MKTG Plan

WCC TRANSITIONAL LEARNING

MARKETING PLAN Alejandra Hobi

MARKETING PLAN • 1

2 • MARKETING PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary

4

Situation Analysis Customers Company Context Collaborators Competitors SWOT Analysis

5 5 6 7 9 9 10

STP

10 12 13 15

Segmentation Targeting Positioning

Marketing Mix Product Price Place (Distribution) Promotion

16 16 16 17 17

Summary

18 MARKETING PLAN • 3

WCC TRANSITIONAL LEARNING

MARKETING PLAN

By Alejandra Hobi

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WCC Transitional Learning is an area in Whatcom Community College that offers High School completion, Adult Basic Education and English as Language Learners classes, as well as preparation to take the GED. Transitional Learning adult learners can finish these classes and move to college. However, enrollment is seasonal, and it is related to the weather. More students enroll in fall and less enroll in spring. Also, because of COVID, all the classes moved online, which can feel intimidating for some people. We will focus on immigrant students because they are not familiar with the system and could be considered an underserved community. Our strategy will show our interest for supporting and celebrating the diversity of our adult learners, which is the reason why we chose this segment.

We will offer a high-quality product at a low price, using selective distribution, but massive promotion. We want to reach some segments that can be hard to find because we don’t know if they use social media, or what kind of media they prefer. Our expectations is that our customers from this quarter will keep taking classes in spring.

SITUATION ANALYSIS Customers

Our current customers are adult learners (18 or older) interested in getting more education to look for better opportunities, and live in Washington state, specifically in Whatcom County. Many of them are immigrants, so English is not their main language, and they are trying to improve their writing, reading, listening, and speaking English skills. Most customers come from Mexico, followed by China, India, Korea, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The customer satisfaction level depends on the number of re-enrollments of students. We might need to create a satisfaction level survey to know how current students feel about the program. However, we know that if students like the classes, they will enroll again; if not, they will drop out or go with a competitor. Also, enrollment at Whatcom Community College (WCC) seems to be seasonal and it is related to the weather: Enrollment is higher in fall when the weather is cold, and it is lower in spring when it is sunny out, and people prefer to spend more time outdoors.

We don’t have a loyalty program, but the $25 price a quarter is affordable, and because most students are low-income, they are price sensitive.

We need to talk about the benefits of pursuing higher education, such as better access to job opportunities and higher wages. One problem we might face is that it is hard to reach potential customers through social networks because we don’t know which ones they use. Also, some potential customers haven’t finished high school and might not be computer literate, so they can feel intimidated by the idea of taking online classes. Most adult learners don’t show any preference for the competitors over WCC Transitional Learning, and there is not enough

information to determine how customers react to WCC Transitional Learning marketing because we deliver the material to different organizations and businesses.

After calling some former students to inform them about the start of winter quarter, some feel interested about the idea of going back to school.

However, some of the problems they are facing are: • They help their kids with online learning, or they don’t have childcare.

• They don’t have enough time, or they have a busy schedule at work.

• They take care of someone else.

• They don’t have money to buy books or a laptop (they don’t know that the college can help them with that).

• They think that studying is expensive.

• Some of them think they don’t need to study anymore.

• Some are studying in Bellingham Technical College instead.

Photo by Pixabay WCC Transitional Learning offers classes for adult learners (18 and older).

MARKETING PLAN • 5

COMPANY

As part of Whatcom Community College, Transitional Learning is known for being supportive of returning students who are exploring different pathways. Many former Transitional Learning students have moved to college or earned state awards. The area recognizes that Transitional Learning students can meet high academic standards and represent a diverse population of learners.

Transitional Learning states that the area is dedicated to supporting speakers of other languages in gaining English reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills, obtaining high school credentials, and/or transitioning into college and careers, while recognizing and respecting the wealth of lived experience students hold. According to WCC’s webpage, Transitional Learning staff is committed to focusing on student strengths, instead of defining them by their vulnerabilities.

Our mission is, “to provide innovative, high quality educational and career pathway opportunities in pre-college math and English education to meet students’ individual, academic, career, and lifelong learning goals.”

Photo by Pixabay

WCC Transitional Learning wants people know that we care about the diversity of our students, so we will try to reach them with the help of some students who have seen the benefits of going back to school and/or learning English.

We want that potential students can hear these current students and alumni telling their own stories and how many advantages they have found after registering in classes. Some internal problems that the area faces are the low budget and the lack of support from other areas inside WCC. This pandemic has affected different fields, and education is not an exception. WCC Transitional Learning enrollment has dropped due to the lockdown.

We are looking to raise more awareness about the program, especially online classes, and reach more underserved students. We would emphasize how low the cost is and how students can see benefits in their future lives when they go into higher education. In general, enrollment is higher in fall, drops in winter and it is even lower during spring quarter. Our goal is to keep the winter numbers during spring quarter.

CONTEXT

We are living uncertain times in different aspects, and what happens around our organization is going to affect the company itself. These economic, political, legal, technological, and societal factors can be beneficial (opportunities) or detrimental (threats) for us. The lockdown caused by the pandemic has caused many changes in different areas. For instance, regarding education, technology is so important since classes moved online. Having a laptop or tablet and a good connection have become essential.

Economic Factors

The main economic factor that can be concerning is related to COVID and how many people have lost their jobs or have a complicated schedule because of that. Some people are afraid that they can lose their jobs as well, and they might not be interested in taking classes because they want to focus on keeping their jobs. Unemployment levels are growing in the country, and according to the Western Front, by June 2020, Whatcom County had one of the highest unemployment rates in Washington state with 31,184 initial unemployment claims.

Legal factors

Some of the students taking WCC Transitional Learning classes might be considered “undocumented” (or out of status) because they are not either residents or citizens, or don’t have any kind of visa. However, there is no federal or state law that prohibits the admission of undocumented immigrants to U.S. colleges.

Washington is one put of 11 states that offer state financial assistance to certain undocumented immigrant students including DACA students, along with California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Texas. This allows that the students can go through Transitional Learning without having any problems. Many immigrants don’t know they can go to college without having any problems.

Technological Factors

Technology can be a threat or an opportunity.

Some of the WCC Transitional Learning students don’t feel comfortable with technology because some of them haven’t taken computer classes before. Then, if these students feel afraid of technology, they won’t be willing to take online Also, this pandemic has affected different fields, classes. Also, some students don’t have their own and education is not an exception. Whatcom laptop, and don’t know that they can borrow one Community College’s enrollment has dropped due from the school. One problem that can be hard to to the lockdown, and WCC Transitional Learning’s deal with is that because some of these students enrollment has fallen as well. have kids who are still taking online classes themselves, they don’t have enough broadband Political factors that can allow them to have many relatives Under the Workforce Education Investment Act, connected at the same time. There are other passed by Legislature and signed by governor students who are convinced that they prefer inJay Inslee in 2019, allows that families of four person classes and they will wait until everything that make less than $50,500 can get full financial goes back to normal, even if they must wait for aid awards that can cover their tuition to go to many quarters. college, this will allow that 110,000 Washington a year get money for college. With this act students Another problem related to technology is that who attend WCC Transitional Learning classes because some of our potential students aren’t don’t need to stop there. They can start with ELL computer literate, it might be hard to know what classes and/or get a high school certificate, move social networks they are using. We will do some to ABE classes, and start a program. promotion on Facebook and Twitter, trying to MARKETING PLAN • 7

reach organizations that can pass that information households had $34.3 billion in spending power to potential students. (after-tax income) in 2018. About one in five workers in Washington is an immigrant, together However, there are some potential customers making up a vital part of the state’s labor force in who can be interested in learning to use a a range of industries. 717,441 immigrant workers computer as well, and Transitional Learning comprised 19% of the labor force in 2018. The top offers that opportunity. If these potential countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico students are willing to take computer classes, (23% of immigrants), India (8%), China (7%), the they will see the benefits in the future once they Philippines (6%), and Vietnam (6%). Washington, are fluent in English and computer literate. In which is one of the highest food-producing Whatcom County, 93.7% of the households have states in the nation, relies heavily on its growing a computer and 87.8% of the households have a immigrant population. While roughly one in broadband internet subscription. seven Washington residents is foreign-born, over half of the state’s farmers, fishers, and foresters Societal Factors are immigrants. In 2018, 1.1 million immigrants The United States demographics keep changing. (foreign-born individuals) comprised 15% of the According to the Census, the Hispanic population population in Washington State. In Whatcom represents 9.8% of the total in Whatcom County, Community College, 12% is Hispanic or Latino. but this group is growing faster than other groups. According to Pew Research, “Hispanics Regarding the total population in Washington, have accounted for more than half of total U.S. according to the last Census, 92.8% of the population growth since 2010.” Most students persons 25 or older have a high school certificate, attending WCC Transitional Learning classes are and 34.3% has a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Hispanic trying to learn English. The Census data Other important data is that more working adults show that 11.6% of the persons use a language are interested in going to college, 42% responded other than English spoken at home. that COVID made them more likely to go (Public Viewpoint poll); 38% of undergraduates are Also, from 2010 to 2019, the U.S. population considered adult learners, and it is projected to increased by 18.9 million, and Hispanics grow 21% by 2022 (EAB); that people don’t see accounted for more than half (52%) of this value in going to college, the number fell from growth. Also, the U.S. foreign-born population 77% to 59% (Public Viewpoint poll); and that only reached a record 44.8 million in 2018. WCC 51% of Americans see college as important (EAB).

Transitional Learning serves immigrant communities, not international students who come to the country under different kind of visas and get services through different areas. In Whatcom County, 10.1% of the population are immigrants. We focused on immigrants and most of them are considered underserved because we don’t have access to many services, sometimes because they don’t know they can do it. The U.S. foreign-born population reached a record 44.8 million in 2018.

According to the American Immigration Council, Washington residents in immigrant-led 8 • MARKETING PLAN

COLLABORATORS

Even when some people are familiar with WCC Transitional Learning classes, many immigrants don’t know about their existence, then WCC Transitional Learning works with different organizations that can help us to spread the word about our classes. We reached out those places that work with or have customers in the segment we are trying to serve. We work with businesses and employers like restaurants, consignment stores, hair salons, daycares or food stores, and nonprofit organizations like churches, schools.

We have strong connections with the Whatcom Community Library System (WCLS), the Family Resources Center (FRC), the Food Banks in Downtown and Foothills, Whatcom Literacy Council, etc. We have distributed some advertising material in businesses frequented by non-English speakers, such as My Rancho, La Gloria, Mi México, Neto’s, California Tacos, Villa & Barber Shop, El Maná, La Segunda, Taste of India, and daycares like The Seedlings. Inside WCC, we have the support of the WCC Writing Center, which are willing to share our marketing material.

COMPETITORS

Our main competitor is Bellingham Technical College (BTC). The price of their Transitional Studies classes is the same, only 25 dollars a quarter. There are other organizations offering English classes, even free. However, both WCC and BTC offer classes that go beyond Transitional Learning, so students can keep taking other classes. BTC offers High School Completion, ELL, and ABE classes, as well as I-Best programs, which are more related to technical professions, such as Industrial Maintenance and Mechatronics. On their webpage, BTC doesn’t mention that they are interested in the diversity of their students and emphasized that their objective is that “for every graduate to get and keep a good job.” Then, BTC is more focused on helping students to get employed, but they don’t promote college or university education.

There are other organizations teaching English classes in Whatcom County, such as Goodwill, which offers “English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Computers, High School Completion (GED, HS21+), and Work Readiness”.

However, instructors at WCC have at least a Master’s in Education, while some of the Instructors at Goodwill are volunteers who don’t have teaching credentials and the only requirement to teach is “to be expert in the topic”, according to their webpage. Also, Goodwill offers classes about different topics that change every month, so there is no continuity, you are not getting a degree. Goodwill aims to train people who want to join the workforce.

Photo by Pixabay Technology: Opportunity or threat?

The main strength of BTC is that they offer students the opportunity of getting some technical training instead of more collegeoriented education, so some people can feel more motivated to go to BTC instead because they can get some training that they might use in the future. BTC Transitional Studies’ webpage looks more graphically appealing and has more information that WCC Transitional Learning’s.

BTC Transitional Studies’ goal is to help students to graduate and get a good job, which can be convenient for some immigrant students who don’t want to pursue further education. The main strength of Goodwill is that the classes that they offer are free. They also offer classes about other topics that can be useful for people who are looking for jobs.

MARKETING PLAN • 9

SWOT ANALYSIS FAVORABLE I N T E R N A L .

STRENGTHS • • • • • • • • •

The price is attractive and affordable ($25 a quarter or tuition-free classes).

The instructors are competitive, caring, and engaging.

The online classes give students the opportunity of studying from home.

There are many different schedule options.

Students can receive support from instructors and advisors.

Students can borrow laptops and books (there’s no need for investment).

Students who see benefits become loyal to the classes and keep registering.

Students who are loyal recommend the classes.

Some students who started in Transitional Learning have moved to college (success stories) or earned state recognition awards.

OPPORTUNITIES

E X T E R N A L .

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The immigrant population is increasing, especially the Hispanic population.

People see more advantages of being bilingual (more opportunities, better wages).

More working adults are interested in going to college (42% responded that COVID made them more likely to go: Public Viewpoint poll).

People can work and study.

No need for childcare.

Immigrants tend to go places that remind them home (restaurants where they can eat their typical food, churches, clubs), then we can use those places as collaborators to distribute the material.

College grads make 80% more (CNBC).

38% of undergraduates are considered adult learners, and it is projected to grow 21% by 2022 (EAB).

Immigrant population represents comprised 19% of the labor force in 2018.

Washington residents in immigrant-led households had $34.3 billion in spending power (after-tax income) in 2018.

12% of WCC students are Hispanic/Latino.

38% of adult immigrants had a college degree or more education in 2018.

22% of adult immigrants had less than a high school diploma.

79% of immigrants reported speaking English “well” or “very well.”

UN FAVO RABLE WEAKNESSES • • • • • • • •

WCC Transitional Learning doesn’t receive enough support from other areas at WCC. The area doesn’t get enough budget.

Other areas don’t know what Transitional Learning is about.

The area doesn’t have enough multilingual staff.

The registration forms and the marketing material are in English.

Not many students come back in spring because they want to enjoy the nice weather.

The enrollment process is by phone due to COVID and it becomes complicated for some people, especially non-English speakers who are not familiar with the system.

Part of the staff is not familiar with the needs of the target market.

I N T E R N A L .

THREATS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

People has parenting or any other family-related duties (online or hybrid learning).

Many people have a shifting schedule at work due to COVID. A lot of people don’t know the price of the classes.

The price for WCC Transitional Learning classes is the same than BTC (not competitive advantage).

Some people don’t have enough resources (internet, laptop or money to buy books).

People don’t have enough information (they don’t know they could borrow a laptop or books, that there are different schedules).

There are seasonal patterns in how students register for classes (classes are bigger in fall and they reduce in size by spring).

If students don’t see benefits, they move to the competitor (BTC).

People can feel intimidated by online classes or technology, especially those ones who haven’t completed high school.

It can be hard to reach target market through social media.

Printing and shipping advertising material can be expensive.

The classes are only for people who actually live in Washington State, preferably Whatcom County.

There’s a lower enrollment in college, specifically in WCC. People don’t see value in going to college (From 77% to 59% - Public Viewpoint poll).

People might see more benefits going to BTC to get some technical training over academic coursework.

There’s disappointment due to the pandemic and lockdown.

Only 51% of Americans see college as important (CNBC).

E X T E R N A L .

STP SEGMENTATION

Our current customers are adult learners (18 Students who attend classes in WCC Transitional Learning are adults (18 and older) who live in Washington State, mostly in Whatcom County.

These adult learners can be parents and/or some of them have a job, which are some of the reasons why some of them don’t take classes.

Most of these students are low income, then they are price sensitive. However, the price is subsidized, and it is not going to increase.

However, we can recognize two segments: • Non-English speakers who might not be familiar with the educational system in the United States. Most students from this segment are immigrants, not international students. Their first languages are Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai and Korean. These students are learning English first, but they can take ABE classes later, and get some training and/or go to college. These students are not familiar with the U.S. education system, which can be so different from their countries. They also have a harder time when they enroll because all the registration forms are in English.

• English speakers, who want to complete high school and/or go to college. Some of these students dropped out school, but others are just shifting careers. Most students were born in the U.S., so they are more familiarized with the U.S. education system. They also can communicate with the WCC Transitional Learning staff and fill out the English registration forms.

Our ideal customer would be an immigrant student living in Whatcom County who wants to go back to school and pursue college education.

It would be great if this student is good with 12 • MARKETING PLAN

1 out of 7 people in Washington was an immigrant by 2018. computers. Our ideal customers don’t need to be experts, but it would be preferable if they are not intimidated by computers and are willing to learn to use them. The ideal customers must be eager to learn and be strong and ready to keep going if they fail sometimes. It would be great if these students are willing to share their experience taking Transitional Learning classes with relatives and friends who can be potential customers.

One segment we will not be focusing with this product are the English-speaking students because they are familiar with the U.S. education system. They can read the information on the webpage and usually know what they need to do if they want to enroll, but non-English speakers can have a harder time finding information about WCC Transitional Learning classes. However, people coming from different countries might not understand the registration process, starting with the forms.

TARGETING

According to the Census, more than a third (38%) of adult immigrants had a college degree or more education in 2018, while over one-fifth (22%) had less than a high school diploma. More than threefourths (79%) of immigrants reported speaking English “well” or “very well.” In 2018, 1.1 million immigrants (foreign-born individuals) comprised 15% of the population, then we must support this community. Many immigrants don’t know what terms like ABE, ELL or GED stand for, or have any idea of the registration process. For instance, this could be extremely hard to understand for people who don’t speak any English and/or didn’t get education in their countries and came here to work in the fields.

From that 1.1 million immigrants living in Washington by 2018, 21%, about 231,000 people could be benefited from taking some English classes (ELL). Then, if we multiply 231,000 by $25, we will get $5,775,000 for one level of ELL, and WCC offers six different levels, which will total $34,650,000.

Out of 1.1 million immigrants, 22% have less than a high school diploma, that equals 242,000 persons who could complete high school or take a GED test because online classes allow that people in other parts of the state can take classes at the same price of $25. Then, if we multiply 242,000 by $25, we will get $6,050,000.

242,000

immigrants don’t have a

HIGH SCHOOL

CERTIFICATE

Considering that one student takes three classes (one ELL and two ABE) at the same time, she will pay $75 every quarter. If this student takes classes during fall, winter, and spring, she will pay $225, which can be extended for four years that the

same student can spend to take all the required classes in Transitional Learning. This will total $900 dollars, and maybe the cost for retaining that student is $500 dollars, then we will get earnings for $400.

According to the American Immigration Council, Washington residents in immigrant-led households had $34.3 billion in spending power in 2018, which shows how important immigrants are for the economy. The same institution shows that the top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico (23% of immigrants), India (8%), China (7%), the Philippines (6%), and Vietnam (6%), which are some of the populations we usually serve.

Whatcom Community College emphasizes the importance of support diversity, and Transitional Learning does it too. We want that our students can feel supported while they are taking classes, that is why we will try to deliver information in their native languages with the help of instructors, staff, or students who are fluent in those languages. WCC Transitional Learning is dedicated to supporting speakers of other languages in gaining English reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills, obtaining high school credentials, and/or transitioning into college and careers, while recognizing and respecting the wealth of lived experience students hold. We see our students as strong students, and we want that other people can know that, which is part of the strategy we will use.

14 • MARKETING PLAN

We will target ELL/ABE immigrant students because we want to support them during this transition. They don’t know the language, and we want to guide them during the registration process. We also want that our ELL/ABE students can talk to others about their experience in their own language, then people from their countries can feel connected with them. We celebrate the strengths of this diverse population.

We will focus on the immigrant population who wants to take ELL and ABE classes because we could make up to $5,775,000 for the ELL classes, and $6,050,000 for the ABE classes. Students who start in Transitional Learning might stay in college for a while because they start learning English and they keep taking classes until they move to a program or transfer to a 4-year college.

23%

23% of the immigrant population living in Washington by 2018 was from Mexico.

Currently, we are not focusing on Englishspeaking students who haven’t completed high school, because according to the Census, 92.8% of the population in Washington has finished high school, which gives only 7.2% as potential customers in comparison with 21% for ELL potential customers and 22% for ABE potential customers. We won’t focus on people who prefer to wait until classes are in person because they know they learn better in person. As an area that celebrates our diverse adult learners, we want to support that diversity and that is why we are focusing on non-English speakers, who can need more help from us.

Due to COVID, all classes are online, so people can work from home and organize their schedules.

POSITIONING

We are offering a high quality and low-price product. Even when the price is low, the quality is high because our instructors have a Master’s in Education, and they are experts in their areas.

The reason because classes are only $25 a quarter is because the price is subsidized, but the real price for these classes is so much higher, then students who enroll in ABE/ELL classes are getting a great value deal. Our goal is to convince our customers that they are getting a low-price and high-quality product. We can’t modify this price, but if they make less than $50,500, they could apply for free tuition.

Our strategic position emphasizes the power of diversity and how much enrichment we can get from that, which is not reflected in BTC or Goodwill’s, which seem to be more interested in training their students to help them to get a job.

In WCC Transitional Learning, we support and listen to our students, and we know that some of them might want to go to college, and we

will help them to do it. Our competitors are also focused on the price as their main advantage. BTC Transitional Studies classes cost $25 dollars too and Goodwill’s classes are free.

We want to have as many students as we can, especially now that we are having online classes, then we will use mass promotion, bringing flyers to different businesses and organizations, then they could distribute them with their clients. We also have some videos that we will be added to our Facebook and Twitter page, then they can be shared. Even when we have online classes that can fit more people, the distribution of this service is selective because it is reserved for immigrant people who live in Washington state, preferably in Whatcom County because the price is reserved for people who meet those requirements.

In conclusion, our strategy is to offer a highquality product at a low-price using mass promotion, but selective distribution because classes are only for locals.

MARKETING PLAN • 15

MARKETING MIX PRODUCT

WCC Transitional Learning offers different classes for adult learners 18 and older who are interested in going back to school to complete high school and/or go to college. We offer Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes to help people with Math and English, English for Language Learners (ELL) classes to help non-English speakers to build some writing, reading, listening and speaking skills, and other classes that can help students to get ready for college. WCC Transitional Learning also offers four programs called Integrated Basic Education & Skills Training (I-Best).

Our classes are in the maturity stage because people know about them, either because they take some, or because someone else took a class.

We should invest our time trying to keep our current students, but we also have to reach other potential customers. In this stage, if might be a good idea to look for a different product that we can offer to attract other students, like a change in some of the topics in the class.

Our product is high quality because our instructors are highly educated and are engaged with our goal of supporting our students. We don’t want that our students think that because our price is low, the quality of our classes is bad.

Our customers are looking for classes that can be affordable and can work with their lifestyle. If they have children, they want a flexible schedule, which is a good reason for them to take online classes. They are also interested in taking good quality classes that can help them in their current job or to get a better opportunity. However, the primary attribute they are looking for is the low price, followed by convenient schedule and quality.

When our customers think of our brand, they 16 • MARKETING PLAN

think of school, and it is probable that some of these potential students had traumatic experiences when they attended school either here or their countries, and that it was the reason why they didn’t continue studying. We want that they can see us as a place where they can learn, while they are being supported and heard. We don’t want that they can see us as a place where they are going to fail, but a place where they are going to improve their skills and where their diversity is celebrated.

PRICE

Our customers are price sensitive because many of them are low income. However, the price of the WCC Transitional Learning classes hasn’t changed in a long time, and the price is actually one of our main ally. The problem is that BTC offers the same classes at the same price, and Goodwill’s classes are free, then we need to emphasize the quality of our instructors and how they are getting a great deal when they register in WCC Transitional Learning.

Two out of five immigrants work in agriculture, fishing, forestry, or hunting.

We can’t change the price, but people can a apply to get free tuition. We have to convince our potential customers that they are getting a highquality product at a low price because our staff is prepared.

PLACE (DISTRIBUTION)

Our distribution system is selective because we can’t offer classes to people who live in a different state or country under that price. The $25 price is for people who live in Washington State. Classes will be taught on Zoom, and the size of the class is about 14-22 students. People will access to our classes through Zoom.

We distribute the classes directly to our final customer, but we work with collaborators who help us to distribute information, such as employers, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. We can’t offer promotions.

We don’t have conflicts because we don’t have partnerships. Different organizations help us to distribute informational material, but it is not an obligation. There are not intermediaries between staff and the final customers.

PROMOTION

Our marketing goal is that every person can feel welcome in WCC Transitional Learning, not only English speakers. Studying in a different country can be intimidating, so listening to other people’s experience in their own language can be comforting sometimes.

Under the slogan “It’s never too late”, we will let that current students and alumni can talk about their story. We want that they can be as natural as they can, that they talk about the good moments, but also the bad ones. We will make videos in different languages, so we will share them on social media, and we will ask other institutions if they can share them as well. We will also distribute flyers in different languages in places frequented by non-English speakers. The videos end with a collage of clips of faculty and

staff repeating the phrase “It’s never too late” to support the idea that age is not an obstacle to keep studying.

We will see if there is an increase in the number of enrollments after the video was shared. We will keep track of all the insights. We might create a survey for the students when they enroll asking them how they learned about the classes. We can also include a specific question about the videos to know if they are being effective.

Our marketing budget is low, which is the reason why we print on black and white. The videos will be created by the students or alumni and edited internally. We also use social media (Facebook and Twitter), which can be less expensive media.

However, we are not sure if our target market uses social media, or what kind. We use Facebook and Twitter to inform other organizations that work with similar communities, so they can share some information about our classes.

We also need to reach more agriculture, fishing, forestry and hunting employers because two out of five immigrants work in those fields. We can ask them to distribute our printed material or share the videos with their employees.

Students will tell their stories in their languages.

MARKETING PLAN • 17

SUMMARY WCC Transitional Learning is an area in Whatcom Community College that offers High School completion, Adult Basic Education and English as Language Learners classes, as well as preparation to take the GED. Transitional Learning adult learners can finish these classes and move to college. Enrollment rates are seasonal, but COVID has also affected the numbers of students registered for classes because classes are fully online now, and some people don’t feel comfortable with that.

We will focus our strategy on immigrant students because they are not familiar with the U.S. educational system and all the resources they could access to, such as getting a laptop and books while they study at WCC. Transitional Learning has diverse students coming from different countries, such as Mexico, China, India, Vietnam, Philippines, etc. and/or sometimes they are older than the traditional students, even when we serve any adult older than 18.

We want to raise awareness about these classes, and help students during their journey going back to school. Many students don’t know that they can loan a laptop and books while they are at school.

Our strategy will show our interest for supporting and celebrating the diversity of our adult learners, which is the reason why we chose this segment.

We will offer a high-quality product at a low price, using selective distribution, but massive promotion. We offer classes for 25 dollars a quarter, but that doesn’t mean that this is the real cost. The price is subsidized, and WCC Transitional Learning students will get a value deal if they register for classes.

Our distribution is selective because it is focused on students who live in Washington State, preferably in Whatcom County.

Even when our distribution is selective, our promotional efforts are massive.

We are using printed material, such as tear-off businesses and flyers distributed in different businesses, nonprofits, and employers. We are editing some videos where current students or alumni can talk about their experience at taking classes at WCC Transitional Learning using their own language, then potential students can see real people talking about the benefits of going back to school. We are using the slogan “It’s never too late!” to let people that age is just a number and you can go back to study either to get some training or move to college.

Our videos show current students or alumni talking about their case, and end with a collage of faculty and staff repeating “It’s never too late” to show their support to the students and finally, the contact information is displayed, then people can call the college to ask information about the classes because there’s staff who speaks Spanish and can help them.

We started with José’s story. He came from Venezuela without speaking any English in 2017 and have noticed the benefits. The video has had a reach of 1,400 so far. The second video we have is Bing’s story. She came from China and took ELL classes first and ABE classes now. Both are inspirational cases that people can relate to.

These videos were shared on Facebook and Twitter, and they will go on Whatcom’s main webpage. We will see if those videos make the difference in the numbers of students’ enrollment. Our expectations are that our customers from this quarter will keep taking classes in spring because “it’s never too late!”

20 • MARKETING PLAN