July 2006

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What your employees want

In my last post, I theorized that employee retention is a key to student retention. I also pointed out the high cost of losing valuable employees. (I figure the average school loses at least $168,000 in revenue a year due to employee turnover.) Of course, this begs the question “How do we keep those winning employees?”

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The bigger they are …

From time to time, PlattForm has a client or two that enjoy using a celebrity spokesperson to promote their schools. Apparently, in the school industry, bigger is better. No, seriously. The last two celebrities I’ve worked with have both been pushing 300 pounds.

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¡Viva la Revolution!

At PlattForm, we’re not only industry leaders in school advertising, but we’re also industry leaders in having fun. We work hard, but we play hard too. Nobody has more fun than PlattForm employees (except maybe the guys who make and test Nerf footballs).

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I want candy!

I don’t know about y'all but I feel awesome about myself today. Why? Because I watched a motivational speaker with the PlattForm crew. Well, actually I was running sound for it, but I was still there. So for the benefit of all those who did not get to attend this seminar, I will share with you my newfound knowledge.

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Mission: making raving fans

I’m a fairly recent addition to the PlattForm team. And, to be quite honest, I don’t remember most of my first day here, even though it was less than four months ago. This is probably due to a first-day inner dialogue that consisted mostly of chanting “don’t screw up” over and over again. Even though most of that day remains shrouded in an anxious haze, I remember one observation very clearly — everyone here looks like they’re on a mission.

I was recently on a mission of my own when I discovered that this lingering notion was backed by more than a kernel of truth.

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Television Advertising: "The Great Equalizer"

Television – the greatest baby sitter of all time – is the most believed and trusted, and the most condemned and criticized communications medium in the world.  It's on-the-spot, giving us the opportunity to see immediately what's happening while it's happening – from news and sporting events, to talk shows and soaps, to product demonstrations, – from anywhere in the world. It lets millions of people discover their world, and many times themselves in the process. Television is the essence of 20th and probably the 21st century mass communication.

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Got props?

Does anyone out there have a bull whip I might be able to use for a shoot next week?  And not to worry, identities will be protected, judgments won’t be made.  Thanks—Matt.

As God as my witness, this was the last e-mail I received from one of my coworkers.  Sure, I laughed at the e-mail … but I was unfazed by it.  See, not a single day goes by in my Production department that someone doesn’t need an odd prop or two … or ten.

Here’s just a sample of various e-mails still in my inbox from the past month:

“Does anyone know anything about a clown wig?”

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Grassroots PR initiative legitimizes your school

Aside from more leads, what do most career colleges wish they had? Many school administrators would probably respond to that question with one answer: credibility. A good name. The clout to prove that their school offers top-of-the-line career training and that, as school proprietors, they are interested in more than just the bottom line.

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Looking for recognition? So are your employees.

In my last couple of posts, I’ve explored the idea that employee retention is a key to student retention. To recap research by the renowned Gallup Organization: the most loyal employees feel they:

  • Know what is expected of them
  • Are recognized
  • Have an opportunity to grow

We reviewed “expectations” last time. But what about “recognition”?

Does anybody care?

American psychologist and philosopher William James stated: “The deepest craving of human nature is to feel appreciated.”

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The importance of web design

For the past year or so, Internet marketing has been the "hot topic" in the career college industry.  Getting leads from the internet has proven to be fairly cheap and well-converting, and is now the "place to be." 

With all of the cost-per-lead programs out there, many school owners/marketing directors tend to forget about their best Internet resource: their web site.