courses offered. Marketing process requires a substantial return on investment which should be converted to increased enrolment hence high-profit ratios for the institution. The university aims at increasing enrolment by 40 percent annually.

Improve courses awareness

Marketing effort can be focused explicitly on invigorating interest in services or products that have existed in the market for a long period or around which people have developed vulnerable attitudes. This campaign is expected to improve awareness of the degree program across the nation and internationally. The effort is further expected to increase awareness rating after two years.

Establish the faculty as an academic and thought leader in the marketing field

In the marketing sector, newer organizations often find it hard to be visible in the market. The marketing faculty aims at becoming one of the best marketing institutions and thought leader in the marketing field. When this is achieved, enrolment is expected to increase significantly.

Brand management

Establishing a place in the mind of the public requires a substantial time as some marketing initiatives are aimed at maintaining prominence in the marketplace. Major Universities recognized across the globe use ads with images to remind the prospective students on their brands, rather than promoting a specific faculty or course. The objective here is to make the brand recognizable across the globe, with no further explanation.

Target market primary and secondary markets

Primary markets

Marketing is a generic process and includes different concepts which are applied to every organization. Universities are not exceptional and have adopted the conscious approach of strategic marketing planning. The marketing approach applied in the marketing faculty is expected to create values among university stakeholders who are prospective students, alumni, the employers and various financial supporters within the institution (Blakeman 63). For state-supported college, the list involves taxpayers, the public, and state legislatures. Due to various demographic reasons, the university administration may find itself concerned with the prospective students only. The identification of the target market, a marketer in the institution, needs to build a conceptual framework that goes beyond the demographics. Through the understanding of the people served, the university is expected to create offerings that satisfy the needs of the target market.

There has been a change in paradigm in the university sector as universities now travel to students rather than the students traveling to institutions of higher learning. This calls for more flexibility and decentralization in the marketing process. The contemporary concept of strategic marketing planning is aimed at providing quality educational services for the students (Parente and Strausbaugh-Hutchinson 73). The primary target for the faculty includes 18 and up enrollees which incorporate dual enrollees. This is because the program is flexible and allows students to be enrolled in two different academic institutions, generally targeting the high school students aspiring to take college or university courses. Other than the dual enrolment, the program will take advantage of the online course development aspect to acquire new and expanded market in the product life cycle and at the same time maintain their market share. The online courses have dominated the dominant market share.

One controversial question is to assess if the marketing strategy should follow the product development and the justification of the statement lies at the center of online course development in universities. In case the marketers decide to formulate a strategy first, then the determination of the target market segmentation is fundamental together with the demography and the characteristics of the market segment itself. The contrast will be the establishment of online course then later ascertain the prospective buyers of the courses offered and this, evolve a strategy.

The identification of the target market is essential for the faculty in crafting an effective strategy that will help design the business model to allow a successful execution and accomplishment of the strategy further. The proposed business model is expected to offer essential information to the university administration in relation to the viability of the strategy set. In this case, therefore, it is imperative to select the market segment that the faculty plans to service which includes the online students and dual enrollees. Substitute marketing strategies are expected to vary based on the segments identified by the faculty that it aims at serving plus the demographic. At the same time, behavioral characteristics will also vary in relation to the target market selected.

Demographic profile linked to online studies and traditional students have gained popularity and are currently used in determining market segments for strategy formation. This is because student's demographics have enabled market researchers to make a comparison and contrast classrooms student statistics to distance education learners. Even though the result varies, the category of the older part-time students has gained significant acceptance and allowed the students to access distance education. The online learning has become prominent. In this case, therefore, to effectively implement strategy for the marketing program, the faculty should develop demographics and attribute analysis of the prevailing segments they can serve.

Secondary Markets

This market will target the postgraduate students who will be located in neighboring towns. It remains with a significantly higher percentage of enrolment, and eventually, revenue but the new enrollees are out making the sales. This can be as a result of the tuition fee discount given by the institution.

Advertising Media Selection for the Campaign

The faculty has formulated various events that are modified to appeal to a broad pool of prospective students, parents, employers and academic sponsors. The events are aimed at attracting students to the program as well as increase traffic to the university website as well as the Facebook page. The events are expected to promote the institution as one of the best in the region and emotionally connect students to the institution and create the desire to learn and graduate in the institution.

Tri-fold board

Tri-fold board provides a good way of making an impression at conferences and crafts poster for marketing campaign. With different sizes, designs, and colors to use, there exists good match for various tasks. This will be placed at the entrance of movie theatres and exhibitions to attract enrolment to the program, and further increase their dominance in the market. The tri-fold will include various causes offered, and the benefits or fee offers that are provided by the administration.

Promo video

When it comes to organization brand, universities and colleges find it extremely essential to stay relevant with effect to the effective marketing approaches applied. Whether starting a college or striving to increase enrolment, it is fundamental to get noticed in the market. This can be efficiently accomplished by the use of promo video. Promo video is what the management has incorporated into the sales pitch. Within one year, the faculty is expected to achieve an increase in enrolment and inquiries and at the same time boost the profile of the organization. Subsequently, the visual presentation helps potential clients remember what the institution offers.

The promo video will be unique, well-made and clear to penetrate the market more comfortable as compared to the printed advertisement. It will engage the prospective students and enhance the marketing techniques utilized.

Facebook page

Facebook is one of the advertising media that will be used at the university. For this promotional activity, the management has set it for usage by the students. Prospective students are expected to like the university Facebook page and see the different offers given. The offer is expected to start after high school students graduate and will promote various courses including marketing program. The Facebook page will receive a promotional code which will be used to adopt the offer when registering for the course. Facebook will provide a support channel in discussing special offers and courses in the university. At the same time, the strategy will provide a great platform to discuss with the prospective students in buildup and aftermath of their courses. The masterpiece will be seen multiple times by people across the globe.

Promo business flyer

Flyers are essential in marketing and are one of the tried and tested approaches in marketing that is effective. This is because flyers reach a wider audience and provide a more excellent platform to reach audiences such as door to door, street distribution, and in-store distribution. Flyers will be used in seminars organized by university in schools across the country. There is likelihood to attract students when they see discounts in the university program. The strategy is also less costly and is tangible since consumers prefer tangible products.

Promo banner

The university can advertise the program to prospective clients using promo banners. While the online platform provides a higher potential for growth of enrolment, the promo banner also has numerous advantages for institution growth and development. This is because this approach is less expensive, focuses on a target audience, delivers a repetitive message, effective, and reusable.

Banners have remained to be less expensive strategy of marketing as compared to other approaches such as radio or television ad. The banner will be displayed at shows, and those who see the sign will be potential students. Little resources will be lost in marketing to those uninterested in the services offered at the university. At the same time, it will continuously reinforce the university name in the minds of the prospective students hence can be seen as an effective, reusable and repetitive method.

Budget

The table below illustrates all the adv...