What electronic avenues do you utilize to market your on-site and on-line CE classes (in addition to your own web site)? Where do you feel that you can get the best results in terms of on-line marketing?
Are there any on-line CE calendars that you find to be useful tools for marketing your classes? Have you tracked your referrals to see how beneficial it is for you to post to those calendars?
Do you use any marketing tools available through ABMP for marketing your CE classes? If so, have you tracked your return on investment?

Please feel free to contact me directly with your responses.

Warmly, Ariana Vincent, Ariana Institute
www.arianainstitute.com/contact.htm

On the AMTA site you can post your course for free. ABMP charges $175 for a year- post as many classes as you want, just to start with...

ABMP also offers the service of listing CE courses for free. For more information call 800-458-2267;email expectmore@abmp.com; or visit www.abmp.com

Nancy- so its too late to advertise for a class in June 2010 in the PERG, Right?

Debra- Is the free ABMP listing for all or members only? I will try to look for it. This is the link for the ABMP paid advertising: www.advertising.abmp.com
This is the link for the AMTA look for the tub "add and event" http://www.amtamassage.org/LearnnEarn/event.aspx?mode=3

Yes, Eeris. The PERG Issue that comes out in July would advertise August through next Feb classes. Ads are due May 14th. CE Providers do quite well with it.

Another suggestion is Massage Today magazine that publishes an event calendar both in print and on-line. Here is a link to the information: http://www.mpamedia.com/online/calendar.php.
Thanks for the information about the other sources!

I've advertised about 15-20 classes/year for myself and some colleagues in Massage Today for the past 3 years, and got absolutely no response from it. Have any of you had beetter results?

I have gotten several registrations from advertising in the AMTA calendar.

QUESTIONS ABOUT COMTA

Wondering if COMTA accredidation and Title IV funding approval are two different processes?

If you are COMTA accredited you can apply for Title IV Funding. Yes, 2 different processes.

OK, I removed my previous post about the PERG because had a price in it and therefore it was considered advertising, which is not allowed. So I am not sure where the line is re postings, but PERG is the best advertising for your money. If you plan to offer continuing education courses for massage therapists and bodyworkers in Illinois, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, or Northern Florida, you can advertise your classes in the PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION & RESOURCE GUIDE. The PERG, as the publication has come to be called, is mailed to all licensed massage therapists in the edition region free of charge. Contact me at weinberger@mindspring.com if you would like more information.

here are some tips on free publicity, but it takes more work...if you have a unique course offering then you have a point of human interest. If you are timid about self promotion ask a friend or colleague to make these calls for you...check with the local media (news papers, TV, Radio, Tabloids, Spiritual News, general interest and Tourist Magazines as well as the trade mags and web posts... etc...) and ask if they have an editor/reporter who would like to hear about a great story item...then out line your bio and the "WOW' factor of your course info .... make an appointment to be interviewed...bring your printed promo packet (brochure/business card/web page/tear sheets from other articles etc..). You do not need to promote exclusively to your target market..therapists...all the time,....most massage therapists are looking for CE courses and will eventually find the course they are interested in....try promoting to the client ...describe your delicious modality and encourage the client to request the service with phrases like...'if you therapist does not know this modality have them give me a call about classes'...
and just one more option...most local TV stations look for information on the calendar of events or human interest story..offer a free session to a reporter and ask for a public critique of your modality...they will be melted and enjoy every moment if you have a quality modality to offer...These live interviews are quickly forgotten but a print ad that says 'as seen on TV' can be a boost to your validity...
and of course more is better...the more places your logo and name appear, the more exposure you get, the more free publicity you get...

Thanks Jenny!

Any tips about getting the Media attention, Jenny? I had no luck so far, even with some good connections..

I have been advertising Cont Ed courses in PERG consistently for many years now. It gets into the hands of EVERY therapist a state has on file, not just members of associations. It is a catalog specific for Cont Ed only, with a cross index for dates and/or ethics classes in the back(catalogs are less likely to be thrown away than postcards, brochures, etc..). Everytime we advertise in PERG we get a considerable return on our investment. Other than search engines, this is the only marketing we spend money on.

Hi Eeris, I have been fortunate with free promotion because the course I teach is pretty unique...and I have a good friend with a gift-for-gab that makes the calls and sells the media outlets on my story...I have had some blips on local evening news in the human interest story and got some nice write ups from local papers as a 'new business' when I incorporated the company... one great article in North West Woman's magazine about women owned businesses and an article was published in a state news paper..in Ireland the 'Top-o-The Mornin' show (like our Good Morning America) did a great segment with demonstration and interview, they gave me a copy of the video which I have used to front other interviews....everytime I teach out of town I ask the host to contact the local media (paper, radio, tv...since they need to do so many public interest programs a year to meet FAA regulations) and ask them to invite someone to class for observation and interview...this has led to front page articles in Denmark's Elle Magazine and Japan's 'Aroumatopis'...a call to the local radio morning coffee chat thing, got a 15 minute interview as folks were going to work..all of these were to the general public and I encouraged folks to ask their practitioners for 'Stone Medicine' by name...and say 'just Google us'...when the name is Googled I'm at the top or close to it..,so have picked up a few students from this type of promotion...the national massage magazines that have done articles/interviews are directed to our profession and draw better result...I have been at this a long time and that begins to generate word of mouth...I go to some ISPA shows and set up a booth and also do local 'Body, Mind, Spirit' shows...it is all a process...
Best of Luck,...and always have business cards on hand!!...J

Okay, I stand corrected! Can't remember where I thought I read that ABMP's CE Calendar advertising was free. My humblest apologies.

Hi Debra,

If you're interested in posting courses on ABMP's Online CE Calendar and reaching ABMP's 70,000 members, the cost is $175 for both members and non-members. Unfortunately we do not have any free options. For more detailed information on what is included in that price, please visit http://www.massageandbodywork.com/advertising.htm and click on the Continuing Education Opportunities link. I can also provide you with a temporary password/ID number to view the calendar on ABMP.com if you would like as the calendar is accessible only to current ABMP members.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any additional questions - I am happy to help!

Kind regards,

Jodi Hardee
Advertising Manager
Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals
Associated Skin Care Professionals
800-458-2267, ext. 621
jodi@abmp.com

possibly you were thinking of ATMA?

1. Go to AMTA web site home page http://www.amtamassage.org/
2. Click on the Continuing Education Tab at the top of the page
3. Scroll down to the Onsite Training box
1. Click on the Learn’N Earn Continuing Education Calendar in this box
4. Click on Add An Event
5. Then add each course, one by one
It is that easy for FREE marketing with the AMTA. and also another one that is free...Go to http://ceucompass.com/ and click on "Presenters". http://ceucompass.com/presenters/index.php
I try to post to these for the US courses, but to be honest I have never gotten any students...but it is free..your courses might do better than mine...
Jenny

Thank you Jenny for the full instructions on this topic! Easy to tell you are an instructor. I appreciate your sharing, very informative.

Free and paid listings available at http://www.celocator.com/

NC Massage School launching a new program this spring.
Seeking Experienced, Qualified & Motivational instructors for Medical massage and A&P.
Reply to gloria@privaiacademy.com with a resume.
An interview and presentation demo will be scheduled.

Hello all,

Is anyone looking for venues in which to offer continuing ed classes in the greater Seattle area? I just found 2 venues that could work. Here are their websites:

www.friendsphilosophyandtea.ning.com - Their space is big and beautiful, $50/hour, $300/day cap, or join their co-op paying $250/month for unlimited (I believe) number of hours per year. it's in Bellevue

The Center in Lakewood
http://lakewoodcenter.ning.com/
500-600 square feet, hard wood floors, room was originally built as a dance studio. $20/hour

Hello Everyone,
I have a question for all of you. I am currently scouting locations for a series of classes. I have found that when the food is included and you do not have to go out teh class time flows better everyone seems happier. Which would you prefer a seminar that includes meals/break snacks/ coffe for a higher fee or just the seminar and food is up to you for a lower fee?

I include potluck lunches as part of the classes I teach, with the option for people to bring a bag lunch or go out on their own instead. this works very well and helps people relate to each other as full people rather than just soaking up information in class.

I love potlucks as well. Everyone shares in the food and drink and no raising of the prices works real well for me.

Aloha, Have you CE teachers seen a drop in enrollment this year? In the 3 classes I taught in New England last year I had 10-12 students in each class. So far this year in spite of increasing my advertising and creating a strong website I have only 2 or 3 enrolled in each class. However, enrollment in my WA classes is about the same or even better than last year. I'm wondering that the national trend is. thanks. Barbara Helynn Heard www.lomilomi-massage.org.

Barbara,

Do you think that because courses are now offered online, that this might impact enrollment in traditional face-to-face courses?

Most major associations have begun offering online courses (as CEUs).

yes course numbers are down world wide...my normal gatherings are 12-20 and in the last few months average is 8-10...fear of the economy seems to be the trend...don't feel the home study or distant learning has anything to do with it as these are only supplemental courses and don't impact the same target market...one possibility is that the options/modalities and number of courses are expanding while the number of new practitioners is holding steady...? hope it's just a temporary trend as 'road warrior' is hard work and folks need to be compensated fairly if they plan to continue this work....

Blended or hybrid classroom and online education brings the best of both educational delivery systems together. Mosby publishing has responded by creating comprehensive online courses to accompany two major textbooks used in massage education. Essential Sciences for Therapeutic Massage (sandy fritz) and Susan Salvo's pathology text. Each book comes with a delivery platform through the accompanying Evolve site- every thing is there including all course management such as grade book, attendance tracking, discussion boards and more. These courses are very inexpensive, professionally done and require nothing more than providing the course. Online education does not need to be difficult or expensive to implement. .

New York State does not allow online education in the schools; even hybrid science courses. I don't know if they'll allow online education for continuing education once the new CE mandate passes the legislature. Their view is that since massage therapy is a hands-on profession, it requires the development of communication skills so they want education to emphasize the interpersonal aspects.

This is unfortunate and may change in the future. Online learning is everywhere and while you cannot teach the hands on portion of massage online you can teach the lecture portion and much of the sciences online as well as pathology. Textbooks that offer these courses can be of help for students who struggle with reading comprehension and could be part of homework assignments. The are only about $25-$30 when bought with the textbooks.

Sandy is right. And with online learning, students can review a lesson multiple times, view related animations, click on an audio glossary to learn how to pronounce key terms, and complete numerous activities that reinforce course objectives.

Currently, college, universities, and many other educational institutions are utilizing online education. It’s just another way of learning. All of my master's level classes have an online component. In fact, all other health care professions are utilizing online education as part of their primary education.

Presently, there is a huge demand for electronic delivery of instruction, which includes online learning. Most articles published on online and distance learning and student achievement agreed with Thomas L. Russell who stated that there is “no significant difference” between face-to-face learning and learning via technology (Meyer, 2003).

We live in a world of constant technologic advancement. Keeping up with the terms and tools available can be a daunting task, especially for us instructors and educators. However, new technologies can afford us unprecedented means to communicate and educate our students. It is essential to develop our methods to match our resources (which Sandy and I have done). Think about it this way: learning to drive isn’t easy, but it will take you places.

I’m excited about all this.

Meyer, K. A. (2003) The Web’s impact on Student Learning: A Review of Recent Research Reveals Three Areas That Can Enlighten Current Online Learning Practices, T.H.E. Journal, 30(10), 14-24.

At my community college, we use Blackboard, ePortfolio, Soft Chalk, YouTube, and other online delivery systems as part of our pedagogy, but for Massage Therapy, in compliance with state massage regs, we do not offer online or hybrid courses. Most of us post our Power Points and handouts and so forth on Blackboard for our classes. All the NY school owners and directors have been discussing proposing hybrid courses for the sciences, but we actually have agreed that we do not want to fight for online massage courses, even for massage theory. It remains to be seen how the state massage board will view continuing ed since the regs state 1000 "classroom" hours for the license -- the 36 hrs of continuing ed might not be "classroom" hours.

There is lots of data and research studies out there in support of blended learning. Let us know if you need any help in the future.

Thanks, Susan! I appreciate the offer. I teach in a City University of New York community college in one of boroughs of NYC. We have resources up the ying/yang. I am currently involved in a 2-semester instructional technology seminar with colleagues, who, like myself, have been involved with distance/internet learning since the 1980s. It's fascinating how this has evolved over the years and how the current "millennial" generation has grown up with computers and cell phones the way we grew up with TV (while some us had parents who only grew up with radio). In a massage lab class, all I really need is a table, sheets, and a bottle of oil, but for lecture, research, homework, students want online resources; they don't want books any more they want vids and podcasts. It's a lot of fun...

Both Susan and I have been authors on online courses for our textbooks. In fact Susan did a couple of modules for the Essential Science for Therapeutic Massage as well as the course for the pathology textbook. I know that the online course for Essential Sciences can present a stronger platform for this content than individuals in traditional classrooms that are uncertain of the content. Quality is what counts. There are boring online courses. It is a real challenge to create online content that is engaging, though provoking, teaches critical thinking, follows concepts of adult learning and learning systems such as Blooms Taxonomy. The publisher, Elsievier provided expert support, almost unlimited resources such as high quality animations and much more. I would not recommend attempting to create a course on your own, It is a real project. Besides the way Elsivier is doing it the cost is so affordable. These courses will run on blackboard systems if you have them but you do not need to use them. .

Susan asked me to pop on here and tell people about the online learning experience for her Pathology course (I was one of the trial participants for her research). It was incredibly well done.

The best aspects of it were:
- The variety in the presentation of the material. Written material, cool graphics. links to little snippets in interesting info, videos and different formats of quizzes. It even had crossword puzzles on there. It had an entertainment value to the learning experience. It was cool and pretty dang impressive.
- The way in which the material was presented made it so that you covered a lot of material, at your own pace, without realizing you'd covered it until the end of the module, while at the same time never feeling like you were overwhelmed with information.
- Real world application - actual cases were brought in which would represent a real world situation. This was missing in my basic education and I know I would have benefitted from it. It involved using analytical skills for a real world application.
- The volume of information on the course was amazing, but the way it was divided up into different areas/modules/pages on the site was cool.
- Research was referred to for specific items.
- As with any online class, I could do it at my own pace, but I've only ever done courses online for computer apps and tools, which was along the old lines of read stuff, do stuff then do a quiz. Her course brought variety and fun into it. It made an incredible difference to the online learning experience.
It's the way of the future, for sure.

Noting the topic, I thought I'd chip in on an upcoming conference -- one that has a couple of upcoming online previews (as well as a past one captured) and that will also have parts of it virtually available. This is the Emerging Technologies for Online Learning Symposium, jointly put on by the Sloan Consortium, Merlot, and Moodle. Sloan-C also has a LinkedIn Group.

I follow a lot on Twitter about technology that's disruptive to past thoughts about how education is done. This is one of the articles, I'd retweeted in the past week or so. As the article, on telepresence, discusses, remote education can no longer be considered to be less interactive than being physically present -- it may actually be more interactive. On the other hand, as Sandy notes, it's still best to teach physical/kinesthetic skills in the physical world. The article on the diminishing economic benefit of a college degree from the Chronicles of Higher Education is also good for provoking a though or two.

The disruptive effect that technology is likely to have in the next decade isn't just limited to education. I just finished up a blog post on technology and shopping for clothes.

It's been so itneresting to read all of the discussions about online learning. I thought you all might like to view a portion of our two courses. You can find a module of Susan Salvo's Pathology course at:

https://evolve.elsevier.com/productPages/i_1809_5490.html

and you can view a module from Sandy Fritz's Essential Sciences course at:

https://evolve.elsevier.com/productPages/i_1529_5271.html

When the page pulls up, just click on "Preview sample content" and you'll be given access to a complete module. If anyone has questions, just ask Sandy, Susan, or me.

Thanks Kelly. I think that when people get a chance to see what a really good online course is like they will love it.

Another thing to consider...The resources you have mentioned do a great job of providing support materials for classroom activities if they are self-paced. Another facet that is very important to consider is instructor-led online training. In many cases this is where the hybrid education model excels. Discussion groups, online interaction, and use of social media for greater communication are all benefits of an instructor-facilitated course. Those elements create outstanding learning opportunities, but do require more knowledge about online education on the part of the instructors.

Hey Whitney, the online courses that Elsevier designed possess those interactive opportunities between students and their instructors. The learning opportunities are limitless.

For example, you can use the discussion questions 1) Sandy and I created, 2) instructors can create and post there own, or 3) you can require students to design the "question of the wk" and rotate who facilitates the discussions (giving them more of a leadership role).

The course comes with an implementation guide for instructors and a sample syllabus. There is even a discussion board rubric to help instructors with grading discussion questions, case studies, and exams. The discussion board rubric includes points for regular postings and the quality of the responses.

The platform I use (which is free from Elsevier) is very similar to Blackboard. This was a bonus for me as I was quite familiar with Blackboard (this is what is used at the university I attend).

And when students open their page, they can view their progress with the course.

Instructors can make course documents and exams viewable during certain times to coincide with classroom lectures and hide them once the course is complete (you don’t have to do it that way, but the course administrator has this and many more options).

As you can see, I am quite excited. I get even more excited when I hear from students how much they like it and how much more confident they feel with the materials.

I hope to post a youtube video for students and another for instructors.

And thanks again, Vlad, for participating in my research study last semester. I got an "A."

Really well said Susan. We have been using the evolve sites that come with the textbooks (mine of course) at my school for three years now. The class management system has all the whistles and bells. I have also implimented the online course for Essential Science in a hybrid format with a dedicated teach. The instructor posts a discussion board question every week based on content and the students respond., the evolve site is able to track how long a student is on the site, what there activity is on the discussion board, and how they are performing against milestones and exams. The discussion board is also where questions are posted for the instructor who then responds back on the board so all students can follow- just like a classroom. There is a chat room, a place for team activities and so much more. I will admit that there is a learning curve and we are still in it but the design of the site and the course is that you can get started right away and learn as you go.

Sandy and Whitney, I loved the online World Massage Conference. I'm hoping to show my stud ents all the online classes during the next summer months. Now if I could convince the school owners to invest in wireless classrooms! How many people work in 'techno savy' massage schools? I have to bring my own equipment at my school, although we do have projectors for Power Point.

Hey Kelly,

Does your school have internet? That is really the biggest expense because it is a monthly bill. Wireless can be added to any internet system for about $100.

But really, wireless capability is not necessary (it’s just convenient). But students do need access to a computer and Internet at home. Additionally, all public libraries and many restaurants and coffee shops have computers and wireless for their customers to use.

At our school, we have a 1) classroom computer, 2) internet hookup with a 3) projector and a 4) screen. We bought these items 3 years ago for a grand total of less than $2000 (amortize that over 36 months and it’s quite low cost).

During orientation, the instructor demonstrates how to log in and navigate through the course. Questions are answered by the students as they arise.

Then students take turns “driving” at the classroom computer so the instructor can "ck for understanding."

The syllabus (which features blended learning or both online and classroom instruction) is distributed and discussed. From this, students know when they must complete select modules, participate in discussion boards, turn in case studies, complete exams, or what ever else you want to include in your course.

Good luck and I hope you dive in soon. The water’s fine.

And we are here to help if you feel like you are sinking.

Another thing to keep in mind if you are at an accredited school, everything must be disclosed up front, such as the need for computer access. I'm always surprised, as a provider of online courses, at how many people do not have computers at home, or are in such rural areas that they don't have adequate access, or they don't have a new enough computer to open the media files. To say they can go to the library or stay at school longer is challenging in this economy, when work or family beckons.

This does not suggest you not explore online education, it's just suggests that there are additional considerations to take into account.

Thanks for clarifying that point, Jan.

Yes, the course orientation module discusses browser, monitor settings, plug ins, and technology minimums such as RAM and Hard Disk space.

While there are plenty of graphics in the course, it is not so graphic intensive that it would bog down even a computer that is five years old. Graphic and video size was taken into account when designing the course.

The syllabus includes these types of statements: Access to a computer and reliable internet connection is essential. Students are expected to have an email account and check this account weekly. Students are expected access the course module, complete assigned lessons, and participate in class activites, and complete and submit any assignments using a computer on a weekly basis.

And yes, we just altered our catalog to “disclose” the need for a computer and internet access.

So far, we have not had a student unwilling or unable to meet these requirements. But some students do come to class early or leave later to use our classroom computer -- but this is rare and most often because, while they have a computer at home, it is quieter at school or they have children that monopolize their computer. ;-)

Good point, Jan, this issue arises all the time at my college, which is a large, public community college. For us, it's not a rural issue, but urban. The campus is wireless, there are computer centers, but many students' lives are very complicated. They don't all own computers, they don't all have the wherewithal to go to a computer center. They might have 2-hr commutes to school plus jobs and families. These students obviously would not opt for online or hybrid courses, and it helps to have options for homework assignments for classroom courses.

Jan, hope you are in the mood for an interesting story…

While the course was in Beta stage, I pulled it up on the classroom computer and began showing the students. That day, we were using it like a supped up powerpoint where students could play games, discuss case studies as a class, and watch amazing videos. BTW, this is another way instructors might consider. It made the ppt very interactive.

While watching the videos, of the students noticed that some had transcripts running along side and others did not. This particular student worked in Baton Rouge in the Student Services department at LSU. She looked at me and said, “Ya know, Ms. Susan, if you placed transcripts on all the screens with animations and videos, this course would meet many of the ADA requirements." ADA stands for American with Disabilities Act.

I gave her BIG hug, and then made a phone call. All animations and videos have transcripts.

Susan, I agree that it is important to add script someplace, either on the same screen or as a supplement so those who are hearing impaired can follow along. Compliance with Section 508 is another challenge to meet when considering online education.