Blog

Posted on

Marketing Vs. Advertising – How Do They Differ, or Do They?

If you own a small business, one of the most important responsibilities you have is generating business. In an effort to do just that, you need to promote your product or service.

There are a variety of ways to promote a business. Some methods are more creative than others. Most can be categorized under two main headings: marketing and advertising. We’ve all heard those terms thousands of times, but do we really know what they mean? Are they the same or different? Does it really matter? Do they both produce the same results? Can we expect a return on investment from both?

Let’s take a quick pop-quiz… look at the items below and determine if they are marketing or advertising:

  • Billboard along the interstate
  • Facebook page, Twitter & Instagram posts
  • Bi-monthly ad in a local newspaper
  • Promoted Facebook posts
  • Digital banners on various websites

What do you think…are these examples of marketing or advertising? Well, before we get to the answer, let’s define what marketing and advertising are so we know for sure.

Marketing is the action of finding your target buyer and giving them the experience of your product or service.

How about advertising? What is advertising really? Advertising is exposing your brand. It’s really that simple.

So, now that we have defined the two, let’s take another look at the pop-quiz above. Do all these items allow the target buyer to experience the product or service? No, they do not. Therefore, all the items listed above are examples of advertising. They all expose the brand through different avenues but none of them actually allow a potential customer to experience the product or service directly.

Here are a few examples of ways a current and/or potential customer can experience your product or service:

  • A tire company hosts a driving event where dealers drive on the tires and compare them to competitive brands.
  • A drink brand offers free samples to shoppers in the grocery store.
  • A plumber hosts a demonstration at a home show where he shows attendees how to repair a small pipe leak. Attendees are challenged to try it themselves.
  • A local dentist speaks at a Rotary meeting where he explains the latest technology in teeth cleaning.

All of these examples offer customers a chance to experience a product or get to know the personality of the person offering a service. There is much more interaction with these examples than there are with the advertising examples. Remember, marketing is about the experience. Marketing also provides an opportunity to measure your return on investment more accurately than most advertising. It’s a challenge to determine how many sales are directly connected to a billboard along the interstate. However, you can measure how many drinks you sold at the store during the time you shared the free samples.

The reality is, anyone who has a business should spend 50% of their time and effort related to marketing. The administration, product development, invoicing, staff training, sales, etc. should not equal more than 50% of your time and energy so you can spend the additional 50% on marketing.

One last thing to think about when it comes to advertising. Times have changed in a very dramatic way as it relates to the effectiveness of advertising. Take the DVR for instance. Besides recording your favorite shows or games, what do we all love about the DVR? We can skip the commercials!

Are you familiar with Pandora music service? How do they make money? Your first assumption is probably advertising. That is only partially correct. Their main revenue is generated by memberships that allow the listener access to ad-free music.

We now live in a time where the public is willing to spend their hard-earned money to avoid your advertising. On many occasions, ads make us mad. Think about your initial reaction to online pop-up ads. Do you actually click on them and say, “Oh, that’s awesome! Even though you just completely interrupted me and invaded my space, I’ll buy your product now.” No, most of us get upset and now have a negative opinion of that company. Something to think about…

So, back to the original question in the headline. I hope you now have a clearer understanding of what marketing and advertising is and how they do indeed differ from each other.

 

Written by John B. Robinson with Purple Monkey Garage… Fixing Businesses and Repairing Lives.

The Business and Entrepreneurship section of the Schoolhouse Rocked blog is brought to you by

Photos by James Sutton and Kate Trysh on Unsplash.com

Posted on

What a Year!

Yes, we know it’s already the middle of February, but today is tax day in the Hampton household. That means that we have spent the past few days (very long days and late nights) pouring over our receipts and records for 2017. Preparing for our tax appointments is always a lot of work, but this year it gave us a great opportunity to reflect on what God has done in our lives over the past year. A receipt from the Billy Graham Library reminded us of the great friends we have made and the wonderful families who have hosted us in and around Charlotte. $25 in road tolls and a $20 parking receipt from Washington DC reminded us of the fun we had visiting our nation’s capital and the great friends we made in Virginia, and how VERY expensive it is to drive and park in DC! A ticket to the Andy Griffith Museum reminded us of the fun we have had interviewing and podcasting with Durenda Wilson, and the few days of much needed rest we were able to get at the Wilson Cottage in Mount Airy. There were dozens of these reminders. 2017 was a great year!

In the spirit of looking back we want to share some of the amazing things God has done, and is doing, with Schoolhouse Rocked. When we started production on this movie we knew that it would only be by His mighty hand that we would be able to finish it, and that would mean He would get all the glory! He has shown Himself worthy of that glory as he has led us through production, opened doors, and provided in miraculous ways.

My favorite screen capture from our first shoot day.

While we started pre-production a few months earlier, our first official shoot day was September 17, 2016. At the time we didn’t even have a name for the movie, we didn’t have any interviews lined up, and we didn’t really know anyone in the homeschooling world, outside of our city. Still, we set up lights, cameras, and sound in the living room of our house in Lancaster, California and Yvette started talking about our family’s homeschool journey. That day we shot about an hour of video with Yvette and a great interview with our oldest daughter Brooklyn. If you have seen the first official trailer for Schoolhouse Rocked you have seen and heard some of what we shot that day.

Just a few months later, by the middle of December, we had filmed interviews in Washington, Oregon, and Southern California. We had filmed at the Masters University, a Classical Conversations community, and on the streets in Downtown Portland (these interviews were used in the short film, The Road to Portland and Behind the Scenes on The Road to Portland – our entry into the My RØDE Reel short film competition). These early interviews allowed us to get a teaser trailer put together, which helped us get the word out about Schoolhouse Rocked (which we now had a name for) and allowed us to line up a few more important interviews. So we packed our family into a travel trailer (having sold our house and everything in it) and headed out across this great county to film a movie. Looking back, that first 3 months is a blur, but God was working very quickly and doing mighty things.

We arrived in Georgia a week before Christmas and were blessed to be able to spend the holiday with family and enjoy a bit of down time before picking up production again the first week of January. Our shooting schedule has been pretty crazy ever since. Filming for Schoolhouse Rocked has taken place in 20 states. Not including Facebook live interviews, or b-roll, or the gigantic homeschool graduation we filmed we have interviewed 105 people – homeschool moms and dads, students, graduates, authors, speakers, publishers, educators, activists, and even strangers on the street! You can see a partial list of cast members here. Having been in on the action, I can tell you these interviews are excellent. You will be blessed by the wealth of wisdom and encouragement that these people have shared.

At the same time as all this shooting, God has been raising up a team to bring Schoolhouse Rocked to theaters and to provide homeschooling families with great resources and encouragement on our website and social media sites. We have a great communications team who have begun posting excellent articles on homeschooling. You can see their latest posts here In addition to making a great film to encourage and equip homeschooling families, we are committed to bringing you excellent resources and uplifting articles to help you in your journey. Make sure you are subscribed to our mailing list for exclusive content.

We need your help! A film like Schoolhouse Rocked doesn’t get made without the support of the homeschooling community (and the power of the Almighty Creator of the universe). As you may have heard, recent changes in Facebook algorithms have made it much harder to get the word out. If you believe in this project and want to help, please do two things for us (and a third if you are feeling really generous). First, visit our Facebook page, click the “Like” and “Follow” buttons, and under the “Following” button, click “See First” (Ironically, you won’t actually see us first in your feed, but this will make sure you actually have some chance of seeing our Facebook posts). Second, share this post on Facebook. Third (but only if you’re feeling extra generous), please consider making a donation to support production on the film. We still have a long way to go before the film is fully funded, so every donation makes a difference.

Posted on

3 Things to do When Homeschooling During a Crisis

homeschooling during a crisis

homeschooling during a crisis

Homeschooling is hard. Homeschooling during a crisis is even harder.

How do I know? Friend, I have been living it. I had to step away from blogging quite some time and let me tell you why. In the past year, we have experienced so much loss. My stepfather passed away suddenly — in fact as of this writing, we have had five deaths in the family. My husband fought and beat cancer again and two close friends of the family passed away.

Talk about being on auto-pilot.

Who’s had time to process, grieve, cry or anything else? Not me. It’s been a rough and emotionally exhausting few months. (My shining light — my eldest graduated from high school!) There were days where I was struggling big time. The overwhelm from all of the loss was/is enough to make anyone sit down and try to regroup. I’ve found myself frustrated, overwhelmed and utterly exhausted at times. A crisis will do that to you.

As a homeschooling mom, it’s been difficult because even though my children are very young, I know that they really like school. They also (on most days) like the structure that a schedule can bring. They know what to expect and tend to look forward to doing certain activities on certain days. And that is something that I have desperately missed giving to them. I want my children to have “normalcy.” I want them to be able to understand that things happen (whether good or bad) but to also appreciate routine. And who am I kidding? The recovering perfectionist in me loves routine, order and planning. Schedules make me smile.

Stop putting extra pressure on yourself.

As homeschoolers, we are fortunate to be raising our children in a flexible learning environment. While we do have to ensure accurate attendance, we don’t have to be burdened by the stress and pressure of a public or private school system’s attendance protocol. This is something that I will admit that I have had to get used to.

Break down units. Break down lessons. And then break them down some more.

Depending on your schooling style, you may follow a strict schedule with your curriculum. In times of crisis, this is the time where you REALLY need to give yourself some grace and allow the flexibility of the homeschool model to work for you. While you may want to keep moving forward with your lessons, remember that it is perfectly fine to not do all of the lesson.

In times of crisis, focus on what you need to do rather that what you may want to do. The work will be there when it is a better time for you to pick it back up. And you know, some days that may involve just being present with your family. These are the times when you will be focusing more on teaching life and coping skills than math facts and that is okay.

Embrace the flexibility of homeschooling and the community around you.

homeschooling during a crisisOne thing that moms have to understand is that we have got to let go of the idea that we HAVE TO BE EVERYTHING to everyone ALL. THE. TIME. I get it – this is hard. We are used to wearing our capes and making everything happen no matter what. It’s just what we do. But during the most stressful times, that type of attitude doesn’t help anyone. It will keep us mamas running on that endless treadmill and feeling exhausted.

 

It will leave our children confused and trying to make sense of what’s happening. We are irritable. The kids are frustrated. It’s not worth it. It’s ok to let another mom take the kids to co-op for a few days. Let another mom or two or three make dinner for you.

Moms have to let go of the idea that we HAVE TO BE EVERYTHING to everyone ALL. THE. TIME.

There is no guilt in you needing to step back for a few days or weeks and saying to those around you that you need some help. For many, this is hard in itself. Please allow me to say this. If you find yourself in a season where you are struggling to do it all and the people around you know it, please let them help you. Allowing others to help does not mean that you are weak. It allows other families to step in and allow embrace what it means to be part of community. A community is strengthened during times of crisis. And community is what sets homeschooling apart. It truly is like no other.

Angel PennWritten by Angel Penn of AngelPenn.com

Posted on

Our Unexpected Homeschool Journey

Unexpected homeschool journey

Unexpected homeschool journey

Over the years, I have seen a lot of people give reasons why they can’t homeschool their children.

I understand it, I really do. Before I started homeschooling my son, I was convinced that I would never be able to do it, either.

Two weeks before my son asked me to homeschool him, I was talking with a couple of ladies I’d recently met. When I found out that they homeschooled, my first reaction was something along the lines of, “I’m sure it’s great, but y’all are nuts.” (Yes, I live in the South!)

Our Unexpected Homeschool Journey

Fast forward a couple of weeks to my son’s first day at his new school. We had recently moved to a new state, and in the process, had vetted a number of schools in the area. We chose the one we felt would be a great match for him.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

It turned out that the educational laws in our new state were very different from those in the state we had moved from. (The first allowed progression by readiness, the second solely by age.) As a result, he was required to repeat almost two full years of school.

He left for his first day of first grade excited to learn; he came home crying and begging me to homeschool him.

I was caught off guard, to say the least. I thought it was probably just the first couple of weeks of school being review and getting a baseline for where all the students were at.

So, like any helpful classroom mom, I offered to tear out worksheets and put them in folders for the coming weeks. You know, to help the teacher out, so her focus could be on her students.

I took all the workbooks home and spent the morning organizing all the pages. I found out my son really had learned all the material two years before.

When I returned that afternoon, I asked the teacher if this was for the first quarter, first semester, or if she had a different schedule.

She proudly announced that the bundle I’d brought back was the work for the entire year and thanked me for getting it done so quickly.

She then took me aside and told me, in no uncertain terms, that my son was “an extreme problem child” and “severely ADHD,” and that he “will be medicated if he is to remain in my classroom.”

I was speechless.

On the way home from school, I told my son that I would be happy to homeschool him. I would need a few days to research the legalities and find materials, but I was willing to do it.

The following week, we started homeschooling. That was 14 years ago, and we have never looked back.

Is Homeschooling Worth It?

I can’t say that the past 14 years have been easy or smooth, but honestly, what parenting Unexpected homeschool journeyjourney is? As parents, we are raising our children to be able to take on challenges, learn from mistakes, and do whatever they can to make a difference.

Those are not things that come easily.

Homeschooling encompasses all of this. I like to describe it as “parenting with academics thrown in.” Again, this does not come easily.

It is, however, worth it in every way.

My son is now 20. He is a senior in college, preparing for his future and pursuing his goals. His path is not a traditional one, but it is one that fits him perfectly.

He has successes and failures, like anyone else, but he actively learns from them and seeks to use them to grow. He also mentors others to do the same.

In choosing things to pursue, the first question he asks is, “God, is this what you want me to do?” If the answer is a clear “yes” or “no,” that is the path he takes. He may not always be comfortable with it, but he is obedient to God’s call.

If the answer is unclear, his second question is, “Is it worth it? Will it make a difference?”

He chooses to spend his time doing what will bring the truth of Christ to the people he’s given to reach. That is something that is rarely easy, but it’s always worth it.

To me, this is worth every minute of lost sleep, every headache over which curriculum to choose.

It is worth the in-depth discussions that kept me researching and the silly times of just hanging out.

The Most Important Job

There is no more important job that I could have been doing over the past decade and a half. I wasn’t always sure of it at the time – we never are in the midst of the task – but looking back, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that homeschooling my son was well worth it.

Are you “in the midst” right now, wondering if you’re making a difference? Please, let me be the one to tell you that you are.

Everything you do, whether it seems large or small, is making an impact on your children’s lives. This is an impact that will go far beyond what you can now imagine.

You’ve got this, mama. You’re making a difference that will be felt for years to come. Be encouraged, be strengthened, and be present with your kids. It’s worth it.

Jennifer Duncan Helping Hand HomeschoolWritten by Jennifer Duncan from Helping Hand Homeschool

Posted on

Homeschool Isn’t Something You Do

Homeschooling isn't something you do, it is a lifestyle. It is so much more than just learning.

Homeschooling isn't something you do, it is a lifestyle. It is so much more than just learning.

In the wide world of homeschool articles, books, blogs, and videos you will see so many wonderful bits of information on how to do XYZ. Of course, no two are ever the same.

There are planners, methods, curriculum, and mission statements. Everything points to things you can do, checkboxes you can mark, and the goal is “productivity”. Though the result is often just more comparison.

But homeschooling isn’t a to-do list. It isn’t books, or Latin, or co-ops. It isn’t poetry tea time or map tracing.

While these things are good, full of beauty and truth, they aren’t the core of homeschool.

Homeschooling is an opportunity. A chance to make connections in your relationships with your children, to truly disciple them in the day to day living and teach them in the way they should go.

Homeschooling is a process of sanctification. A way for the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the things you say, think, and pray for your own children. The day to day teaching, correcting, and sharing of education with your children requires you to take time to be still, to quiet your heart and trust so that you can call upon the Lord’s strength to get through the hard moments with grace.

Homeschool is the creation of a family culture. Through your choice of materials, you line the hallways and bookshelves of your home creating an atmosphere of learning while these same items subtly share your ideals, priorities, and dreams with your children and all who enter your home. Your schedules and rituals set the tempo for your family, you have control over how rushed or calm the days are.

Homeschool is a choice to prioritize the creation of home as a safe place full of ideas, deepHomeschooling isn't something you do, it is a lifestyle. It is so much more than just learning. conversations, shared meals, and time together. There is grace, gratitude, and a deep appreciation for the small moments, small accomplishments, and daily victories that happens so much more freely in a home where being present together is a choice that has been made. 

There is a sweetness and delight found in homeschooling, even through the hard seasons, that the time we are given with our children is short and that through choosing to homeschool we are making the most of those precious years.

Homeschooling is celebrating Ebenezer moments and teaching our children that hard times bring forth fruit.

Homeschool is not something you do, but rather a way of living that builds up your children, that strengthens your faith, and that lays a foundation of solid family culture for future generations.

In the process, you get to checkmark that your kids get a wonderful individualized education. That’s why homeschooling is awesome.

Written by Lara Molettiere with Everyday Graces . . .Cultivating Learning, Love & Life

Posted on

Let’s Not Forget to Teach the Basics

In our current fast paced society, we make what seems to be very significant advances daily. Whether it’s the development of autonomous cars, the advancements in modern medicine or the redirection of buying habits from brick and mortar stores to online. It’s mind blowing what we can do with the talents God has given us.

On the flip side, we also see widespread evidence that the basic skills in life are getting lost within the massive world of advancement. The skills needed to run a household or a small business just don’t seem to be a priority these days. For example, a college student opens a checking account after leaving home and stumbles through their checkbook never really knowing how to balance it. A young entrepreneur has the opportunity to present her business concept to a room of investors. Since she never participated in speech class or learned to speak in front of large groups of people, she freezes with fear and peppers her presentation with a massive amount of “ums” and “has”. A neighbor’s yearly yard sale produces half the revenue hoped for because they didn’t have the confidence to negotiate the value of their family treasures. Or one we can all relate to, a cashier at the grocery store struggles to return the proper amount of change after the register malfunctions and doesn’t show the exact amount of change owed.

What do all these scenarios have in common? Our education system. Most public schools no longer teach the basic skills necessary to make life a little less stressful. Skills like how to handle personal finances, public speaking, negotiating, or counting change. Perhaps these skills are overlooked because our society has become so advanced. Reliant on electronics to assist us or to provide quick answers, we no longer need to think. The reality is, these basic skills are vital to succeeding in life and in business.

It’s eye opening when we hear stories like those mentioned above. Or worse, we hear that a college student must ask a friend where to place the stamp on an envelope or a professional athlete must take a class on how to sign his name because he was never taught cursive in school.

As homeschool parents, we have a great opportunity to change this trend. We can incorporate these basic life skills into our curriculum and daily routines. Learning these various lessons doesn’t have seem like a chore or end up being a dreadful experience for our kids. We have the flexibility to make it fun and have some of life’s basic skills become habit before our children realize it. Whether it’s through co-ops, board games or real-life experiences, let’s not forget to teach the basics. It will make a difference.

Written by John B. Robinson with Purple Monkey Garage… Fixing Businesses and Repairing Lives.

The Business and Entrepreneurship section of the Schoolhouse Rocked blog is brought to you by

Photos by Alvaro Reyes and Chris Kristiansen on Unsplash.com

Posted on

It’s Trailer Time! The Official Schoolhouse Rocked Trailer is Here!

Schoolhouse Rocked Official Trailer

It’s trailer time!!!!

A big thanks to our sponsor Classical Conversations for inviting us to show the trailer at their 20th Anniversary Celebration. It was a really fun night, honoring a really great company! Here’s to many more years of Classical Conversations helping students and families to know God and make Him known!

If you are excited about Schoolhouse Rocked Please take a minute to thank our sponsors. Then, please share this post on social media and your own websites and blogs. We need your help getting the word out about the film.

It is our hope that Schoolhouse Rocked will be an encouragement and valuable resource to countless homeschooling families, but we need your help in finishing this important film. Consider donating any amount to help bring this much-needed resource to families like yours.

Finally, If you haven’t already,  sign up for our newsletter for (semi-)regular production updates, news, subscriber-only content, and giveaways!

   

Transcription

(Brittney Howard, voiceover)
“I felt like I was ruining them.”

(Andrew Pudewa, voiceover)
“If I had to spend all day, every day, with my kids I would go crazy.”

(Brittney Howard, voiceover)
“I really thought, ‘I am messing it all up.’”

(Yvette Hampton, voiceover)
“We did not have a very good view of homeschooling families, in general, and so we thought, “we would never do that to our children.”

(Titles)
There’s a revolution transforming education
and it’s not happening in the classroom.

(Andrew Pudewa)
A lot of people homeschool because they believe their children will get a better academic opportunity at home. I for one was a child who was pretty much always just painfully bored in school. I just remember most of school was about how to survive this excruciating boredom, and you couldn’t work ahead, you couldn’t do anything other than what everybody else was doing. It was like life started when school ended.

Hi, I’m Colleen Kessler and I am a homeschool mom.
I’m Sarah Mackenzie.
I’m Christopher Perrin.
My name is S.D. Smith.
My name is Rod Brown.
I’m Rebecca Farris, the Well-Planned Gal.
I’m Robert Bortins. I’m the CEO of Classical Conversations.
I’m Bryan Osborn. I’m a speaker with Answers in Genesis.
I’m Andrew Kern.
… Andrew Pudewa
… Connie Albers
… Mona Weathers
… Kathy Kuhl
… Scott LaPierre
… Janice Campbell
… (Pam Barnhill) and we have been homeschooling since the very beginning.

(Bryan Osborne)
Homeschooling today is much different than homeschooling 20, 30, 40 years ago. There are so many Co-ops, so many opportunities for kids to interact with other kids.

(Connie Albers)
That’s what the homeschool journey is about. It’s about being there with your kids. It’s about learning with your children. It’s about teaching them the love of learning. It’s about understanding who they are, and how God made them, and what calling does God have on their life.

(Bryan Osborne)
But recognizing that one of the best ways to do that today, in our particular culture, is through homeschooling.

(Titles)
Join the Revolution!

Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution.

www.SchoolhouseRocked.com

Posted on

“The Eighth Wonder Of the World”

For a few thousand years, the apprentice/journeyman system was responsible for many of the most impressive minds and creative works in human history. Under this system, young men and women would sit at the feet of, and work alongside their parents, teachers, rabbis, and mentors. This system was sufficient to breed the great philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, physicists, poets, authors, playwrights, architects, composers, musicians, painters, sculptors, clockmakers, and mechanical engineers of antiquity. Under this system we got the Sistine Chapel, Romeo and Juliet, The Roman Aqueducts, the Antikathyra mechanism, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Solomon’s Temple, and Beethoven’s “9th Symphony.”

Some of these great works have endured for millennia, but my iPhone 7 Plus has stopped working after 9 months. Every few days it tells me that there is no SIM card in it, and I now have to look for the little lightning bolt when I plug it in or I will wake up with a dead battery.


100 Year Old Self-Playing Violin – “The Eighth Wonder Of the World”

The Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina Orchestrion was built in 1914. At the time it was built, it was such an impressive technological feat it was called “The Eighth Wonder of the World”. It is a completely mechanical player piano with three self-playing Violins. Not only is it a mechanical marvel, but it is a beautiful piece of art, which still functions today. While it would be a great stretch for any man or company to build one of these today, what makes this machine even more impressive is that it is one of many. The Hupfeld company built several of these, and many other companies were building incredibly complex orchestrions at the same time. Many of these machines played dozens of instruments and could play any number of songs by simply changing their paper rolls, and many of these still function. They were designed and built by men who had studied and labored under masters for many years.

Over the past several generations we have increasingly abandoned an education model that works. Apprenticeship has been relabeled as “child labor”, and now there are laws and international task forces to squash it. Please don’t scold me about children sewing soccer balls or mining heavy metals. Humans have found ways to pervert and abuse every good thing since the fall of man. I am not campaigning for the rise of sweatshops or human slavery, just calling for a return to mentorship. Life and work as education. We have traded a proven model of education in favor of industrialized, standardized, state-run, one-size-fits-all schooling, and the experiment has failed.

As we film Schoolhouse Rocked I become more and more excited about the revolution we see in education. I am excited about the renaissance of classical education, the rediscovered value of family business and family economy, the rise of lifeschooling and mentorship, an emphasis on truth, goodness, and beauty, a valuing of living books, scholé, morning time, and family worship. While I am excited about each of these ideas for their own merits, I am more excited that in every case, the failed model of industrialize education is being challenged and invalidated, and families are taking back the responsibility of training up their children in methods that work. Long live the apprentice!