Through the vibrant network of social media, McGraw-Hill Education and McGraw-Hill Learning Group (MHLG) are developing innovative ways to reach educators in a multimedia landscape by integrating video with interactive networking sites. “Teachers are turning regularly to online video and social networking sites,” explains Mark Merz, product manager, Direct Instruction,
MHLG ,“to bolster classroom instruction with multimedia examples, share and request teaching advice and learn about new products being offered by publishers.” MHLG is responding to customers’ needs by posting informational and promotional videos on free sites like YouTube and Teacher-Tube, garnering hundreds and sometimes thousands of views. Topics range from brief clips of MHLG programs being taught in real classrooms to recorded Webinars on broader educational subjects. These online video clips accumulated more than 40,000 views from January 2008 to January 2009, increasing MHLG’s exposure in the marketplace and to its customers. In 2008 MHLG’s SRA experienced a 27 percent overall increase in online revenue, and Direct Instruction product online sales jumped more than 37 percent —an increase of more than $1million, despite the economic downturn.
A Professional Network for Educators
MHLG, through SRA,has further reinforced its relationships with customers by creating an online community for educators specializing in Direct Instruction (DI), called Signals. “The Signals community hosted on SRADirectInstruction.com currently has over 1,000 registered members,” Mr.Merz says, “including school directors and administrators, teachers, McGraw-Hill sales representatives, and even some parents. Signals is helping SRA to expand its customer base and solidify its role as the primary provider of products, information, and support for the Direct Instruction teaching method.” In addition to a feed of current news articles and a list of upcoming events, the community also includes an informative blog, user forums and a section for viewing video content. Signals community members can post questions, request information, share best practices and network. SRA not only provides answers and tools to educators, but creates a space in which they can share advice and proven methods with each other: “Forums allow potential customers to post product- or support-related questions and receive e-mail notifications when their questions are responded to. Community members who are strong MHLG product advocates often respond directly to questions posted in our forums, creating an additional level of viral, customer-driven product support that would otherwise not be available, ”Mr.Merz says. The benefit is mutual, as customers’ suggestions for improving products are more regularly being brought up in product development discussions. MHLG’s outreach through social media makes the connection between government funding trends, educational movements and real-world teachers’ and students’ requirements. Equally as important, it connects the people, purpose and products that will keep the Corporation thriving and America’s new generation achieving. _
“Signals is helping SRA to expand its customer
base and solidify its role as the primary
provider of products, information, and support
for the Direct Instruction teaching method.”
— Mark Merz, product manager, Direct Instruction, MHLG
Article Source: The McGraw-Hill Companies.
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