MKT PLN Script

10 minute time limit

Introduction [PPT DTC Marketing Plan] [PPT DTC Marketing Plan] Hi my name is Henrick Drummond, and I will be explaining to you-all my marketing plan for DeKalb Technical College. [PPT Things You Should Know] TCSG Funding Formula Performance Funding Model

[PPT Things You Should Know] Marketing for a government run, non-profit educational institution like DeKalb Tech, is very different from that of a commercial organization. Here are some important things you should be aware of, to better understand the colleges unique marketing situation [list them]. First, it is important to understand that DeKalb Tech is not a separate entity and is part of the Technical College System of Georgia or TCSG. As is depicted in this diagram, TCSG receives its funding from the Governors Office of Planning and Budget, which in turn allocates funding to the 26 Technical Colleges throughout the State of Georgia, one of which is DeKalb Tech. The amount of funding that DeKalb tech receives is based on a funding formula of which the primary determinant is enrollment from two years prior. So, as you see, DeKalb Tech is not primarily focused on profit maximization, but rather to fulfill the purpose for which it was created by the government. And any marketing plan, or other strategic plan created for DeKalb Tech, must be compatible with the goals set by TCSG. With that being said let us get on into the marketing plan. Mission Statement [PPT New Mission Statement] New Mission Statement Old Mission Statement [PPT New Mission Statement] That first thing that will be discussed is the adoption of a new mission statement. [read mission statement] As you can see, the new two-part Mission statement focuses on our commitment to customer service and our obligation to the TCSG.

Objectives [PPT Objectives] (List three objectives) [PPT Objectives] The next topic that will be discussed is the marketing plan objectives. Here are the three objectives [Read them] I will give you a brief explanation of each. [PPT Objective # 1] [PPT Objective # 1] Our first and foremost object is to increase enrollment by 20 %. Enrollment in FY 2010 is actually up approximately 13 % since last year. This is due, in large part, to the economic downturn prompting many people to return to school in order to update their skills or to receive training for new careers. [PPT Objective # 2] [PPT Objective # 2] Objective Number two is to increase the retention rate by 10%. We dont just want students to enroll for one quarter and drop out. Therefore, marketing initiatives have been created to prevent that, which be explained in more detail later on in the presentation. For now, just know that the retention rate is based on the percentage of students who are either still enrolled or have graduated after one year versus those who are no longer enrolled [PPT Objective # 3] [PPT Objective # 3] And the third objective is to raise 1.9 million dollars for renovations and expansion by the end of fiscal year 2011. These funds are needed to fulfill initiatives relating to the aesthetic appearance of several campuses and well as for facilities to better accommodate the learning needs of students. I will give a more in depth explanation of this later on as well. SWOT Analysis [PPT SWOT Analysis Summary] [PPT SWOT Analysis Summary] Now lets take a look at a SWOT analysis for DeKalb Tech. This will provide you with a general idea of some of the strengths that DeKalb Tech has; some potential challenges that the school is facing, particularly in the realm of public perception; as well as an environmental scan of opportunities and threats. [PPT Show Strengths] [PPT Show Strengths] DeKalb Techs Strengths include its Good Product Offering, Accessible Within Service Area, Low Cost Competitive Advantage, and a recent history of surpluses from state funds, tuition revenue, and technology and continuing education fees? By good service mix, it is meant that DeKalb tech offers a good mix of programs for training in highdemand careers. DTC educational services are very accessible within the service area by virtue of campuses in 8 different locations throughout the region, which will be discussed more later on. DTC has

a low cost competitive advantage especially in comparison to Universities with comparable programs in our sevice area. In fact, according to ___, the cost of the DTC tuition is ___ lower than the cost of ___ tuition. Also, Funding is coming in good from TCSG. We have had a recent history of surpluses from state funds, tuition revenue, and technology and continuing education fees? Pay close attention to the ___ right here. This will be very important when I show you our product strategies.

[PPT Show Weaknesses] [PPT Show Weaknesses] Here are some of the weaknesses Negative Perception of Educations Value, Volatile student retention, Renovations Needed, Advertising Effectiveness not Tracked Properly. The value of education offered by DeKalb Tech is perceived negatively by some of the public. We need branding strategies such as ___ to combat this problem. The primary cause of the volatile student retention rate are problems the many students face with financial aid and need for tutoring and/or learning aid. We could let them know about our student success center. [save for later]. Renovations Needed which is one of the reasons that we need funding, for which we need funding. As I mentioned before, the aesthetic appearance of several campuses need to be improved and facilities to better accommodate the learning needs of students are needed. Specifically: ___ for the Clarkston Campus ___ for the Covington Campus ___ for the Paul M. Starnes Center ___ for the Newton Center ___ for the Regional Transportation Training Center (RTTC) ___ for the Community Education Center The fact that Advertising Effectiveness not Tracked Properly is one of great concern considering that $ of %___ of our budget is being spent on advertising each year. (For which we need tracking mechanisms developed by MKT MNGR) Note that the ___ is ___ this is very key as it relates to our place strategy.

[PPT Show Opportunities] [PPT Show Opportunities] Here are some of the Opportunities Adoption and expansion of Virtual trends in Service Delivery Channeling, Possible ways to offset Competition through strategic alliances, potentially new sources of funding, and expansion into untapped markets throughout our 4 county service area. The Popular Tends in Service Delivery Channeling that could be Adopted and expanded include an expansion of current internet courses offered in addition to offering every course online for which it is feasible to do so. Possible ways to offset Competition means forming alliances to offset the effects of competition. These include to strengthen strategic alliances with GPC, Devry, GSU, regarding credit acceptance, but also to form alliances with high schools to foster new graduates, as well as joint and dual enrollment students. New Sources of Funding could be sought through the DTCF which is underutilized. One reason a lot of donors in our service area may be reluctant to give is because they find it hard to identify with the name

DeKalb. Their thinking isDeKalb? Well I live in Newton county, or I live in Morgan County. In order to combat this we should seriously consider a name-cahange, but not this FY maybe next year. There are untapped markets in areas of Rockdale Newton and Morgan counties which we can appeal to and increase enrollment that way as well. Also, DeKalb Techs 50th Anniversary is coming up in FY 2011. This presents an opportunity to have festivities where we seek to increase enrollment by gaining visibility in the surrounding community, and to raise funds as well. Untapped Markets could also become motivated to enroll in DTC via a name change. Make special note of the ___ it ties in with our promotion strategy to be discussed. [PPT Show Threats] [PPT Show Threats] And here are some of the Threats facing DTCCompetition, TCSG Mandates, and Budget Cuts resulting in mandated employee furloughs, and possible consequences of a name-change. There exists competition from educational institutions within in our service area who offer various programs that are comparable to ours. For example, GPC next door to the Clarkston campus. The Changes being mandated by TCSG, especially the Q2S conversion, may cause us to lose enrollment and retention. Also Employee furloughs mandated by the state may reduce morale among employees of DeKalb Tech. I mentioned it earlier as an opportunity but the possibility of a name-change presents potentially unfavorable consequences such as a high cost and difficulty changing over the DTC signage on everything from promotional items to interstate exit signs. It could potentially cost millions and take over a year to fully complete such a transition. [PPT SWOT Analysis Tied into Objectives in anticipation of Target Market] [PPT SWOT Analysis Tied into Objectives in anticipation of Target Market] So there you have it. Later on in the discussion of strategies, the focus will be on turning some of these weaknesses into strengths and also potential turn some of these threats into opportunities. As depicted here in this diagram Diagrams, diagrams, diagrams!

Target Market(s) [Show Target Market Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Target Market Chart on PPT Slide] But first, I will discuss the target market(s) and segmentation strategy. The DTC Target Market segmentation strategy is to: 1. Identify the DTC Service Area, the Demographic makeup of the region, and specifically where the eight campuses are located. (US Census DeKalb Newton Morgan Rockdale) 2. Examine statistics showing the current DTC student body Demographic makeup and the programs offered at each campus. 3. Determine ideal students to target at each campus based on predictions from the observations.

[Show Service Area Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Service Area Chart on PPT Slide] This is the DTC service area which consists of DeKalb, Rockdale, Newton, and Morgan Counties. On the right is a satellite picture of the region. As you can see the more densely populated areas, where the bulk of our target market reside, show up as white patches on the satellite photograph. According to the US Census Bureau, the total population of our service area is roughly 950,000 people with an ethnic distribution of roughly 50 percent white and 50 % black. The majority of the blacks reside in DeKalb County. As you go further east toward Rockdale, Newton and Morgan county, the racially makeup is progressively more white. The implications of this demographic data are that there are ethnic differences throughout the service area which may influence how we implement promotions and other marketing strategies in these areas. The statistics shown at the bottom of this slide give a slightly more in depth analysis of the population and ethnic makeup of the DTC service area. Other statistics were also taken into consideration for the strategy including demographic information pertaining to age distributions, gender, income, and employment but for the sake of time they are not shown here. [Show DTC Students & Programs Chart on PPT Slide] [Show DTC Students & Programs Chart on PPT Slide] Now, we will turn our attention to demographic information about currently enrolled DTC students. This is a chart of the major clusters of DTC programs: According to the cappex.com, a college search website, DeKalb Tech is 76% black and 18% white. Note that this includes all 8 DTC campuses. The gender makeup is 59% Females to 41 % males Also according cappex.com, 87% of DTC students receive financial aid of which 39 % receive federal grants. The significance of these numbers is that a large percentage of DTC students receive financial aid. According to collegematch.com, another college search website, the age distribution of current DeKalb Tech students are as follows: Under 21: 20% 22-29: 31% 30-39: 25% 40-49: 16% 50 up : 6% DeKalb Tech Courses are offered in the major clusters of: Automotive Programs Business Programs Computers Programs Electronics and Engineering Programs Healthcare Programs Industrial Programs Public Safety and Security Programs Adult Education

These encompass all individual courses including marketing, computer programming specialist, or GED prep just to name a few. This chart shows what courses are offered at each of the eight DTC campuses. The segmentation of DTC target market within these geographic areas will follow a multi-segment targeting strategy based on a match between the programs offered at a campus within a 10 mile radius, and the demographic makeup of that region. [Show Ideal Student Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Ideal Student Chart on PPT Slide] The DTC service area will be broken down into three geographic regions based on the demographic data just presented. For each region, a specific type of student will be targeted: [Show Ideal Student: Type 1 Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Ideal Student: Type 1 Chart on PPT Slide] Type One prospective student for the CEC, Starnes Center, and the Clarkston Campus is: 25-35 years of age Income $15,000 to 20,000 Need Financial Aid Live within the 10 miles one of these campuses Interested in a program offered at DTC Seeking Immediate Employment [Show Ideal Student: Type 2 Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Ideal Student: Type 2 Chart on PPT Slide] Type Two prospective student for the Rockdale Career Academy, Rockdale Center, and the Regional Transportation Center is: 25-35 years of age Income $15,000 to 20,000 Need Financial Aid Live within the 10 miles of the Rockdale Career Academy, Rockdale Center, and the Regional Interested in one of the programs offered at these campuses Seeking Immediate Employment

[Show Ideal Student: Type 3 Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Ideal Student: Type 3 Chart on PPT Slide] Type Three: Newton Center and the Covington Campus 25-35 years of age Income $15,000 to 20,000 Need Financial Aid Live within the 10 miles of the Newton Center and the Covington Campus Interested in one of the programs offered at these campuses Seeking Immediate Employment [Show Marketing Mix Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Marketing Mix Chart on PPT Slide]

Marketing Mix Now on to our Marketing mix. I will discuss the service strategy, service distribution strategy, promotion strategy, and pricing strategies. [Show Service Strategy Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Service Strategy Chart on PPT Slide] First up is the service strategy, which is twofold. We will focus both on achieving high student satisfaction and ensure that we maintain accreditation. DeKalb Tech is in the business of selling educational services. The educational experience should satisfactorily satisfy the customers need for quality education in their desired field. Students should be satisfied with the education that they receive at DeKalb Tech. To this end, DeKalb Tech must make sure its customer service is good and that instructors and other employees are living up to the high standard of education that DeKalb Tech claims to offer. This consists of ensuring that teachers are facilitated with training and the proper materials to provide quality education to students.

Students will be provided with information pertaining to anything they could possibly need to be successful in class. That means not only academic advisement, but also financial advisement, where to purchase required classroom material, and where to get extra help, and even help to find employment. Instructors are the key to achieving student satisfaction. By providing instructors with the training and tools they need to make that educational experience for students once they enjoy and learn from. We will also focus on making the Q2S transition as seamless as possible for students. We will make sure we reassure students that Q2S will not affect them negatively if they plan for it with their advisors and stick to that plan. Also, set curriculum standards and academic performance standards. The fulfillment of these standards must be monitored to ensure that relevant certifications are maintained, and new certifications sought. These measures will help us to increase our retention rate by 10% Thereby accomplishing objective #2 retain students.

[Show Service Distribution Strategy Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Service Distribution Strategy Chart on PPT Slide] Next up, the Service Distribution strategy includes making sure the educational facilities we currently have are satisfactory and seeking new locations. Also, night classes will be scheduled to accommodate students who work during the day. Regarding the virtual class settings we will be expanding our online class offers to better accommodate those who wish to take online classes and offering more Polycom classes. The overall focus will be on accommodating the needs and schedules of students.

We will also form strategic alliances with colleges to offset the effects of competition with them. By making our credits more easily transferable to their institutions and vice versa, we give students more options in choosing colleges and make them more inclined to enroll at DeKalb Tech.

[Show Promotion Strategy Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Promotion Strategy Chart on PPT Slide] Now for the Promotion Strategy. This is one of the more important strategies as fare as making people aware of out product features here at DeKalb TechBecause of its complex nature, we will be breaking it up into three parts: Advertising, recruiting, and Public relations.

[Show Advertising Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Advertising Chart on PPT Slide] For Advertising Strategy, we will be putting out a minimum of twelve advertisements each quarter within fiscal year 2011. Mediums include local radio/TV, Newspapers, magazines, internet, internal school posters. We will be placing ads on local radio, Billboards and Electronic Billboards, Online, as well as Local Newspapers/Magazines. We currently focus heavily on billboards and newspapers, but we should consider shifting some focus away from the newspapers and more toward online ads. The fact is that more and more people are going online to read the news and forgoing the traditional newspaper. However, placing a minimal amount of ads local newspapers may be appropriate especially in order to maintain good PR relationships with them. If the name change is approved we must take it into consideration when forming any new contracts for promotional Items or even long term advertising to ensure that our marketing communications integrated and is sending out a unified and consistent image of DTC. [Show Recruiting Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Recruiting Chart on PPT Slide] The Recruiting strategy will entail DTC Admissions holding a minimum of twelve seminars each quarter within fiscal year 2011. Seminars will be held at high schools, community centers, etc. The marketing Department will work closely with the Admissions Department to better facilitate them in recruiting. Also, new student orientation will continue to be held every quarter to inform new students and answer any questions they may have. They will be given the right start booklet which directs them to the appropriate people when they need advice in the future. For the 50th Anniversary we will have festivities at each campus where we will seek to increase enrollment. Free food and entertainment will draw in people to attend. The Admissions Department will have a booth set up for recruitment and attendees will be provided with literature. The will allow us to gaining visibility in the surrounding community and attract possible donors. [Show Public Relations Chart on PPT Slide]

[Show Public Relations Chart on PPT Slide] The public relations strategy includes DTC should mentioned positively (i.e. charity, student accomplishment, school awarded) in at least 12 publications each quarter within fiscal year 2011. For example, when we hold the 50th anniversary festivities, a press release will go a long way to alerting the community that it is being held, in another press release, describing how the celebrations brought the community together. Also, Crisis control protocols must be developed and put into place. For example, if someone dies during a class exercise or a student is diagnosed with TB, there should be a clear protocol in place about how to deal with the media for example. DTC employees should be knowledgeable about the protocol, and crisis control reviews should be done quarterly to asses any crisis that may have been faced or averted within the recent past. This will provide the opportunity to make changes to the protocols and make them better. These measures will go a long way to creating a brand of excellence for DTC, thereby increasing enrollment and accomplishing objective # 1.

[Show Pricing Strategy Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Pricing Strategy Chart on PPT Slide] Here is the Pricing strategy. As was said before, DTC is a subsidiary of TCSG. Therefore we will Monitor and Plan for Pricing Mandates from TCSG. We will also monitor how our students respond to current pricing structures so that we can report more accurately to the TCSG asks for our input. Also, if there is a need for a change in pricing we will be monitoring so that we may be able to suggest changes to TCSG. The Hope Grant, Pell Grant, and Hope Scholarship are currently the most used grants by students applying for financial aid. More scholarships and grants will be sought to make classes more affordable for students. One other means that can be used to secure grants and scholarships is through the DTC foundation. In fact, the Foundation currently works with the Rotary Club of Stone Mountain to administer a scholarship to DeKalb Tech students, which is funded by Rotary. [Show Fundraising Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Fundraising Chart on PPT Slide] Closely related to our pricing is our fundraising strategy. The DTC Finance Office secures funds from TCSG for next fiscal years budget. Marketing will coordinate with the Finance Office to secure funds that will be needed for the marketing initiatives in the next fiscal year. Special projects, such as the cost of a name-change, will be taken into consideration when securing marketing funds. In addition, the Marketing Department will work closely with the DTC Foundation to secure funds through the foundation. The DTC Foundation has an annual Gala and has recently launched an Alumni Association to reach out to past students who may be interested in donating to the DTC Foundation. This pricing and fundraising strategy will generate enough funds to allow us to reach our goal of $10 million for FY 2011. [Show Implementation Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Implementation Chart on PPT Slide]

Implementation Now, lets turn our attention to the implementation plan The graphic designer is in charge of printing the Right Start booklet which will provide students with all the information they need. It will prominently feature the means by which to get financial or academic advisement, free tutoring services, and purchase materials necessary for specific classes. This booklet will be given out at new student orientation. Each division chair will be responsible for arranging training for instructors and providing instructors with the tools they need to make that educational experience, for students, one they enjoy and learn from. Training will include such scheduled seminars for advisors as the Q2S conversion seminar to prepare them to advise their students better. We will take suggestions from each division chair as to what repairs of facilities we currently have are needed. It will be the responsibility of the VP of Student Affairs to determine the scheduling of classes to best accommodate students. Marketing research will be presented to her office for them to consider expanding the amount of online classes and Polycom classes offered and the benefits of doing so. The VP of student affairs will also be charged with working with potential competitors to make credits more transferable thus offsetting some of the negative effects of competition with them. The setting and monitoring of curriculum standards and academic performance standards will be the responsibility of the VP of student affairs.

The Director of Marketing will be held responsible for executing the Advertisement and Public Relations Initiatives by the Vice President of Institutional Advancement. The Director of Marketing must report to the Vice president periodically about the accomplishment of the initiatives and at the end of the fiscal period present a report on the success of the plans implementation. Note that although the Director of Marketing is responsible for these tasks, he may delegate work to his assistants including a secretary and Graphic Designer. The Director of Marketing will be held responsible for securing booths for the upcoming tradeshows including the car and bike show to promote the DTC motorcycle program. Through research conducted by the director of marketing through surveys, we will determine the need for new DTC locations in specific areas. Director of the Finance Department is primarily responsible for fundraising. The finance department is also responsible for monitoring changes the TCSG makes in pricing mandates and relaying that information to the appropriate departments. The Director of Student Finance Department will be responsible for monitoring students responses to changes in pricing and also to develop suggestions for changes in pricing to be submitted to TCSG. The Vice president of institutional advancement is responsible for collaboration between the Marketing Department and the DTC foundation in fundraising projects such as the Annual DTC Gala and the development of the Alumni association. VP of Institutional Advancement will be responsible for planning the festivities for the 50th Anniversary. The recruitment initiatives are the responsibility of the Director of the Admissions Department. The director of Admissions is responsible for planning and delegating to his admissions s staff

recruitment seminars to be held at high schools and community centers. New student orientation is also the responsibility of the admissions department. [Show Evaluation and Control Plan Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Evaluation and Control Plan Chart on PPT Slide] Evaluation and Control Plan Finally, lets look at the method that will be used to evaluate and control the implementation. This is very crucial to the overall plans success because we need to make provision to potentially adjust the initiatives set forth in this plan as the environment changes. An implementation timetable will be developed by the Director of Marketing which will feature the specific dates for tasks to be completed. In addition, surveys will be used to gauge the satisfaction that students are receiving from their educational experience at DeKalb Tech. Marketing audits will be conducted biannually to ensure that the marketing plan is being properly implemented. Problem areas will be detected and changes made to rectify them. The audit will be conducted by an independent marketing audit firm. Several firms have already been contacted and we are in the process of choosing one of them. [Show Plan Dashboard Chart on PPT Slide] [Show Plan Dashboard Chart on PPT Slide] The purpose of the plan dashboard is to allow a manger to periodically, and at his leisure make a quick assessment on how well the implementation of the plan is coming along and whether the desired results are being achieved. The plan dashboard will make it easy for the marketing director examine current enrollment, retention, and funds raised and compare them against the goals that were set. Easy to follow tables will be used for this purpose. Also, current overall implementation of the marketing plan can be gauged easily allowing the Director of Marketing to make a quick check on the plans overall progress against the implementation timetable. The dashboard will also feature prominently the date of the next scheduled marketing plan update.