“We’re happy to have found a local company with the extensive experience that ESM has,” said An G. Hinds, President/CEO of Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics. “We are confident that this will be a great partnership, and are looking forward to working closely with the team at ESM.”

ESM will be introducing several tools and techniques for the current social media efforts at the school to help encourage interaction between students, graduates, and prospective students. One of the biggest additions to the school’s current Facebook page is a blog written by a current Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics’ student. The weekly posts will chronicle her experiences and share insight into what esthetics school entails.

“Creating fresh content like a blog is a great way to increase interactions between graduates, students, and people who are interested in a career in esthetics,” explained Andy Kelley, President of ESM. “Students and graduates can identify with the blog entries and give advice and encouragement to new students who may be considering the Catherine Hinds Institute.”

Building more content is just one of the ways that ESM will help Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics boost interactions online. They’ll also be creating email campaigns, enhancing the look and feel of the Facebook page, developing a Twitter account, and running contests and promotions. The main goal behind increasing the social media presence is to build a supportive network of estheticians who can share tips, professional development opportunities, and other industry news.

“Social media provides an opportunity to connect graduates with current and prospective students in a casual, inviting atmosphere,” Kelley said. “Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics is a well-known and respected school in the area, and we’re looking forward to helping them build an online network of current and future esthetics professionals.”

Social media can be an important tool to help build your school’s brand and create a sense of community online. But it can also be an important piece of a vibrant customer service program. Most students, prospects, and graduates are already using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to talk about your school. It only makes sense for your school to join the conversation.

“Many schools think of social media as a place where they can post pictures and tell people about upcoming events,” said Andy Kelley, President of Effective Student Marketing. “But social media can be used for so much more. It’s a place where the marketing, public relations, and customer service staff can all work together to interact with your prospects, students, and graduates.”

“5 Ways Social Media Can Help to Improve Your School’s Customer Service” outlines the top reasons why a well-managed social media campaign can benefit career schools and colleges. It explains how social media can provide school administrators with warnings about where the pain points are in their schools. When done correctly, social media even provides a controlled environment for online reviews, where school officials can respond quickly and appropriately.

Using social media as a customer service tool may be new to the education industry, but other companies have already begun putting Facebook and Twitter to work for them. According to USA Today, “More than half of the Fortune 100 companies are using Twitter for customer service.”* By interacting with people in a public space like social media, these companies are showcasing the great personal care and attention they give to each and every customer. When you use social media to improve your school’s customer service, you can show your prospects and students that your school is listening and working to resolve issues.

“We’ve noticed that once a school responds to a negative post with a helpful answer, other online community members will chime in, impressed with the school’s response,” said Kelley. “When your community knows that you are engaged and listening, you will see very positive results, both online and off-line.”

Effective Student Marketing has helped career schools across the country develop social media strategies that blend customer service with marketing and public relations. By working closely with the school, ESM has been able to formulate appropriate responses for any number of potential complaints, comments, or questions that may appear on the social media pages. These responses can help to improve student relations, retention, and default management if handled correctly.

If you’d like to use social media to improve your school’s customer service, you can download the whitepaper “5 Ways Social Media Can Help to Improve Your School’s Customer Service” here or call ESM at 978-475-0880.

*http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-11-18-twitterserve18_ST_N.htm

Effective Student Marketing specializes in developing, designing and managing sites like Facebook and Twitter for schools, creating an online community where students, graduates, and prospects can connect and interact with one another. The College Bound webinar will show examples of successful social media campaigns ESM has launched, as well as provide best practices for maintaining your school’s online image.

“People are already talking about your school, whether they’re on Facebook or somewhere else,” Kelley said. “The worst thing you can do is nothing at all. It’s crucial to become an active part of these conversations, while simultaneously building brand awareness and generating leads and referrals. Having a vibrant, active social media community for your students, graduates and prospects shows that your school is involved and listening, and provides you with direct feedback from your target audience.”

Social media is an interactive community that can result in a referral base for the school, if managed effectively. Conversations that happen on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere can provide direct feedback to the school, helping to improve customer service initiatives. In this webinar, ESM will drive home the importance social media, as an integral part of your marketing plan, with the end goal of turning once unreachable prospects into high quality leads. In addition, ESM will show how to best respond to positive and negative discussions that can occur, and how this can help your school standout over your competitors.

ESM manages several social media campaigns for career schools across the United States. The team at ESM has created Facebook pages for schools with only one campus to schools with ten campuses, with a wide range of programs including healthcare, HVAC, information technology, business and criminal justice, and cosmetology.

To sign up for ESM’s College Bound webinar, “Leverage the Power of Social Media Marketing,” go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/431656225. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, May 5^th at 3:00 p.m. EST.

ESM is working hard with Charter College to create a Facebook presence that helps to centralize the school’s ten campuses. Charter College offers career-focused education in Business, Healthcare, Criminal Justice and Information Technology, and has campuses in California, Washington, and Alaska, as well as a virtual, online campus. With such a diverse population, Charter College needed a way to bring everyone together and create a sense of community. Social media, especially Facebook, is one way that ESM is helping them do that.

“We’re working hard to make sure that the Charter College page includes something for everyone. This Facebook page is going to include a lot of innovative techniques that we’ve designed specifically to meet Charter’s unique needs,” explained Andy Kelley, President of Effective Student Marketing.

One feature of the Charter College Facebook page that is unique to the school is the “Current Students” tab. Charter College works hard to showcase successful students on a special website called Charter Success. This website includes campus news, photos, and short stories about students who have worked hard during their time at school. ESM worked with Charter College to create a special tab on the Facebook page that highlights some of the most important events and stories from the Charter Success website, creating a constant stream of positive stories for the Facebook page.

“The Charter Success website is a huge part of the school’s culture, so we knew that we had to include it on the Facebook page. Creating a special tab where we can post articles and an events calendar has worked really well so far, and we’ve seen a lot of positive responses from students on the page itself,” Kelley said. “Of course, the students wouldn’t be where they are today without the support of the faculty and staff. And that is what the faculty tab is for – to showcase these positive role models.”

The Faculty tab on the Facebook page will be a place where faculty and staff can post articles they have written, awards they have won, or announce other professional accomplishments. This tab will keep the faculty involved in the online community, and show students and prospects the quality of the staff.

These new features are just some of the ways that Effective Student Marketing is helping Charter College build a successful online community. ESM is also working to help build a better customer service program for the school, through interactions on the Facebook wall. For example, when a student posts a comment about an issue he or she is having, ESM works directly with Charter College to develop a customized response that can help to resolve the situation by putting the individual in touch with the appropriate person at the school. This helps build trust and a sense of community between the school and the individual, and it all takes place in a public space, where future students can see how calmly issues are managed.

“Since people are going to be talking about the school online anyway, we think it’s important to show that Charter College is listening and responding to any comments or questions their audience may have,” explained Kelley. “We’re helping them create a company-wide social media campaign, and in turn, customer service policy.”

ESM is a full-service social media company, and manages every aspect of the Charter College page. Through communication with the marketing department, campus presidents, and other staff, ESM is able to build an effective social media community for Charter College, bringing together all ten campuses. ESM has also built Facebook applications, created online contests and landing pages, and used Facebook to generate leads for several other schools with various programs, including Cosmetology, Healthcare, Business, and Massage Therapy.

Effective Student Marketing has a staff of in-house writers, copy editors, and designers that create customized email marketing campaigns for vocational schools across the United States. This Education Alerts system keeps old leads interested in the school, and results in a much higher lead conversion and enrollment rate. In addition, ESM provides the school with in-depth analysis and reports of each email’s effectiveness, to ensure that future e-newsletters are even more successful in providing the school with new enrollments.

“95 percent of your leads don’t enroll in the first 30 to 60 days, and most admissions representatives stop contacting leads after 30 days. That’s a lot of leads that are being wasted, just sitting in your database,” explains Andy Kelley, President of ESM. “Our Education Alerts product helps keep your school in the mind and inbox of your prospect. Some of the highest converting leads you’ll find are old prospects who have already expressed an interest in your school. We help you reconnect with those old leads and turn them into new enrollments, with a very small cost per acquisition.”

ESM can work with schools to integrate a consistent and effective email marketing campaign into their current marketing efforts, with little time or resources needed from the school. If a school did a similar email campaign in-house, it would use up a team of resources and several days worth of labor to complete. Whether it’s sending out a class schedule, an open house alert, or writing an industry-related article, ESM designs the email, writes the content, and manages the email lists. ESM has even developed their own reporting tool, where school managers can log-in, view the details of each new lead, and filter and download the data for further analysis.

All of the AACS conference attendees who stop by the Effective Student Marketing booth will have the opportunity to enter a raffle for a free e-newsletter. The winning school will be announced before the end of the day on Sunday, March 21st. Effective Student Marketing will be located at booth number 301 in the exhibit area.

ESM will also be showcasing their social media knowledge by posting photos and tweeting throughout the AACS Conference to the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Follow ESM on Twitter (www.twitter.com/EffectiveSM)

Become a fan of ESM on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Effective-Student-Marketing/35051601890?ref=ts)

Foley takes the battle against breast cancer very seriously. After her mother was diagnosed nine years ago, she made a personal commitment to participate in a fundraising event for the cause every year. She’s been involved in events like the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides walk and the Susan G. Komen 3 day, 60 mile walk. She considers this marathon to be the biggest undertaking yet, and it came at a time when she was personally affected by breast cancer for a second time.

“My cousin, who is only 34 years old, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I am running this marathon in honor of her, and my mother, and everyone else who has been touched by this disease,” Foley explained.

Training for a marathon in the middle of New England’s winter season is not an easy task. Foley has had to run in every weather condition, from sleet to snow to freezing temperatures. But through it all she has kept a positive attitude.

“Sometimes it’s cold or snowy or I just don’t want to run, but I think of how strong people like my mother and cousin are and I keep on moving,” Foley said. “It’s important to remember that running 26.2 miles is nothing compared to what people diagnosed with cancer go through.”

The marathon is more than a battle against breast cancer though. 11 months ago, Foley found herself in the hospital with five broken ribs and a punctured lung after a skiing accident. She spent six months recovering, barely able to walk or talk without losing her breath. Now she’s getting ready to fly to Florida and run in the National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. But, she remains modest about her ordeal. Rather than focus on her own accomplishments, Foley is focusing on those who have battled cancer, and will be wearing a shirt filled with their names.

“I will wear many names on my shirt, in honor of all of my heroes who have fought and are fighting this disease,” Foley said. “Every time I put on my sneakers and head out the door, I keep my loved ones very close to my heart.”

Andy Kelley, President of Effective Student Marketing, is honored to have an employee like Foley on his team.

“I’m so impressed by everything that Julie has accomplished in the past year. I was there when she was injured, and to see her now, able to run this marathon, is truly inspiring,” Kelley said. “We are supporting her every step of the way, and are so excited to see her cross the finish line on Sunday!”

26.2 Miles With Donna – The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer is being held on Sunday, February 21, 2010. The mission of this event is to raise funds for ground breaking breast cancer research and empower women living with breast cancer. The day will also include a half marathon and a relay race. To date, Foley has personally raised $2,000 for this event.

To find out more about the 26.2 With Donna event or donate to Foley’s fundraising campaign please visit http://donate.breastcancermarathon.com/2010marathon/juliefoley.

If you are interested in hearing about Foley’s progress at the marathon, you can follow @EffectiveSM on Twitter. Effective Student Marketing will be tweeting photos and updates from Foley, live from the event.

Andy Kelley, the president of Effective Student Marketing, and his team have taken on the role of Federico Career College’s (FCC) marketing department to assist with putting a more efficient and modern marketing plan in place for the school.

“I approached Andy at a beauty school conference several months ago and explained to him the challenges I was facing as a school owner,” said Sam Federico, owner of Federico Career Colleges. “Andy is very familiar with the beauty school industry, and immediately understood the enrollment and marketing goals I was aspiring to achieve. Andy and his team have since been working diligently on providing my school with high quality leads, and spearheading our marketing efforts. In the last few weeks, we have already seen positive results from the work ESM has done, and I am confident we will exceed our original enrollment goals.”

ESM has launched their lead generation campaign with FCC by targeting several dedicated websites to generate leads, in addition to working with affiliated networks. ESM is also designing, deploying and managing FCC’s email marketing with their Education Alerts product line, sending their old leads monthly and weekly updates on upcoming class starts, events, and news related to the school. In addition, ESM is even helping FCC to redesign their corporate website by providing the school with fresh ideas and techniques to provide a more positive user experience. By providing FCC with ESM’s own lead generation site, affiliated sites, a new website, and customized emails, FCC will receive high quality leads and thus more enrollments, helping to grow their school in a short amount of time.

In addition to FCC, Effective Student Marketing specializes in generating student leads for private career, technical and vocational schools with concentrations in healthcare, paralegal, and business analysis, to name a few. ESM increases enrollments, builds brand awareness, and helps to increase student retention for schools through social media, education alerts, and interactive lead generation campaigns. For more information, contact ESM at 978-475-0880.

Effective Student Marketing makes a donation each year during the holiday season, traditionally to one east coast and one west coast organization. With private technical and career school clients across the country, Effective Student Marketing’s president, Andy Kelley, believes in giving back to all of the communities that help support them throughout the year.

“After visiting a school in the San Joaquin Valley area of California, I was struck by the severe economic conditions families are facing there. The farming community is experiencing a tremendous drought, and unemployment is at an all time high,” explained Kelley. “Our donation to Catholic Charities of Fresno County will be able to help these farming families receive food and shelter.”

The Lazarus House Ministries of Lawrence, Massachusetts is also an organization that provides food and shelter to families and individuals in need.

“I grew up in Lawrence, and know the story behind this organization. The Lazarus House provides important services to a community that is one of the poorest in the country, and I support their mission,” Kelley said. “These are people who need help right in our own backyard, and you can’t ignore that.”

To raise money for both of these charities, Effective Student Marketing asked the guests of the company holiday party to bring a donation for one or both of the groups. With over 30 people in attendance, the support each charity received was overwhelming. ESM is still actively accepting donations for both of these charities. See below for more information: