If you are a teacher, how do I get your attention

[turnipvontrapp]

if I am sending you something in the post, advertising a product?

Does it need to include chocolate for you to open the envelope or would a sample game make you open it?

We have been told we have got a great product by the schools using our activities, by inspectors/ advisors etc but where we fall down is lack of time and lack of marketing experience (only 2 of us working on a business we set up a few years ago, very much part-time due to young children).

The amount of post teachers get advertising products is inversely proportional to the amount of time they have to look at it, unfortunately. There are piles and piles of it. Envelope after envelope.

So - include an extra hour in the day.

Draw a cock in biro on the envelope?

Depends on what it is. I get about 20 pieces of mail trying to sell me things a week. I have no money to spend. Is it aimed at primary or secondary?

Could you phone to arrange a convenient time to talk about the product. I know a lot of 'junk' mail goes right into the bin at my school.

Maybe show the product at an educational fair?

That would be funny, tether

It's primary, fallen. But used by secondary for transition and intervention.

They are science activities/ games that cover the ks2 curriculum.

We do the exhibitions and get loads of interest. It's getting you all to remember us when you are us busy that's the problem!

TheSame, that's another problem, phoning and getting past reception. Think it would be easier to break out of jail (not that I am in jail!!)

So not us

Ah. Well I am a secondary head of science, so I guess u am part of your target audience. But I don't have enough money for essentials really. I would be interested in something that made the KS3 curriculum accessible though.

So what would catch your attention Fallen? Would you open the envelope if it said free science game inside? Or would you bin it anyway?

To be honest when I was a teacher unless it was something that wasn't very expensive and would actually save hours per week on mundane tasks (most of which is already covered by existing technology), any advertising material went straight in the bin. Unless it is teaching materials that don't cost the earth and you happen to fall on the exact time a teacher or HoD is about to renew that thing, then trying to grab attention is difficult. People just have too much to do to spend ages going through promotional stuff.

Offer to come into the schools to do a demo for free with the kids
Maybe integrate yor product into an assembly or something or for science week

Could you do a training activity ?

Whatever you do, DO NOT call me during lunch or break. I want my lunch and my break.
You could leave a sample in the staffroom.

I was going to suggest you turn up naked to deliver it

Gosh, that's tough as really we go to tried and tested educational suppliers or google in a spare minute. My HofD groans if there is a book fair in school (which is really unfair on the sellers but normally teachers are time poor in the school day). Is there any mileage in getting one of these on board with your product?

A very good website where you see and order your product, with lots of recommendations from schools and key science bods involved in the science nat curriculum, would get our attention, especially if you can order a sample.

Or what you need is a venue where you get lots of Heads/Heads of Science/Teachers i/c of Science in one place! They might not buy on the spot, always having to refer back to the budget, but giving them something to take away linking to the website should produce orders.

Pls ignore typos - am rushing my lunch!

Um. I might have a look if it said free game I think. But what was inside would have to be very convincing very quickly.

You'd almost certainly get a better response from my KS 3 coordinator. Who wiuld bring it to me if she thought it was any good.

Educational fair and try to set up formal meetings at schools?

You should try websites like the TES. Facebook and Twitter. You also need to get infiltrators: teachers to try the product and report back. One from each LEA might be enough to get a buzz going. A stall at training events.

Teach Primary magazine could be another good place to advertise and on this forum: primaryresourcecentre.myfreeforum.org/

ASE conference?

Wow, all these replies, thanks all, lots of good ideas.

If I dropped off samples for the staff room, what are the chances of them getting there and not going in the receptionist's bin?

Have done ASE, new website is very close to launching (old one still works), we are in nearly 40% of our local LA schools so schools do love our product when they see/ trial them but it's not easy getting their attention.

Have not targeted parents yet, need to develop it differently for that market, again it's lack of time mainly.

DeWe, that would be a great idea if I looked like Elle Macpherson (or Daniel Craig if I was a man) but unfortunately I don't .

Phone up the office and ask for the e-mail address of the relevant teacher. E-mail it to the teacher with a header such as 'free science activity'. I always check my e-mails and would definitely look if it said a free activity that I think would help my teaching. However, mail gets left in my pigeon-hole for ages if it looks like advertising and then just gets skim read and binned.

Thanks pudding, will try that idea.