20 Ways to Market Your Program

from July 2010 archived blog

by Pamela Scott Bracey

As this semester ends, and summer begins…now is the time to begin thinking of ways to make your community aware of all of the exciting CTE changes taking place in the upcoming school year!  Not only is it important for students to be ‘in the loop’, but it is very important that parents, administrators, counselors, school board members, and legislators are also informed.

You may be thinking, “Why on earth should I even consider trying to tell people about my program and CTE?  They won’t listen anyway.”  WRONG!!!  Most non-supporters of CTE base their perspectives on the past, and simply just don’t understand all of the great innovative things that we have to offer.  Therefore, it is up to US to get the word out in an effective manner.

What can you do?  Well, I am glad you asked!  Below you will find a list of 20 different things that you can do in order to creatively market your program.

1. Have students create a marketing flyer for each CTE class.  These flyers could be posted online, in school hallways, offices, and restrooms, in grocery stores, business, doctor’s offices, etc.
2. Send mailings (or emails) to parents, and always accentuate positive occurrences.
3. Have your students conduct Career Presentations for local elementary students.
4. Meet at least quarterly with your building principal to update him/her on what is happening in your CTE Program.  Be sure to focus on accomplishments, and also express gratitude for support.
5. Invite school administrators to local and regional CTSO competitive events.
6. Give a presentation about CTE at your local school board meeting.  Some school board members do not really understand the actual benefits of CTE…you could enlighten them.
7. Host a T-shirt logo design contest, and sell the shirts as a fundraiser.  The benefits are two-fold:  raising money and marketing at the same time!
8. Decorate your classroom door. Many people pass your class every day and still have no clue about what actually happens inside.
9. Host events during CTE Month (February). ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) usually has special pricing on promotional materials during this time.
10. Utilize CTE Alumni as guest speakers at your promotional programs.
11. Create a “Computer Buddy” mentoring system among your students and local elementary, similar to the former “Pen Pal” system.
12. Decorate a CTE float for the annual homecoming parade.
13. Submit newspaper articles and photos whenever your students excel at competitions!
14. Get involved with 8th grade registration events.
15. Place a CTE “brag book” in the teacher’s lounge or front office.
16. Create a website for your program, and monitor it weekly!
17. Host a Career Fair!
18. Take students to visit legislators with the purpose of “selling” the importance of CTE to them.
19. Contact your local news station about doing a story on an exciting project that the class is working on.
20. Organize “CTE Information Tables” during lunch periods, staffed by students.

If any of you have any additional ideas that could be added to this list, please do not hesitate to let us know by posting to our CTE Forum at http://forum.CTE.unt.edu.  Together, we can create a CTE Awareness Movement like none other… so put your thinking caps on, and promote your programs with enthusiasm!!!  If we don’t do it, who will?

References

• ACTE:  http://www.acteonline.org/
• South Central Service Cooperative:  http://www.mnscsc.org/carlperkins/career_teched/marketing/marketing.html