Marketing on a Shoestring:A Case Study

Elizabeth A. EvansUNC-Chapel Hill

ITS Teaching and LearningJanuary 2008

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What We WantedWhat We Wanted

Increased use of our computer-based training service (CBT)

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Why We Wanted ItWhy We Wanted It

Cost of license

Decreased face-to-face training

Learning style flexibility

Supplement face-to-face training

•Modular

•Point of need

•Review

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And You?And You?

What would you like more people to use or do or attend?

Why?

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CaveatsCaveats

This isn’t rocket science.

We do what we can with what we have; we’re not perfect.

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Long Ago (in technology terms)

Long Ago (in technology terms)

Previous CBT service

•About 500 users

•Mostly technical courses (OS, programming, etc)

•Self-contained authentication

•Publicity was primarily announcements to technical staff lists

•Began by 1997 (might have been earlier)

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The New ServiceThe New Service

Replaced technical courses with productivity ones (~500)

Used single sign-on server (campus login/password) for authentication

Changed vendors

•User interface change

•Users have to “subscribe”

Go Live Date: June 2005 (pilot: May 2005)

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Modifications to the Service: August 2006

Modifications to the Service: August 2006

Decreased number of license seats

Added many technical courses (~2200)

In collaboration with HR, added soft skills courses (~40)

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Results FirstResults First

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Some DataSome Data

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

May-05

Aug-05

Nov-05

Feb-06

May-06

Aug-06

Nov-06

Feb-07

May-07

Aug-07

Nov-07

New Subscribers by Month

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Some DataSome Data

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000Aug-05

Nov-05

Feb-06

May-06

Aug-06

Nov-06

Feb-07

May-07

Aug-07

Nov-07

Total Subscribers Growth

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Some DataSome Data

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep Oct

Nov

Dec

2005 2006 2007

Number of Logins by Month/Year

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Some DataSome Data

By Aug 2006: 755 courses completed by 341 people

By Jul 2007: 1790 courses completed by 686 people

By Jan 2008: 2138 courses completed by 811 people

By Aug 2006: 2373 courses attended by 893 people

By Jul 2007: 5828 courses attended by 1849 people

By Jan 2008: 6782 courses attended by 2090 people

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The MarketingThe Marketing

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Marketing Elements: Articles

Marketing Elements: Articles

Original announcement: faculty/staff newspaper, ITS publications, campus lists (electronic)

Ongoing: New courses, milestones, contest

Milestones: Number of subscribers, new courses

Reminders: General, annual development plans

Others: Departmental newsletters

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Marketing Elements: Brochures

Marketing Elements: Brochures

Black and white

Can be photocopied in-house

Copies to anyone who will make them available

Information fairs

Events

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Marketing Elements: Lists

Marketing Elements: Lists

New courses

Offer brochures

Tie content to specific list (eg. technical courses to technical lists, soft skills courses to University Managers Association list, etc)

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Marketing Elements: Mass Mail

Marketing Elements: Mass Mail

Reminder to staff/students in January

Reminder to faculty in fall/spring

Development plan reminder to staff April/May (with Human Resources)

Formerly: reminders to never-logged-in subscribers

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Marketing Elements: Summer 2006 ContestMarketing Elements:

Summer 2006 Contest

Two $50 gift certificates to Student Stores (contributed by vendor)

One entry for a new subscription

One entry for completing a course

The more courses completed, the more entries

Open to faculty, staff, and students

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Marketing Elements: Info Fairs

Marketing Elements: Info Fairs

Employee appreciation event

SPH student info fair

International student info fair

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Marketing Elements: Human Resources

Marketing Elements: Human Resources

HR Training Guide

Employee Learning Connection

HR certificate programs

HR Training & Development Web site

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Marketing Elements: Web Sites

Marketing Elements: Web Sites

Link from UNC Faculty/Staff Web site

Links from ITS Web sites

help.unc.edu searches

Others we don’t know about or control

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Marketing Elements: Presentations

Marketing Elements: Presentations

Carolina Technology Consultant updates

Mentioned in presentations about other things

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Marketing Elements: Incoming Students

Marketing Elements: Incoming Students

Info at student orientation sessions (brochures)

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Marketing Elements: Milestone Markers

Marketing Elements: Milestone Markers

Numbers of subscribers (5,000 coming up very soon!)

Collaboration with HR for soft skills

Adding technical course catalogs

Additional soft skills courses (coming up soon)

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Marketing Elements: Hidden Publicity

Marketing Elements: Hidden Publicity

Newsletters, Web sites, email messages that are created by others in response to what we do

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A Quick SummaryA Quick Summary

Frequent

Multiple formats

Repeat the same message

Look for opportunities for new messages

Email still works for staff

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In Other WordsIn Other Words

Once is not enough.

Three times is not the charm

A Web site is not sufficient publicity.

An announcement of a new service is not sufficient publicity.

Point of need matters.

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My User Wish ListMy User Wish List

More student use

More faculty use—or at least awareness

Fewer “no logins”

Hit the license ceiling :-)

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My Marketing Wish List

My Marketing Wish List

Facebook advertisements $

Facebook fan site

Nicer brochure $$

Sandwich boards $

Info table on quad

Other ideas?

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FinallyFinally

Questions? Comments?