Academic Innovations
Academic Innovations

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Communications and Marketing Coordinator

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SUMMARY
Communications and Marketing Coordinator is responsible for managing the public relations and marketing aspect within Academic Innovations.  They: (1) Build and sustain the company's reputation for quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction.  (2) Write and deliver press releases.  (3) Manage all communication provided to the public via the company’s websites.  (4) Execute the Social Media plans for attracting sales leads.  (5) Oversee production and management of online training videos and webinars. (6) Work with contract writers, journalists, editors, technologists, programmers, and videographers to maintain deadlines for promotion and customer communication projects.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Manage company brand and reputation to ensure public views the company, its products, and partner programs favorably.
  • Create and launch press releases and media campaigns.
  • Design and manage social media campaigns.
  • Contact members of the media to set up interviews with experts so the Get Focused...Stay Focused!® and Freshman Transition programs are featured on radio, TV, or the Internet.
  • Manage media relations and maximize media opportunities by developing strong relationships with media professionals.
  • Work on the AI team to develop internal publications such as newsletters, releases, email announcements, planned publications, on-line, intranet, video, special projects and assignments.
  • Create rich and creative content for the company’s websites and see that it is optimized for search engines.
  • Ensure that all opportunities for the CEO and partner experts are fully vetted.
  • Hire, train, and supervise in-house or contract writers, journalists, and editors.
  • Supervise technologists, programmers, and videographers as requested.
Qualifications:
  • self-starter
  • highly organized
  • experience with high-tech operations
  • excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
  • promotional personality
  • portfolio of proven successes in areas covered in this job description

Technical Skills Required:

  • Office suite software
  • Online meeting software
  • Powerpoint or Keynote presentation development
  • Graphics software

If the candidate does not have these skills, they must be capable of acquiring a mastery of these skills within six months of employment.

Technical Skills desired: 

  • Basic video editing for rough cuts to send to video editors.
  • Webpage development for first draft recommendations to programmers.

Priority Tasks:

  • Website Project Manager
  • Media Liaison and Coordinator (Traditional print and TV, as well as social media)
  • Copywriting and Editorial
  • Edit, Organize, and Archive Video Projects
  • Supervise Contract Writers, Journalists, Editors, and Production Specialists

Website Project Manager

Working with contract technologists, web and graphic designers, and programmers:

  • Conceive, design, update, and troubleshoot new and existing websites
  • Create functionality and design assignments for website consultants and monitor daily work plans to see that tasks are followed to completion
  • Timely updates to Media Center
    • /media/
  • Oversee weekly updating of material and content on websites

Company Websites

  1. Periodically update our websites to keep them looking fresh and take advantage of new technologies
  2. Monitor functionality, text, and flow, looking for better ways to make our messages clear and concise.
  3. With Publisher and VP’s of Marketing and Technical Support, work on content to be included on the websites.

Marketing and Promotion Websites:

  • academicinnovations.com
  • academicinnovations.com/highered.com
  • aiworkshops.com
  • focusonfreshmen.com
  • whatworkscareerchoices.com
  • academicinnovations.com/media/

Partner Websites

  • getfocusedstayfocused.org
  • freshmantransition.org

Make recommendations to Tanja, Wendy, and Mindy for cosmetic and functionality updates to:
Internal Websites

  • Reference Desk
  • Online Virtual Office

Curriculum Websites

  • careerchoices.com
  • lifestylemath.com
  • my10yearplan.com
  • careerchoices.com/lounge
  • careerchoices.com/resourcecenter
  • my10yearplan.com mobile App

The Communications and Marketing Coordinator is also responsible for facilitating inter-office communication as it relates to content updates and design to all company websites and online training videos.

Media Liaison and Coordinator through Traditional Media and Social Media

With the key goal of getting regional and national publicity to attract new leads and build the company reputation:

  • Work with the media advisory committee, develop and then execute a public relations campaign for the GFSF and Freshman Transition programs supported by Academic Innovations.
  • Execute national media campaign to make communities and parents aware of the need for a Freshman Transition course, GFSF follow-up modules, and 10-year Plans that address the developmental, career, and life-planning needs of students.
  • Facilitate the writing of articles and editorials in the national media (TV, radio, newspapers, blogs, etc.) around the topic of a Freshman Transition course, GFSF follow-up modules, and 10-year planning.
  • Get articles and editorial copy into educational association magazines and newsletters.
    • Monitor the national media conversation about high school dropout prevention and college completion plans via weekly Google alerts.
    • Oversee the execution of the “Opinion Molder Project”.
    • Suggest follow-up stories to reporters on Freshman Transition, Get Focused...Stay Focused!® and Career Choices programs.
    • Respond as Mindy to reporter queries from ProfNet or other services.
    • Facilitate interviews between the media and Mindy, Dr. Diane Hollems, Dr. Russ Rumberger, Dr. Lauren Wintermeyer, and Dr. Rebecca Dedmond.
    • Follow up with writers until articles/radio shows are published/aired.

Copywriting and Editorial

In addition to press releases and media copy, along with consultants and staff, as requested, write and edit copy for:

  • success stories: research, interviews, and writing
  • online newsletters
  • email templates for sales team
  • brochures and flyers
  • articles, blogs, press releases

Develop and Manage Projects for Contract Writers, Journalists, Editors, and Production Specialists

Content Development and Delivery
Be a part of the Communications Development Team which includes: Publisher, VP of Curriculum Support, VP of Professional Development, and VP of Sales. Execute the plans developed by this team with the support of contract writers, journalists, editors, and production specialists. 

The Director of Communications will see that the following tasks are executed at the highest quality in a timely fashion, in most cases using contract writers, journalists, editors, and production specialists:

Marketing

  • Keep lead generation for new customers as a top goal of all promotion and public relations projects.
  • Working with Tanja, write monthly newsletters to all customers (new and existing).
  • Assist Tanja with writing first drafts of marketing and sales copy as directed.

Data Collection and Promotion

  • Lead with Results in all promotion, marketing, and internet projects.
  • With help from staff, execute plan for timely collection, presentation, and dissemination of results for successful programs.

Success Stories
Working with in-house staff, contract journalists, and writers:

  • Write and update success stories for model schools making sure they are results oriented.
  • Follow up with teachers who complete our annual survey and show an interest in being interviewed about their course.
  • In a Word document, capture comments, quotes, data, and ideas given by teachers who use Career Choices. Provide this to Mindy and Tanja for updates to the Instructor’s Guide and product brochures.
  • Provide best quotes to marketing department and to the internet manager.  Be sure to get permission to use the quote.
  • Update www.academicinnovations.com/press as needed.

Teachers Lounge Content
Working with in-house staff, contract journalists, and writers:

  • Conduct written and/or video teacher interviews.
  • Arrange for these stories to be posted on our websites.
  • Review teacher surveys, user group info, and videos of best practices sessions, looking for success story and news story content.
  • Work with Wendy as requested to develop narratives for identified short videos from existing video footage from best practices/spotlight sessions and other FOF/GFSF conferences.

Social Media
Working with student intern on social media campaign:
To include:

  • Write/Design/Schedule 2-3 posts per week for Facebook.
    • www.facebook.com/10yearplan 
  • Ensure that Twitter account is being populated by staff members as assigned.
    • twitter.com/tenyearplan
  • Periodically send video clips to consultants for posting on YouTube and Vimeo.
    • www.youtube.com/channel/UCTb759Nqqy22Qj8MnlMZe8w

Online Training Videos and Webinars
Working with contract in-house staff, journalists, writers, and production specialists:

  • Arrange for updating of existing OTVs with current graphics of products.
  • Oversee production of OTVs to ensure highest quality production in a timely fashion.
  • Assist Mindy in script writing for The Teachers’ Lounge OTVs.
  • Assist in the writing of new OTV assessments used for teacher self-directed study.
  • Produce new online training videos with the assistance of design and production consultants.
    • Purchase and keep an archive of relevant iStock/ShutterStock images.
    • Make sure new OTVs are updated in the following places:
      • The Teacher’s Lounge
      • academicinnovations.com/links
      • Trainer presentations
    • Keep master files of all OTVs on separate hard drive as emergency backup.

Editorial Assistance
Working with in-house staff, contract editors, and writers:

  • Assist in updating/editing current products/textbooks as directed by Publisher.
  • Write or update content in products and websites as directed by the Publisher.
  • Assist in writing sales copy for My10yearPlan.com interactive and the college market.

Media and PR: Opinion Molder Project:
Team with Publisher and assigned staff on the “Opinion Molder Project”. Monitor the follow-up with the goal to have the opinion molder speak with either Diane Hollems or Mindy. 

  • Facilitate the operations of the Opinion Molder project as per SOPs.

Annual attendance at the Focus on Freshmen Conference and Get Focused...Stay Focused!® Conference each year:

  • Organize and Execute the three general sessions.
  • Arrange for an event photographer.
  • Prior to the conference, create an interview schedule with registered participants and presenters. At the conference, work with videographers to conduct these on-camera interviews to collect testimonials for promotional purposes from our best champions.
  • Assist with the online enhancement trainings in each strand as a guest speaker.
  • Assist in the management of hired videographers.
  • After the event, work with videographers to edit and post video footage.

Work with Publisher on Special Projects

Full time: 40 hours per week
Location: St George, Utah office
Compensation: based on experience, includes quantified performance bonuses

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