CLIENT:
TeachAde

SERVICES:
Strategic Planning and Execution, Positioning and Message Development, Publicity, News Media Relations, Customer Communications

BACKGROUND:
TeachAde is an interactive website designed for K-12 teachers, giving them the ability to receive relevant resources in a personalized desktop setting to enhance their teaching and professional development as well as network with other teachers. Powered by Web 2.0 generation, Internet-based technology that permits online collaboration, the free site is designed to improve education by enabling teacher communities and resource sharing.

CHALLENGE:
Our initial challenge was to increase awareness of TeachAde, which at the time had fewer than 1,000 participating members. While the original version of the site offered teachers exceptional features – including access to an electronic database of class resources and the ability to network in online communities geared to their teaching interests – M. NICHOLS recommended redesign of the website to simplify navigation and improve ease of use for busy teachers. These changes also evolved to include new functionality to provide teachers with relevant resources from multiple content providers delivered daily to users’ private TeachAde homepages on the site.

RESULTS:

M. NICHOLS played a key role in overseeing the design, testing and launch of the enhanced site, including drafting all copy, directing the agency that provided the new design, and creating and executing a marketing campaign aimed at creating awareness of the new TeachAde among educational editors and writers. Publicity efforts resulted in key placements and other interest from publications such as E-School News, Teaching K-8 and NEA Today. M. NICHOLS also was actively engaged in developing marketing partnerships with educational institutions, associations, national retailers and others who are interested in displaying their brands and using the TeachAde tool to build community. Today, TeachAde has more than 6,000 members, with new participants, partners and resources being added daily.