Strategic Marketing for Educational Institutions
Recently, the Center for Neurosomatic Studies (CSN), an educational institute that provides an 18-month curriculum in Neurosomatic Therapy (NST) asked us to create a strategic marketing plan to ensure a successful launch of their inaugural class.
CNS needed a marketing and public relations (PR) strategy to attract qualified students for the fall semester 2012. CNS has a unique value proposition. While their patients’ testimonials are inspirational and newsworthy, unless you have gone to the St. John-Clark Pain Treatment Center for treatments then you have probably never heard of Neurosomatic Therapy.
Neurosomatic Therapy (NST) is no ordinary massage. Physicians, patients, and therapists agree that Neurosomatic Therapy (NST) succeeds where traditional forms of therapeutic pain management fail. NST treats pain through manual therapy, not by prescribing pills. There has been an increasing demand for training in areas of manual therapy that require advanced knowledge of human physiology and kinesiology in order to address specific imbalances often presenting as chronic pain. In response to this increasing demand and due to the lack of qualified therapists to treat patients, Randall Clark and Kevin Wade established the Center for Neurosomatic Studies (CNS).
Playbook Challenge
Playbook’s challenge: To market an educational institution that that teaches a skill that the general population has no knowledge of. Give our love of competition, we embraced the endeavor, rolled up our sleeves and got to work. Task one, reinvent the marketing message, Randy and Kevin’s technical knowledge is mind-blowing. We had to chisel down their knowledge to four main bullets points. We had to tailor the message to attract qualified students. Task two; carry the message and the brand to the Tampa Bay community. While CNS envisioned eventually attracting students from all over the country, there is tremendous talent in the Tampa Bay area and we want to capitalize on the local talent pool.
TV Time
We arranged for Randy and Kevin to appear on CSB’s Studio 10 morning show. Click here to watch the video: www.youtube.com/CNStudies.com. This segment gave Randy and Kevin seven minutes to educate and brand CNS. Task three; create a social media strategy for CNS. Social media is a complete waste of time for businesses unless there is a strategy.
Social Media
We revamped their Facebook page, created a Twitter account, a Pinterest account, a Google + and YouTube account. Task four, grassroots efforts. Roxanne and I hit the pavement and targeted yoga studios throughout the bay area to attract potential students. We held information sessions at the school and packed the classroom. We called Rotary Clubs to schedule Randy and Kevin as guest speakers. The result? From zero applicants a month ago to an inaugural class for CNS will starting on Monday, September 10th.
Good luck to all the students at CNS. We admire the courage and dedication that change requires. I know from first-hand experience that Neurosomatic Therapists help patients live pain-free lives.
At Playbook Public Relations we only win when our clients are successful. We are here to serve our clients’ needs and provide solutions to their problems. We are honored to earn the trust of our clients. Call us so we can create a custom “Playbook” for your business.
