Why and Who
The majority of organizations in the modern world focus on gaining profit and concentrate merely on the financial aspect of a business. Many fail to understand that many customers struggle with various interpersonal issues that need addressing, and companies can contribute to addressing these problems. Because of this, Educare.com is a service that was created to combine the customer-centric approach with educational and consultation services that target individuals in need. The service was created to serve young people, which is the company’s primary target market, who rely heavily on interactions with friends and acquaintances. Helping young people overcome the challenges of growing up and encouraging them to eliminate self-doubt when being worried about their future is the reason why Educare.com was created.
Establishing a healthy teenage lifestyle is the principal purpose of the company due to the focus on the care for young people because of the need to develop healthy behaviors that could help them become successful in future life. The organization is expected to include people who care about the needs of others and can act as advocates and supporters. This means that the organization will foster positive connections between its customers and professionals working with individuals.
Issues That Young People Face
The problem of teenagers facing adverse psychological issues affects millions of people. Such issues are related to various causes, such as the high expectation to succeed in life, the pressure of social media, and the threats posed by the external world (Hall et al. 3). The levels of anxiety among younger people are continuously rising because they are pressured to succeed by their parents. For example, in 2016, 41% of students in their freshmen year of the college said that they felt overwhelmed by the expectations that higher educational institutions impose on them (McCarthy).
In 2000, 28% of students agreed with the statement, which points to the need to provide support and assistance to young people. Besides, more than 35 million children have experienced one or several types of childhood trauma (Stevens). The trauma causes young people to deal with further adverse mental health issues that limit the quality of life. Therefore, such services as the ones offered by Educare.com are imperative for showing young people that they are valued and cared for.
Reachable Target Market
The target market of Educare.com is niche and reachable because it is expected to include young people who struggle with reaching their goals as they are faced with multiple challenges. The consulting services that the organization offers are associated with helping young people develop healthy lifestyles, manage their behaviors, invest time and effort in education, and seek employment opportunities to become more successful in life. This specific target market of potential clients was selected because young people do not receive the desired level of support from the community. The clients will be reached with the help of phone hotlines, which are accessible to all young people.
Demographics
To understand the target market that the organization will address, it is important to discuss the demographics. According to the OECD, the youth population is defined as those aged less than 15 years old. Moreover, adolescents will also be included in the target market, and they represent the population of persons aged up to 19 years old. In terms of the global trend, the number of adolescents and youth is at an all-time high; however, the proportion of young people globally is expected to decrease from 17.6% to 13.5% by 2050 (UNFPA 1).
It is expected that the population aged between 13 and 19 years old are the most likely to use the services offered by the organization because the teenage years are the most complicated period of their lives. As mentioned by Better Health, challenges that younger people aged 13-19 face include family issues, peer pressure, alcohol, and drug abuse, as well as sex and relationships.
More younger people now tend to develop “mental health problems because of the social and family context. 24% of young people aged 5-19 who reported to have a mental health disorder were in a family that struggled with poor functioning” (Campbell). 28% of troubled young people have reported having a parent struggling with mental health illnesses themselves (Campbell). The social isolation of children has shown to lead to the exclusion of “their involvement in relationships with peers, which has led to the development of mental health issues that must be eliminated” (Matthews et al. 225).
The unmet needs of the target population are therefore concerned with addressing the challenges in mental health that have been mentioned above. When young people are struggling with adverse complications in psychological health, the services that offer support and guidance are fundamental (Ogundele 9).
Flyers
The two flyers shown below are intended to be used for promoting Educare:
Buyer Persona
As seen from the buyer persona profile below, Educare.com will be offering services to young people who struggle with reaching the established goals. The person is studying at an educational facility and has specific goals for the life of being successful. The individual fears failure and being unable to provide for his loved ones when growing up. Besides, the client needs to combine his work with the hobby of playing a musical instrument. In the second buyer profile, the concerns of a young person’s mother are reflected. This means that parents who are worried about their children’s future and well-being will also seek the services of Educare.com.
Strategic Solution
The strategic solution offered by Educare.com is associated with meeting the needs of the company’s customers through addressing the pain points of target customers. The table below illustrates the expected pain points to be expressed by their potential customers. Based on the buyer profile above, several important pain points and the solutions for overcoming them can be presented.
Strategic solution statement: Are you young and cannot find work in your local community? Be more persistent and seek the assistance of community leaders that can communicate with employers.
Strategic solution statement: Worried about your children being antisocial? Join a community intervention to help young people become better integrated into society.
Value Proposition
A value proposition refers to the value that an organization promises to deliver to customers should they choose to purchase a certain product or service (Twin). As Educare.com deals with communicating with people, the unique value proposition of the brand will be associated with providing the general community with support and guidance regarding solving their issues and challenges. The table below presents the approaches to the position of Educare.com alongside the examples that show the range of propositions offered to its clients.
SMART Goals
Marketing/Sales Communication
Social media is expected to become the focus of the marketing efforts of Educare.com because young people use them every day for both networking and entertainment. The content of the advertisement is likely to be in the same realm as the flyers that will be disseminated physically among customers. The designs of the flyers can be used as visual materials supporting the advertisements. It is necessary to engage potential clients in a conversation about their mental health and personal life to show that Educare is a service from which young people can benefit. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter profiles will be created to raise awareness of the service across multiple platforms. Moreover, the platforms will encourage the interactions between Educare and prospective clients because of the anonymity aspect of social media use.
Media Strategy Schedule
Risk Management
For Educare.com to develop a positive brand image and provide high-quality services to its customers, it is imperative to account for several risks. Working in the sphere of mental health support and guidance, the organization requires the expertise of skilled professionals with a background in social services and mental health care. The table below shows the expected risks that the organization may encounter alongside mitigation strategies targeted at eliminating the problems.
Short Budget Table
The breakdown of goals and their expected costs shows that the established goals are not expected to cost much because all of them are targeted at promoting the services at Educare.com, and the dissemination of information does not cost much when technologies are involved. The steps developed are all focused on shaping the positive brand image and encouraging the engagement of potential customers into the conversation about how their needs can be met.
Conclusion
The implementation of a project involving a company that offers guidance and support services to customers in need revealed several important issues. One of the key takeaways of the project is associated with the need to create an environment of collaboration and conversation with the potential clients of the organization. The youth, which is the target population of Educare.com, presents a complex customer profile because of the multi-dimensional nature of the issues that they face on an everyday basis. The problem of mental health and poor social adjustment is especially relevant in the context of the chosen target population.
Another important takeaway from the project is concerned with developing a brand image that would facilitate the engagement of the target audience. This is possible through using social media as the primary method of communicating with young people. Such online platforms as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube represent opportunities for promoting the services of Educare.com while also engaging young people in the conversation about their present challenges and issues. Moreover, the youth is the main audience of social media platforms. Overall, such services as Educare.com offer young people the support they need to succeed in life and reach their goals.
The incorporation of tools such as SMART goals, Buyer persona, strategic solutions, media strategy schedule, risk management, and budgeting allowed to develop an all-encompassing perspective on important steps involved in developing a business project. For a company to become successful, even if it is hypothetical, it is necessary to account for every step associated with developing a concept and its further realization.
Works Cited
Better Health. “Young People (13-19).” Better Health. Web.
Campbell, Denis. “Why do More Young People Have Mental Health Problems?” The Guardian. 2018. Web.
Hall, Teresa, et al. “Social Inclusion and Exclusion of People with Mental Illness in Timor-Leste: A Qualitative Investigation with Multiple Stakeholders.” BMC Public Health, vol. 19, no. 702, 2019, pp. 1-10.
Matthews, Timothy, et al. “Social Isolation and Mental Health at Primary and Secondary School Entry: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 54, no. 3, 2015, pp. 225-232.
McCarthy, Claire. “Anxiety in Teens is Rising: What’s Going On?” Healthy Children. Web.
OECD. “Young Population.” OECD, 2019. Web.
Ogundele, Michael. “Behavioral and Emotional Disorders in Childhood: A Brief Overviews for Pediatricians.” World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, vol. 7, no. 1, 2018, pp. 9-26.
Stevens, Jane Ellen. “Nearly 35 million U.S. children have experienced one or more types of childhood trauma.” Aces Too High, 2013. Web.
Twin, Alexandra. “Value Proposition.” Investopedia. 2019. Web.
UNFPA. “Adolescent and Youth Demographics: A Brief Overview.” UNFPA. Web.