Marketing and Technology

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Jan 9, 2024

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Topic 11: Marketing andTechnologyMarketing and technology (n.d.)<http://www.reikicatcher.org/technology-marketing/>OverviewIn ECEC we probably spend little time thinking about marketing.However, it is increasingly what will make us accessible to the publicand attract strong enrolment numbers. Many services run on word ofmouth or the fact that families have used it previously. These are goodreasons for people to choose a service but can we rely on this and canwe market the good things we do better locally, regionally andinternationally!Now that may be challenging and you may ask why. Locally, it isnecessary to retain, if not build enrolments. Regionally it may beneeded to attract enrolments from other locations and nationally it maybe able to position a service as a place renowned for a particular skill,practice, value or expertise. Now wouldn’t that assist enrolments,attract staff and possibly increase income? Internationally a servicecould become known for its leadership in a particular area of expertise.Topic rationaleThis topic connects to these subject Learning Outcomes:be able to use and critically evaluate the effectiveness ofinformation and communication technology as managerial tools.Marketing and technology

Marketing and technologySo what is marketing all about? To us it is about identity. Identitydefined possibly through a service’s philosophy, values and actions.The identity of the service, the staff, the children and families. How isthis captured and portrayed? Good marketing in ECEC will portray theservice as particularly able to meet the needs of the local children andfamilies. Perhaps it will focus on quality. How could you portray thatand articulate it to others? This is something we in the ECEC field arenot good at. We are not good at espousing our skills and values somarketing is going to be a challenge!Marketing is “…creating perceived customer value that is superiorto the alternatives available while at the same time creating valueto the business”Source: (Kotler, Brown, Adam, Burton & Armstrong, 2007, p. 1)In considering what makes a business successful these authors indicatethe following:great strategydedicated employeesexcellent Implementationgood Information Systemscustomer Focusedheavily Committed to Marketing (p. 5).While ECEC may not demand the same strategic business attention toall these aspects these points do indicate sound business concepts.Reflection questionsWhat is it and how could you define it?How could you support and value staff to ensure they remaindedicated to the service and the quality of their work?How could you define and implement the programs?

Are they based on current research, sound theory, children’sinterests and skills?Are families and the community involved and reflected?Are you able to challenge the children to think, and to engagewith the environment?What is it that makes the service special?Is the communication good within the service and more broadly?For example, is there a webpage and it is up to date?How does the service know what children and families want fromit?How can you market the service?According to Kotler, et al (2007)outstanding marketing companies go to great lengths to learnabout and understand their customers’ needs and wants anddemandsSource: (Kotler, et al 2007)It is important to provide a quality service but marketing literaturesuggests that it is more important to be aware of the underlyingcustomer needs.Activity - online resourcesHave a look at the following website for some marketing ideas. Basedon these strategies, how could you create a quality mediaadvertisement for your service?https://www.theempowerededucatoronline.com/2018/02/child-care-marketing.html/Think about what is it in ECEC you want to marketThink about a service, perhaps the one you work for. Whataspects of that service could be marketed? How could themarketing be improved?

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Rosemary Milne produced a book in 1997 titledMarketing Play: Usingmarketing strategies to explain the benefits of a play approach in earlychildhood education. In this publication she challenges us when shestates the following."While teachers must respond thoughtfully to the expectations ofothers about children’s learning, they also must sell themselves ashaving education clout, rather than as fighting a rear guard actionto preserve their professional philosophies and practices…Anyearly childhood professional who uses a play orientated approachhas to be able to explain it to other people. You are sure to bechallenged by those who do not understand the idea that play is aserious tool in education. Others have the right to challenge you.You have the responsibility to explain the rationale behind yourprofessional practices" (p. 7).Source: (Rosmary Milne 1997)Milne suggests we use the following marketing strategies to affirm thevalue of play in ECEC.Clarify your productIdentify your targetsExamine your competitionDevelop your sales pitchGo out and sell! (p. 18).Think about the quote, "Values always influence what we see as thepurpose of education" (p. 31).In practical terms:ensure the marketing you want to do fits with the mission, visionor philosophy of the servicehave a strategy. What could you market and why?knowing the children and families and others that are to betargeted as potential enrolments. What will appeal to them?use the media. Make the most of events at a service, new staffappointments, achievements etc. This is free publicity and freemarketing! Be known in the community.develop a web page or have someone do it for the service. Thiscan be a powerful tool to reflect what happens. Use the web page

to advertise the mission and values, the programs, the contactsin the community and any professional contacts (eg. ECA, etc).Who are the staff and their qualifications? What resources doesthe service have? Images are powerful. Testimonials fromsatisfied families and children! Coming events and activities.use social media outlets, such as Facebook, Instagram andTwitterensure the page reflects the service’s values. If it says theservice values family and community involvement then thereshould be examples of this on the web page.↑ Back to topMediaMediaMedia (n.d.) <http://www.austrac.gov.au/media-centre>If you were to work in a cutting edge early childhood service you willwant to publicise it and engage with your local media. Louise Hard, aformer lecturer at CSU in this subject, says that when she was thedirector of a preschool in Victoria she had a number of public eventsthat required her to have interviews and TV appearances. She was notprepared for these and had to rely on her basic communication skills.Another experienced director who is now the Course Coordinator forthis course, Celia Hillman, reports that she worked for services within alocal government and there it was not acceptable for staff to talk to themedia without council permission and so did very little actualinterviews. While it is important to know the rules about dealing withthe media it is really important to have sufficient preparation for thekind of exploratory questions and approaches some media people cantake.Hughes and MacNaughton (1999) provide a good overview of mediaconferences. They highlight the following:define your goals and be sure they are cleardefine your messageidentify your audienceidentify the appropriate media for your message

You may like to prepare a media release to inform the local media ofsome possible coming event. I suggest you consider the checklistprovided by Hughes and MacNaughton below.Media Release ChecklistEnsure it clearly and explicitly meets your communication goals(to inform, to comment, to promote, to respond/defend).Ensure it fits in with the goals and the usual contents of themedia organisations to which you are sending it.Concentrate your communication resources on your targetaudience/ and or readers.Appeal specifically to the particular interests of your targetaudience/s and or reader/s.Contact media which are appropriate to your target audience andor readership.Present the contents in the order of their importance.Answer these questions: who, what, when, why and how?Distinguish between opinions and the facts. Is each opinioncredited to a source? Is each source given their full name andtitle?Be accurate, concise and jargon-free.Avoid unnecessary adjectives or adverbs.Use a headline that summaries your story.Check spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, etc.Attach any photographs that are relevant to the story.Clearly label photographs.Include the contact details of the individual who can provideclarification or further information.(Hughes & MacNaughton, 1999, p. 264).↑ Back to topSocial mediaSocial mediaMany ECEC services today would be using various social media tocommunicate with families and more broadly in the community. Almosttwo-thirds of Australians now use social media! It is important for anyservice to decide if and how they will use social media.

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ReadRequired readingAs you read the following information on using social media, reflect onyour own service and the ways it does or does not use social media.Beyond Blue (2019).Digital mental health. Be You Factsheet.https://beyou.edu.au/fact-sheets/mental-health-support/digital-mental-healthActivity - online resourcesSome good resources on social media policies for ECEC are below.Please take the time to read these.https://thesector.com.au/2019/11/07/the-importance-of-a-social-media-policy-for-your-ecec-service/This is another excellent resource from Community EarlyLearning Australia (CELA)https://www.cela.org.au/2018/07/16/social-media/↑ Back to topDigital technology

Digital technologyA major change in ECEC in the last 20 years has been the introductionof digital technology and the internet. Leaders in ECEC today musthave a vision for the use of digital technology and media in the setting.Plans must be in place to ensure the safe and ethical use of digitaltechnology and media for children, families, staff and the service ingeneral. Your assigned reading for this section discusses a range ofissues related to digital technology in ECEC settings. As you read this,reflect on the ways your own service approaches digital technology. Isthere strong leadership in this are? Is the vision around the use ofdigital technology clear and transparent to all stakeholders?ReadRequired readingStamopoulos, E. & Barblett, L. (2018). Leading with digital technologyand media . InEarly childhood leadership in action: Evidence-basedapproaches for effective practice. (Ch. 5). Allen & Unwin.Another use of digital technology centres on the distributionofnewslettersto families. Newsletters are an important way tocommunicate with families. These days it may be that newsletters aresent to parents via email and can therefore include colours, photos,diagrams etc. better than they can when they are being printed out. Itis still important when preparing a newsletter to think about youraudience. Usually you are writing to parents to inform them about theservice or classroom and you will want to give information in a way thatis informative, but at the same time, is information that parents want toread.Most parents like to see information that is correct, is written briefly –don’t write a 1000 word narrative about an event – write a short pieceand include photos. Parents are busy and educators are buys. So,ensure newsletters are an effective use of everyone’s time.The format of newsletters will vary depending on your particular settingand what the families prefer. Some settings develop hard copies of

newsletters that are sent home with children, and others email outdigital versions. Whatever format you decide to use, keep theinformation as visual and as easy to read as possible.Activity - online resourcesThis website includes some tips on what to include in newsletters, someexamples, and templates. It is definitely worth a read.https://www.theempowerededucatoronline.com/2015/05/writing-effective-and-interesting-newsletters-for-parents.html/↑ Back to topTopic SummaryTopic summaryNow you are ready to complete your 3F Management Test Questions.You can access these through the Assessment 3 link on the Interactsite.ReferencesFor a list of all the materials we've covered in this topic, visit 'Referencelist' in the left-hand site menu. Remember to check that all references

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and citations are in the correct APA style before you use them,particularly for assessment items.

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