Establishing a Web Presence

Internet is becoming the norm to search for information. If I want to know where to study to become aircraft engineer, I will use Google to look for information.

Let assume some of the common terms used by searchers...e.g

a. 147 school - there are 2400 people searching for it every month.

b. EASA part 66 - there are 5000 global search

c. aircraft engineer - there are 110,000 people searching for it and 4000 are Malaysian.

Let us see, who will they see on Google search..

a. 147 school- On first page, there was none of the 5 established school. What we had were some of the local forum.

b. EASA part 66 - There were two schools appear, MIAT and MATA

c. Aircraft engineer - Nilai College appears on the google second page.

Importance of web presence

There are a couple of reasons to have the web presence. First, depending on the type of business you are, it is to get the sale, or the customers. There are special techniques used to make it easier to create sale. It is basically requires us to guide and enable the customer create the purchase. You be surprise on the absence of the information to make the decision. Just put yourself in the shoe of the student who are interested to pursue the course, and check for the issues.

The other reasons for web presence is to create the credibility. Without looking at the physical establishment, the web page is the nearest to real life. This may require some investment.

Common Mistakes

It is probably the common mistake of the company to publish the web page with the mind set of satisfying the company or the management. It is not difficult to see why, the web design was contracted out and the web master need to satisfy the company to get the payment.

The web pages is best written with the customers in mind, if we are giving reasons why the students should choose us, the it has to be viewed from the students perspective.

Going International Marketing

My school is pushing to create a niche in international market. Up to-date, much time, effort and money had been spent but there is yet to receive any indication of students coming to sign in.

What can be wrong?, or is it a matter of time, that they will be coming soon?. There were some successful model, not exactly in aviation training, but in education line. You may have heard of Lim Kok Weng College, that had established itself in creative technology and had won a number of international awards.

It appears that the logical way forwards is by establish oneself as as a quality company in term of products delivery. This is easier said than done, as I had experienced organisation that produces excellent products but unable to support itself financially. I was in an airline that pride itself to have the word's best cabin crew, and is training school produces the well sought after aircraft engineers. However financially the airline had to be rescued a couple of times.

For an aviation school producing aircraft engineer, what does it take to be successful, internationally?. It would say, there are three core things that need to be done...

1. Build up product quality.

2. Market it rationally

3. Be customer focused.

The three elements will be discussed separately in the next posting

Yangon Trip 19 Jan 2012

Our CEO is making another trip to Yangon, the capital of Burma. He is making a number of trips, sometime in group and sometime alone. Our school is trying to make sense of Yangon business.

Burma, being a ran by military teams, does not get access to technology and training especially in the aviation field. Their domestic trained airlines personnel are very limited. The engineering maintenance are being run by foreigners.

Our set up is small, we have a staff to serve our needs in Yangon and we also have a sale agent. They are assigned to look after our interest and do the marketing. We are hoping to get some students from Yangon.

So he will be back on 19 Jan and hopefully will bring in some good news.