CLR4ILS
Well-Known Member
Alright, I responded to some marketing hype in another forum and realized it would be best posted in its own forum.
I will cut and paste my comments from the other forum here and the rest of you can join in with your ideas and comments. We all know that several thousand minds (however many members Doug has) are better than a few.
Positive comments please.....DE727....you are not allowed to play.
Just kidding...chime in.
[ QUOTE ]
They offer a good product, and if I could do it again, I would probably go the same route, but they need to figure out a way to market themselves better. Word of mouth just isnt going to cut it anymore.
[/ QUOTE ]
My response......
I too would definatley go the FSA route if I were to do it again. The training is by far the best I have seen in the industry.
As for the marketing of the school. You are absolutley correct. If New York doesn't wake up, the school is going to suffer tremendously.
I have spoken my opinion several times at the academy with respect to marketing and nothing has changed. Something needs to change.
The biggest problem are the ads posted by schools like Pan-am, DCA, and westwind. They lie through their teeth and make rediculous promises to get the numbers. By the time the student realizes that they have been screwed, it is either too late, or they are afraid to switch schools in the middle of training.
Flight Safety has ALWAYS been up front with their students and what they will recieve at the academy.....excellent training and the tools neccesary to make it in aviation, no more, no less.....
However, word of mouth will not cut it anymore. Here again are a couple of things I have noticed...
1. The "my dad told me to attend FSA" ads in the magazines go un-noticed. I have been told this by 5 students who did not know of FSA until I spoke of the academy. When asked where they learned of PA, DCA, Worstwind etc.....They said in the magazines. They thought FSA's ad was an article....
BTW...All 5 are either at FSA now or have just completed. No thanks neccesary, just a hug. Just darn happy to help a new aspiring pilot get good training.....
Suggestion:
Place new ads that talk about the programs, SIMS, upset attitude recovery training, Spatial disorientation training. Show pics of the academy, 120+ aircraft, SIMS etc. People are visual, let them see it.
2. People are really starting to complain about aviation training pricing. I know this is not easy to adjust with all of the expensive top notch facilities that we have coupled with the fuel prices BUT...... If you can offer the same great training, new facilities and aircraft priced just below people like Pan-scam then you will see the enrollment. Of course you will have to get them to notice FSA with your new attention grabbing ads .
My biggest suggestion....
A mass media blitz......
Now is the perfect time of the year to change the ads, lower the pricing (just enough), pound the internet with the new site (especially on JC), and have one hell of a marketing party/rally. Hire on some new motivated blood to tour the schools (no offense Jay, we love you, of course they will work under your supervision) and get FSA's name out there once again.
What about a Flight Safety Academy fly in????? Like a field day so to speak. Maybe Doug will sponsor it....
The quality is there, and when they tour the facilities they will see it.
Sign me up.... There are 5 FSA grads here in AZ that will handle the Phoenix area for a few hours in that ERJ Sim..
ILS
Some more helpful hints to the marketing department.
I pulled a search on google titled "flight training".
Pan-am came up, some other smaller schools, but no Flight Safety Academy.
The Flight Safety International website showed up on the first page but that is worthless to the academy. The corporate website is hard to navigate through to get to the academy website.
Make sure you talk to your webmaster and have he/she change your "key" words for search so that FSA "the academy" comes up when people search numerous titles such .......Flight training, flight training Florida, Commercial pilot training etc...
Hope this helps....
ILS
I will cut and paste my comments from the other forum here and the rest of you can join in with your ideas and comments. We all know that several thousand minds (however many members Doug has) are better than a few.
Positive comments please.....DE727....you are not allowed to play.
Just kidding...chime in.
[ QUOTE ]
They offer a good product, and if I could do it again, I would probably go the same route, but they need to figure out a way to market themselves better. Word of mouth just isnt going to cut it anymore.
[/ QUOTE ]
My response......
I too would definatley go the FSA route if I were to do it again. The training is by far the best I have seen in the industry.
As for the marketing of the school. You are absolutley correct. If New York doesn't wake up, the school is going to suffer tremendously.
I have spoken my opinion several times at the academy with respect to marketing and nothing has changed. Something needs to change.
The biggest problem are the ads posted by schools like Pan-am, DCA, and westwind. They lie through their teeth and make rediculous promises to get the numbers. By the time the student realizes that they have been screwed, it is either too late, or they are afraid to switch schools in the middle of training.
Flight Safety has ALWAYS been up front with their students and what they will recieve at the academy.....excellent training and the tools neccesary to make it in aviation, no more, no less.....
However, word of mouth will not cut it anymore. Here again are a couple of things I have noticed...
1. The "my dad told me to attend FSA" ads in the magazines go un-noticed. I have been told this by 5 students who did not know of FSA until I spoke of the academy. When asked where they learned of PA, DCA, Worstwind etc.....They said in the magazines. They thought FSA's ad was an article....
BTW...All 5 are either at FSA now or have just completed. No thanks neccesary, just a hug. Just darn happy to help a new aspiring pilot get good training.....
Suggestion:
Place new ads that talk about the programs, SIMS, upset attitude recovery training, Spatial disorientation training. Show pics of the academy, 120+ aircraft, SIMS etc. People are visual, let them see it.
2. People are really starting to complain about aviation training pricing. I know this is not easy to adjust with all of the expensive top notch facilities that we have coupled with the fuel prices BUT...... If you can offer the same great training, new facilities and aircraft priced just below people like Pan-scam then you will see the enrollment. Of course you will have to get them to notice FSA with your new attention grabbing ads .
My biggest suggestion....
A mass media blitz......
Now is the perfect time of the year to change the ads, lower the pricing (just enough), pound the internet with the new site (especially on JC), and have one hell of a marketing party/rally. Hire on some new motivated blood to tour the schools (no offense Jay, we love you, of course they will work under your supervision) and get FSA's name out there once again.
What about a Flight Safety Academy fly in????? Like a field day so to speak. Maybe Doug will sponsor it....
The quality is there, and when they tour the facilities they will see it.
Sign me up.... There are 5 FSA grads here in AZ that will handle the Phoenix area for a few hours in that ERJ Sim..
ILS
Some more helpful hints to the marketing department.
I pulled a search on google titled "flight training".
Pan-am came up, some other smaller schools, but no Flight Safety Academy.
The Flight Safety International website showed up on the first page but that is worthless to the academy. The corporate website is hard to navigate through to get to the academy website.
Make sure you talk to your webmaster and have he/she change your "key" words for search so that FSA "the academy" comes up when people search numerous titles such .......Flight training, flight training Florida, Commercial pilot training etc...
Hope this helps....
ILS
