Edupreneurship

By Dr. Genola Johnson


I heard this term edupreneurship on an online marketing webinar the other evening. I thought, yeah, that's ME! I am an educator and an entrepreneur.

I keep in mind the first day of school last year, I looked at my class, and made the decision, this is my last year. I am exhausted. Having taught for 21 years, teaching did not bring me joy anymore, I needed a change.

I had already started a small consulting agency, so my foundation was in place. What had not done been was to actually market the agency. Yes, I did a few things: registered with the state, designed a web page, bought business cards, marketed a little on linkedin.com. However, nothing serious, and not getting positive outcomes.

Marketing was something new to me. Although I had joined a few MLM's (Multi-Level-Marketing businesses) over my lifetime, and all of them had the basic format. You buy their starter kit, go to their training and miraculously you were making enough to quit your full-time job. Well, the reality to this is, no, you don't, at least not at first. I'm sure you do, eventually.

But one thing that I did learn from all of the MLM's was that promotion your item is key. You must live, breathe and eat your product. Although I am sure I could have made enough to stay home and only the MLM, I did not. It is difficult working a MLM and perform a fulltime job. At the time, I wasn't sure if working hard was worth having economical freedom.

Then I found out about writing a blog. I began to blog about my skills as an educator. THIS was worth working hard enough to have financial independence.

The more I blogged, the more information I found available to me. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. From all the MLM trainings I had attended, I realized, I had learned the basics of how to market. (Wow, I had not wasted my money after all!) Blogging your product, services, and/or ideas was marketing.

Marketing my educational experience with my consulting agency was just as difficult as the MLM businesses. Except the fact that I could train at my own speed and not go somewhere.

Here is what I have discovered to help me in my limited time promotion my blog.

1. Listen to podcasts. They are free. Caution, observe the date of the podcast, as information may have changed over a couple of years. I enjoy Jon Buscall with Online Marketing & Communications Podcasts via (ITunes).

2. Create a strategy. Choose, what you want to promote. I already had a strategy in place, so I knew where I wanted to go with my organization.

3. Get a mentor. This person will allow you to bounce ideas around to make sure you are not going too far off in the wrong path.

4. Present at conferences. This is a way to get your name and branding out there.

5. Watch YouTube videos on marketing. There are many, however, remain on target on what you want and not get pulled into the fast cash ones. You will know which websites provide guidance and ones that leave you saying, "Really?"

6. If the thought of writing is terrifying for you, there are any websites that will do it for you for a little fee, Elance.com and expert.com are two well-known ones.

7. During school breaks attend networking events to share your blog.

Online marketing is one way to begin to ease into a fulltime job and still work in education.

Leave a comment expression your opinion, like if you do, share if you will.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment