Where And How To Market My Gf's Thai Language Center To Expat And Other Foreigners In Bkk?

[raintree]

I and my girlfriend are setting up the thai language school in bangkok. We need your recommendations where to advertise it effectively...where to hand out or post our leaflets,...etc. to the target.Please help recommend.

[Carmine6]

I and my girlfriend are setting up the thai language school in bangkok. We need your recommendations where to advertise it effectively...where to hand out or post our leaflets,...etc. to the target.Please help recommend.

Where's it located?

[bkkmei]

I think having a professional website is a good start.

[Pink Mist]

reckon I will relocate it to the appropriate section

[steveromagnino]

I and my girlfriend are setting up the thai language school in bangkok. We need your recommendations where to advertise it effectively...where to hand out or post our leaflets,...etc. to the target.Please help recommend.

Can you answer a few things?

- what qualification does you or your gF have to teach Thai

- what do you offer that existing schools (AUA, etc) do not

- what will you charge per hour

- what market are you going after (expat, corporate, backpacker etc)

- where are you located

- how many teachers do you have

- what is the school capacity

- how much total $$ do you have for marketing

- who are the key shareholders, and therefore what guarantees will students have that this is a legit long term business

Answer these basic questions (which will be presumably all laid out in your business plan) and I will be happy to tell you where I would advertise if I was in your position. Depending on your market and budget, the media plan will vary greatly.

[wasabi]

Unless you really have a way to differentiate yourself this may be a hard nut to crack. I don't know how much market there is for a new language school unless you find some market the various others aren't already catering to.

[blizzard]

leaflets?

troll?

buznit with gf?

[philliphn]

What method will you use to teach Thai language?

What is the curriculum?

[Carmine6]

In all seriousness, one thing I think odd is I've never seen Thai lessons geared toward tourists. I've seen courses for folks staying for a while or working, but an actual Thai for Tourists class I've never seen.

I'm sure they are around, but why couldn't they advertise at the tour desks at hotels? They have Thai cooking lessons. Why not some basic course teaching some phrases for shopping, travel, and social contacts? I would have taken it way back and I think lots of tourists would. You'd get to meet some other tourists in the class and get a little head start on trying to go it alone without a tour guide.

If they do advertise at those desks, then they really need to work on their graphics.

[raintree]

I and my girlfriend are setting up the thai language school in bangkok. We need your recommendations where to advertise it effectively...where to hand out or post our leaflets,...etc. to the target.Please help recommend.

Can you answer a few things?

- what qualification does you or your gF have to teach Thai

- what do you offer that existing schools (AUA, etc) do not

- what will you charge per hour

- what market are you going after (expat, corporate, backpacker etc)

- where are you located

- how many teachers do you have

- what is the school capacity

- how much total $$ do you have for marketing

- who are the key shareholders, and therefore what guarantees will students have that this is a legit long term business

Answer these basic questions (which will be presumably all laid out in your business plan) and I will be happy to tell you where I would advertise if I was in your position. Depending on your market and budget, the media plan will vary greatly.

[listenup]

The members on this forum do make me laugh sometimes... the OP asked for help on how to market his business, not how to run his business.

With the exception of carmine6, everyone just wasted there time by replying to this thread.

Anyway, back to the OP Q, here's some ideas on the top of my head on how you could promote your Thai language school in BKK:

WEB: Firstly, create a very detailed web site which will in able to you promote the site via banner advertising on Thai related sites (including here on TV), give Google adwords a try and also maybe do some keyword research to learn what people are typing into the Search engines to find language schools here in Bangkok (I recommend Wordtracker - search Google and you'll find it) and learn some SEO so you can get your site within the top search engines results. Another option is to look for Thai related Blogs, ask the blog owner if they would write a review of your site/business. To continue with the web thing, why not create a different site about Thailand (Shopping in Bangkok, Travel in Bangkok.. etc. etc.) which you can use to promote your site on - This just gives you another route to market your site. Another option would be to do some link exchanges with sites that offer services in Thailand (Taxi companies, cooking courses etc)

PRINT: There is a free mag with the Bangkok Post on a Friday, maybe ask them to give you a review. If you can think outside the box, and give them a good reason to review your business, they will give it a go (maybe use carmine6 for this). You'd be surprised how easy you can tweak your story so it's interesting, giving the publisher free content. There is also another free weekly mag that I can't think the name off you should check out. Also, maybe give Bangkok Post and The Nation classifieds a go. As for leaflets, I'd recommend getting some business cards printed, with either the 2008 calender on the back, or a list of some really useful numbers... people will then be more likley to keep these in there wallets in they have something of value to them - with your details on the other side of the card. Another idea is to partner up with business like restaurants/pubs/bars... these are the places farangs hang out... cut a deal that you'll pay for the business cards (there so cheap here) with your business on one side, and there's on another, if they will give you to each customer with there "check bin"

Just a few ideas!

Good luck!

[raintree]

hi....steveromanino :

Thanks for your huge scale of business plan to make things happenned!! I believe that the good businesses and good quality of teachings are not fully involved and started with the questions such...how many teachers, capacity, key shareholders we do have or other good institution or qualified individual teacher have ....For your comment, it sounds like unless we answer and prepare the whole things then we or other entrepreneur can get their businesses going. Lots of successful entrepreneurs worldwide started their business with 1 and 2 people who are determined and dare to make it happened rather await to answer every large scale question or obstacle. If you could recall some of good examples : founders of Amway created their businesses in the kitchen or garage by the people of 2, Microsoft,Mary Kay........blah blah.......Lots of simple ideas can generate the impact and success. If I have such huge funds, I will rather move to bangkok post, nations, bkk magazines or whatsoever that money can buy. Thanks anyway for your reply

My question may be too simple such...

- Where can I post my poster on or hand out my leaflet ? Which community's board? Where are they located? ....Japanese's community, US community, Dennis community, blah blah.. or church???

- The website is made...To upload it may be easy and not so expensive. But the tough question is how and where to advertise the website with the reasonable cost or nonfee to the right target audience? Google ads is quite expensive and are for massive target audience ( not specifically go to the expat or tourists in thailand).

- To run business involves very much with the marketing " How to get the target audience aware of the course and the class...and other info : location, cost,......they need to know " So that's why I have asked the question of how to market it not to run it. Running business at the routine operation : course design, methods of teaching, teachers, materials & equipments,.......are not so difficult tasks. But how to draw the consumers are really the key.

Thanks...for all too.

Edited August 21, 2007 by raintree

[blizzard]

i objecct.

its not only the responders who are wasting time it is also the original poster who is wasting everyones time. where to nail his posters? does anyone take posters nailed to something seriously.

[Lil_Jon]

Bangkok Post , Quick and Simple ..................

[blizzard]

you do know bkk post cost baht. nailing leaflets on poles more economical...............etc,etc.......

[Jersey_UK]

you do know bkk post cost baht. nailing leaflets on poles more economical...............etc,etc.......

Give money to prostitutes (stick that in yer business plan and present it to the Bank )

Or more accurately give kickbacks for punters they introduce and you sign up.

[JimmyCA]

The whole idea will flop. There is a glut of schools already

Stick with the hair salon angle

[blizzard]

yup, no shortage of hair salons in bkk. nevrmind there being 7 near to where i live....lol

[nemo38]

I have read that Thai people with existing businesses don't take kindly to competition. Is there any danger they will do something criminal to interfere with someone starting a language school? Particularly if there is an associated foreigner?

[Jimjim]

As for google ads, you can tailor your ads so that they will only pop up on pages accessed by people physically in Thailand. There are ways to narrow your audience and make it cheaper. But it takes a lot of tweaking. Once you have your website, you can advertise it here.