Ema O'Hara
Fall 2024
Evaluation
The evaluation portion cements the process as a
fully comprehensive and circular
marketing plan.
This phase includes a discussion on:
- Metrics
-Contingency
To ensure that this marketing plan is successful in the long run and meets its goals and objectives, it is important to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the marketing plan. The evaluation phase of any marketing plan is crucial, it offers insight that can improve future efforts as well as track the progress of current objectives. Some ways the effectiveness of the program can be measured are through evaluating metrics and developing a contingency plan to ensure the marketing plan is successful.
Some ways that metrics can be measured include anonymous student surveys and evaluating student feedback, tracking attendance and participation, and social media engagement. Through student surveys we can gauge if yoga classes are meeting the needs of students or not. This will help us determine what we are doing well and what needs to be improved. Making these surveys anonymous will give students the opportunity to be open and honest about their satisfaction, the impact that these classes have had on their mental health, their interest in attending more sessions in the future, and any suggestions for improvement. Tracking attendance and participation will allow us to measure how many students are engaging in yoga classes. If we see that there is an increase in students after each class, it will prove that the service is effective, while a decrease in students might mean that we need to adjust our program to better serve our students and expand our outreach efforts. Through social media engagement we can track how often our posts are being liked, shared, and commented on. With this data we can determine if we need to make more posts leading up to events and classes or if it is reaching an appropriate number of students.
"Allowing room for flexibility when it comes to unexpected challenges will ensure that yoga classes remain accessible regardless of any changes that may take place in the future."
Through developing a contingency plan, it is important to highlight changes and challenges that may be unexpected in the marketing plan. This could include things like low attendance, student interest, budget constraints, and any external factors. If attendance is low this could be because of conflicts with time, a lack of awareness, or simply students not having an interest in participating in yoga classes anymore. A way that we can improve student attendance is by reevaluating the target audience to ensure that we are reaching the right groups of students. We can also reevaluate the times that classes will be held to allow more students to participate, as well as offer a virtual format for students who can’t make it to campus but still want to attend classes. If there has been a change in student interest when it comes to yoga, we can offer different activities that still focus on mental health and well being such as meditation or group fitness classes. If we experience budget cuts this could limit the number of resources that we are able to provide to students. One way to overcome this challenge is through partnering with other student organizations that can provide resources for a lower cost. We can also ask for volunteers and steer more towards a virtual format which will help lower the cost. If there are unexpected changes in the external environment such as policy changes, health trends, or a public health crisis like the Covid pandemic, we will need to be prepared to adapt quickly. One way that we can stay informed regarding these external factors is by regularly communicating with university staff and students, as well as staying up to date on trends surrounding the campus community. Switching to virtual classes is also an option that we can utilize if needed.
The evaluation of free yoga classes will focus on both the metrics and contingency. By gathering feedback and data, the marketing plan can be adjusted to ensure it meets the needs of Indiana University of Indianapolis students. Allowing room for flexibility when it comes to unexpected challenges will ensure that yoga classes remain accessible regardless of any changes that may take place in the future.