Marketing Growth Strategies

Successful businesses know that they have to keep up with the latest trends to maintain their competitive advantage. Small Business Trends shares some marketing growth strategies that could help your school to prosper:

1. Mobile dominance. Over the past few years, mobile has overtaken desktop in usage and search—especially among younger users. As a result, there was a big push in 2016 for small businesses to ensure that their websites were optimized for mobile browsing. (Note that, as your traffic safety education curriculum provider, Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., develops sites and courses that are mobile-friendly!) You might also consider looking into alternative payment methods, such as Square, to help you collect tuition from students of your classroom-based courses on-site at the time of the class.
2. Data-informed decision-making. Much has been made lately about "big data" and the need for business to become "data-driven." But most organizations—especially small ones—lack the sophisticated and expensive tools needed to fully embrace this strategy. But data doesn't always know best; insights from data analysis should be paired with your existing knowledge base and the opinions of experienced team members. You should, however, always track the effectiveness of your efforts, and be willing to make changes as needed to ensure success.
3. Better blogging and social media. You may already regularly be generating content for your website and/or social media accounts. But audiences are starting to notice the difference between noise and valuable posts. If your content isn't helpful and exciting, you'll have trouble getting customers and prospects to engage. And don't forget to monitor the data on the effectiveness of your marketing and advertising activities to improve the performance of your next campaign.

The original article offers some further tips. Check it out to learn how to get your school on the path to marketing success!

100 Deadlist Days for Teen Drivers

Ah, summer! Temperatures rise, schools let out for the season, and motorists hit the highways for vacation road trips. Students might view it as the optimum time to fulfill their driver training requirements. And teen drivers look to exercise their freedom and newfound driving privileges by taking to the streets. But the extra traffic and inexperienced drivers can prove tragic.

A recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that there are an average of 10 fatalities due to injuries from a crash involving a teen driver every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year. Worse still, the study notes that 60% of teen crashes involve driver distraction—and were, therefore, likely to have been easily preventable!

Make sure that you're reinforcing the following points to your students:

• All vehicle occupants should always wear their safety belt. It's required by law in most places. But even in jurisdictions where the seat belt laws are a little more lax, it's still a good great idea! Safety belts are quick and easy to use, and they are the single most effective way to save lives and reduce the severity of injuries in motor vehicle crashes. Statistically, wearing safety belts doubles the chances of surviving a crash and more than doubles the chances of avoiding serious injury.
• Don't be tempted by distractions. A study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that drivers who text message while driving are 23 times more likely to get into a collision or a near-collision than undistracted drivers. And research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that even hands-free technology is anything but risk-free. Furthermore, many states now prohibit any mobile device use by young drivers. Of course, those are just the tech-related distractions; there are plenty of other things to divert drivers' awareness. Some activities require our full attention—and driving is one of those activities.
• Keep your speed under control. Driving at speeds in excess of posted limits accounts for most traffic citations. And, aside from driving while impaired by alcohol or other drugs, about the most reckless thing a driver can do is drive too fast for the existing conditions. Speeding nearly triples the likelihood that a driver will be involved in a crash or near-crash. It reduces a driver's ability to steer safely around curves or obstructions in the roadway, extends stopping distances, and increases the distance traveled while the driver reacts to a dangerous situation. Worse yet, when speeding is a contributing factor in a collision, the bodily harm and property damage is frequently more extreme than average. Always obey all posted speed limits and be mindful of the Basic Speed Law, which states that a vehicle may never be driven faster than is safe for the prevailing conditions.
• Don't be reckless behind the wheel. When you're out of control, you're…well, out of control. And it's always good to be in control when you're behind the wheel. Whether you're trying to show off for your friends or just enjoy the "rush" of driving at the edge of your vehicle's performance envelope, driving recklessly is extremely dangerous!
• Never drink (or use other drugs) and drive. Perhaps the most dangerous—and most irresponsible—thing you could ever do as a motorist is to drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Roughly 10,000 lives are lost in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes each year in the United States—about a third of all traffic fatalities annually. Moreover, it's against the law for teens to consume alcohol, whether they're driving or not. Most states have some sort of Zero Tolerance law, and these regulations are strictly enforced. Unless you want your driver license to be short-lived, stay sober and safe behind the wheel!

By following these simple tips, we can help to prevent senseless crash-related deaths during the 100 Deadliest Days, as well as the rest of the year!

Develop a Marketing Plan

Companies don't just stumble upon customers—at least, not a lot of them. If you'd like to see your business increase, it's time to put some thought into attracting more prospects. Having a successful marketing plan will help to ensure that you're allocating your resources wisely and growing your client base to enhance profitability. Bloomfire offers the following tips based on the latest marketing trends:

1. Increase your social media advertising budget. Paid advertising on social media is hardly a new concept; it's possible you’ve been doing it for years. But changes in the world of social media—particularly Facebook—have led those networks to limit the effectiveness of organic reach in order to grow their paid advertising efforts. 2017 is expected to see a year-over-year increase of a whopping 33.5% on social media advertising spending. Keep up with the trend by boosting your social media budget, because you can bet your competitors will be doing so.
2. Produce more niche content. More content is published on a daily basis than ever before. This makes it nearly impossible for small companies to compete when it comes to broad content topics. There's just too much of it out there. But the key is the decline in the caliber of that mass-produced content. You can still reach prospects by identifying a narrow, more targeted crowd and producing high-quality content with their interests in mind.
3. Make more videos. Excellent video cameras are now available in many smartphones, making video production easier and more cost effective than ever. And four times as many customers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it. Moreover, one in four consumers actually loses interest in a company if it doesn’t have videos, and customers are nearly 50% more likely to read email newsletters that include links to a video. As you develop your marketing plan, give some thought to what content could be (better) delivered through a video.

The original article offers some more suggestions for more aggressive marketers. Check it out! But these tips will get your started toward a more successful operation.

Great, Low-Cost Guerilla Marketing Ideas

Put gorilla guerrilla marketing techniques
to good use and boost your sales!

We understand that, as smaller businesses, traffic schools don't have the marketing budgets of huge, multi-national corporations. But drumming up business doesn't have to be expensive, time-consuming, or difficult—if you get creative. To inspire you, we wanted to share this excellent article on Cost-Effective Guerilla Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses!

Guerilla marketing is about mesmerizing your audience with beauty or curiosity while delivering a strong message.

Put your imagination to work and drum some business for yourself this new year! (And please feel free to share in the comments section any successes you've had attracting new customers!)

Important Notification: Quarterly Report Update

Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) has had to modify our back-end code in response to a readjustment of completion reporting parameters. As a result…

If you prepared and mailed your Quarterly Report for Q4 2016 to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) prior to 5pm on Wed., Jan. 18, 2017, you must go into your account on CACourseProvider.com and reprint only the "Student List" document. Mail the reprinted Student List to the DMV along with a brief note asking them to replace your previously submitted Student List for Q4 2016 with the document enclosed with that letter.

If you have already prepared your Quarterly Report for Q4 2016 but have not mailed it yet, reprint the Student List and replace the old version with the new version before submitting to the DMV.

If you have any questions, please contact Chris (800 . 487 . 1699 or email Chris) or Tara (800 . 863 . 2590 or email Tara).

We apologize for any confusion this may cause.

"Temporary" 2017 Curriculum Updates

As your curriculum provider, Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is in the process of updating its traffic safety curricula to reflect new laws taking effect in California at the beginning of this year. We are still waiting on final word from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as to precisely what language they'd like included with the updates. In an attempt to ensure that you have the latest information, however, we are issuing a temporary update to our traffic violator school (TVS) curricula at this time. A "permanent" update will be issued once we have clarification from the DMV.

Internet Curriculum Update

Your Internet-based curriculum has been updated to reflect the latest information, and your students are using it now. No further action is required for this modality.

Booklet Curriculum Update

Those of you who are offering the home study booklet must ensure that you are providing students with updated curriculum materials. Download from the CA Course Provider administrative website (login required) the temporary booklet insert file(s) you need and include the appropriate document with every book order that you ship. Again, "permanent" updates (including an expanded insert and a 2017-edition booklet and student materials) will be made available once we obtain clarification on updates from DMV.

Classroom Curriculum Update

Updated classroom materials will be made available as soon as possible. In the meantime, your instructors can review the temporary booklet inserts, and deliver that new information in any classes taught.

How to Promote Your Small Business Event

Every small business wants to draw a customer-friendly crowd to an event it's hosting. The key is to match your time and energy with your needs. It takes time and effort to plan an event, so make sure you have the resources to devote to its planning and execution. You'll also want to pick a time that's appropriate for your customers. Once you have the basics figured out, it's time to send out the invitations. Here are a few tips and tactics to spread the word quickly and easily.

Use the Appropriate
Social Media Tools

These days, social media offer a free and easy way to let your customers know about an upcoming event. You can create a Facebook event; or if you have a paper invitation you're going to send in the mail, take a picture of it and post it on Instagram or Pinterest. You could also try Twitter-based tools such as TweetVite or TweetMyEvents.

Don't Ignore Traditional Media

While many people now gravitate toward social media, don't overlook the traditional newspaper or local radio and television stations. Not all of your prospects use social media, so it's important utilize several information channels. Many media outlets have "community calendars" in which you can list your event for free. You could also send a press release to local journalists who might be interested in covering the event.

Create a Calendar Invitation

Speaking of calendars…

Once your event details are set, you'll want to send an email to your loyal customers reminding them to attend. By sending out a calendar invitation (via Google or on your iOS device), you can ensure the event will automatically go directly into your customers' daily schedule.

Let's Party!

So, what are you waiting for? Host the bash of a lifetime and show your customers and prospects what you can do to help them!

DMV Operator Course Costs

In order to offset cost increases related to the maintenance and delivery of the California Traffic School Operator Program (via DMVOperatorCourse.com), Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is being forced to increase prices for these professional education courses for original and renewal Traffic Violator School (TVS) Operator license applicants.

We are pleased to announce, however, that TSC will continue to offer generous preferential treatment to those TVSs that participate in our affiliate program. Operators of TVSs licensing TSC's outstanding traffic school curriculum—in any modality—will receive a 50% discount off of the regular tuition price for either course. And you'll naturally benefit from all of the other valuable features of the program: ongoing access to the course reading material (as an always-up-to-date, common-language reference for DMV regulations) and support and guidance from our helpful and knowledgeable affiliate administrative staff.

To claim your discount, simply click the special link to DMVOperatorCourse.com (under the "TVS License Renewal" header) at the bottom of the home page of your CACourseProvider account. This link will take you to DMVOperatorCourse.com and your affiliate discount will automatically be applied at checkout. This is the only way you will be able to claim your affiliate discount on the renewal (4-hour) course.

Furthermore, one original completion certificate will be included in the cost of course tuition. However, duplicate original certificates will be available at a low price.

The new pricing structure will be effective starting January 1, 2017.

Counseling Position Open

As your curriculum provider, Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is constantly looking for new business opportunities and ways that we can expand our product offerings. We always want to include our affiliate family in these ventures, and even look to partner with individual affiliates for the good of all when an opening presents itself.

Toward that end, TSC is looking for a partner with the following qualifications:

• a bachelor's degree in counseling, social work, psychology, education, or a related field, and a minimum of two (2) years' experience in dealing with family, parenting, and divorce-related issues; or
• a minimum of four (4) years related work experience in dealing with family, parenting, and divorce-related issues.

If you meet these qualifications and are interested in partnering with TSC to expand your business, please contact our Chief Operating Officer, Lawrence Gentilucci, by email at lawrence@trafficeducation.net or by calling 1‑800‑653‑9200.

Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to discussing this project with you!

Winter Driving Tips

Driving in severe weather can be physically and emotionally trying as well as dangerous. If the conditions are too treacherous, it's far better to postpone the trip, if possible. Motor vehicles can easily handle less severe wintry conditions, however, as long as drivers slow down and proceed with caution.

Remind your students of these tips for handling winter weather driving:

General Tips for Winter Driving

The following tips are good general advice for handling winter driving conditions. In fact, some of them are good advice year-round!

• Never warm up a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage, where carbon monoxide and other dangerous exhaust gasses can accumulate. (In fact…modern engine control computers allow vehicles to run amazingly well even when cold, and idling a vehicle for 20 minutes accomplishes very little beyond converting fuel into pollution. A short warm-up of 30 seconds or so may be a good idea; perhaps even a minute or two if it's really cold.)
• Never mix radial tires with other tire types.
• Make certain your tires are properly inflated.
• Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid gas line freeze-up.
• Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface (wet roads, snow, ice, sand).
• Use your seat belt every time you get into your vehicle!
• Avoid driving while you're tired. Stay generally well rested before operating a motor vehicle and, if fatigue sets in while you're on the road, pull over in a safe place and take a break (even a short nap) before resuming travel.

Tips for Winter Road Trips

Remind students who are planning long-distance trips in winter weather:

• Check weather reports prior to a long-distance trip or before driving in isolated areas. Delay trips when especially bad weather is expected. If you must leave, let others know your route, destination, and estimated time of arrival.
• Make sure your vehicle is in peak operating condition by having it inspected at a reliable repair facility.
• Pack a smartphone, blankets, gloves, hats, food, water, and any needed medication in your vehicle.
• Keep at least half a tank of fuel in your vehicle at all times.
• If you become snowbound, stay with your vehicle! It provides temporary shelter and makes it easier for rescuers to locate you. Don't try to walk in a severe storm. It's easy to lose sight of your vehicle in blowing snow and become lost.
• Don't overexert yourself if you try to push or dig your vehicle out of the snow.
• Run the engine and heater just long enough to remove the chill and to conserve gasoline.
• Make sure the exhaust pipe remains clear of snow, ice, and mud. A blocked exhaust system could cause deadly carbon monoxide to leak into the passenger compartment when the engine is running.

Tips for Driving in the Snow

If a vehicle must be operated on snowy or icy roads:

• Drive slowly. Give yourself time to maneuver on slippery surfaces.
• Accelerate and decelerate smoothly and gently. Don't accelerate aggressively, and take time to slow down/stop for traffic controls and road hazards.
• Increase your following distance, beyond the normal three-second spacing, to up to eight or even ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
• Know your brakes.
• Always apply firm, steady pressure when stopping a vehicle equipped with anti-lock brakes.
• If you're vehicle lacks anti-lock brakes, the best way to stop is threshold braking: Keep your heel on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply pressure on the brake pedal just shy of the point where the wheels lock up.
• Don't try to power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill as slowly as possible.
• Don't stop when going up a hill. Traction limitations could make it very difficult—if not impossible—to get the vehicle rolling (uphill) again.
• Stay home. If you don't really have to go out…don't. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can!