Reaching home schoolers in 2014

Assuming the research is correct, by December 31, 2014 there will be 161,000 to 345,000 new students added to the home school population. Each one will spend $600-900 on educational needs making this new population alone a multi-million dollar opportunity.

Reaching them in 2014 will become increasingly difficult. The competition is increasing, the landscape is changing, and the "noise" is becoming deafening.

Still, they will be searching for solutions, and they may be willing to hear what you have to say.

Want to reach them? Tactically there are a myriad of possibilities to utilize effectively in your marketing strategy so I will not address those here. However, let me suggest three things to consider that have more to do with your philosophy than tactics:

1) Know your audience.

There are approximately 2.3+ million home schoolers in America right now. Will these new additions be similar to the existing population? Or will they be drastically different? Who will be the primary educator at home? Why will they choose to home school? What is their motivation?

Existing or new you must know who it is you are talking to, and more importantly, who might listen to you.

2) Be bold.

If your strategy depends primarily on price then you really do not have a strategy. If you want to reach them with a product that is similar to others already on the market, price will matter but do not make it your focal point. Rather, be bold in your strategy.

Whether it is "edgecrafting" as Seth Godin calls it, or jumping off the precipice, find an extreme and go there. Staying in the center with the others will only lead to more "noise" keeping you from standing out.

Ask yourself, "Is it safer to go to the edge or get lost in the crowd?" The decision is yours.

3) Be real.

Know who you are, accept who you are, and be who you are. Then find those customers of yours who will participate in the sharing of your story. Give them an exciting story to share and provide them with the tools to share it.

Be real, be authentic, even vulnerable.

Bonus Point

Take care of your existing customers. So many times companies offer great incentives to attract new customers and ignore those who are most loyal to them. Reverse this trend and watch your customers become your greatest asset in reaching new ones.


Figment Consulting
www.figment-consulting.com
houston@figment-consulting.com