Digital Marketing and Communication Report for Ad Astra Institute

This report provides a detailed analysis of Ad Astra Institute's digital marketing and communication strategies, focusing on their use of Facebook and email marketing through Mailchimp. It begins with an introduction to the significance of digital platforms for marketing, communication, and customer acquisition, particularly in the context of Ad Astra Institute, an education institute specializing in the hospitality industry. The report evaluates Ad Astra's current Facebook presence, including its promotional content and customer engagement efforts, and proposes enhancements such as interactive campaigns and video content to improve customer interaction and reach. It then examines the use of Mailchimp for email marketing, outlining strategies to create effective email campaigns with informative content. Recommendations are provided to align marketing efforts across various platforms, including social media and email, ensuring consistency in messaging and the establishment of a dedicated team to manage digital marketing initiatives. The report concludes by summarizing the evaluation of Ad Astra's social media presence and the proposed improvements to its digital marketing approach.

Running Header: DIGITAL MARKETING & COMMUNICATION – AD ASTRA
INSTITUTE 1
Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 2
Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute
Introduction
Social media and digitals domains as a platform for marketing, communication and
promotion has emerged as a critical tool for communicating, acquiring, servicing customers
and also to gain critical insights into customer behaviours in recent times (Kim and Ko 2012;
Castronovo and Huang 2012). The same is evidently expected to play significant role in the
marketing and business development initiatives of business entities with direct impacts on
revenue generation and profitability (Kim and Ko 2012; Castronovo and Huang 2012). In this
context, the organization identified to undertake this study is Ad Astra Institute (Ad Astra).
Ad Astra is an education institute with specific focus over hospitality industry in Australia.
The entity by having direct links with the hospitality industry provides its students with
significant opportunities for learning from professionals (Ad Astra 2017a). At the outset, the
various services offered by Ad Astra comprise assistances for language as well as learning
skillsets, accommodation for the students, recreational activities, personal guidance and also
health services for ensuring their students to experience that is well balanced and effective in
its outcome (Ad Astra 2017a). Given the nature of the services offered and in general, social
media / digital marketing and communications represent a significant medium for the
company to reach out to prospective clients (students) and enhance its marketing efforts.
In specific the platforms that shall be focussed in this report include social media efforts
using Facebook platform and an email based marketing using Mailchimp platform. Based on
assessments of Ad Astra, its marketing needs and evaluation of these identified tools suitable
recommendations have also been proposed.

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 3
Digital Marketing Platform #1 – Facebook
Facebook is a social media platform in online domain with services of social networking. The
company was established in the year 2004 and has been forefront in one of the earliest and
most successful social media (Facebook 2017). Facebook continues to be one of the widely
used social media across globe for social networking making it an inevitable tool for
marketers and business organizations to have a large and effective presence for their
marketing, promotional and communication purposes (Facebook 2017). Further in a recent
study undertaken, it has been established that Facebook provides the maximum ROI amongst
the various social media platforms that exist (Emarketer 206). Naturally, the rationale for
using Facebook as a platform for social media marketing is well established. The negative
aspects of the same is quite limited and one of the major one is that Facebook being the first
choice for most marketers and Facebook being used by users for wide and varied reasons like
receive feeds of their friends, various news and infotainment feeds and promotions /
communications from numerous sources could lead to data overload causing the users to miss
on the company’s posts (Facebook 2017). However the same could be addressed through
effective and focussed strategy around the users to ensure maximum and direct access.
In this context, the initial assessment of the Facebook presence by Ad Astra indicates that the
company makes use of this platform to share promotions, infographic stressing the need and
attractiveness of getting trained for a career in hospitality industry and also direct
communication for customer acquisition related efforts (Ad Astra 2017b). Some of the
samples of the efforts already undertaken by the company are presented as follows,

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 4
Figure 1 – Ad Astra’s Current Presence in Facebook (Ad Astra 2017b)

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 5
On the basis of the evaluation of the Facebook initiatives already undertaken by the company,
further changes can be undertaken that shall meet the following objectives of its digital
marketing / communication efforts – create an effective impression on the minds of
prospective clients on what Ad Astra offers and the how effective Ad Astra delivers its
services and act as a board for converting prospective clients to actual customers by creating
suitable motivations (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra 2017b; Khang et al. 2012; Whiting and

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 6
Williams 2013). While the current efforts of the company already addresses these objectives,
the following changes can offer much more significant fillip to its existing efforts,
 At foremost and primary requirement lies the need for creating Facebook posts that
lead to increased interaction with the prospective clients. This can aid is an effort to
create a visibility of personalized communication and at the same time offer insights
into the behaviour of the customers (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra 2017b; Khang et al.
2012; Whiting and Williams 2013).
Sample
Create a campaign with a hashtag of #AdAskAstra with an aim to motivate and drive
the people interested in the services offered by the company to ask their queries,
clarifications, any information regarding career prospects within hospitality industry,
etc. (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra 2017b; Khang et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams
2013). A group of social media team can be established for this purpose and by way
of creating an interactive drive, the scope for effective impression and chances of
customer acquisition enhances significantly (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra 2017b; Khang
et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams 2013).
 In addition to the infographic and text based promotional material the company posts
to the user feeds, short video presentation highlighting the effectives of its services
needs to be made for increased visits and larger reach of its promotions (Ad Astra
2017a; Ad Astra 2017b; Khang et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams 2013).
Sample
o A series of short videos with testimonials of students who have completed
their course at Ad Astra can offer a personalized endorsing to the company

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 7
(Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra 2017b; Khang et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams
2013).
o A short video illustrating the facilities offered at the company’s facilities like
the various kind of equipment, accommodating services, etc. offered can
create an immediate impression on the people interested (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad
Astra 2017b; Khang et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams 2013).
Digital Marketing Platform #1 – Email Marketing (Mailchimp)
Email marketing, at the outset, represents modern and digitized version of direct marketing
initiatives that could aid in a direct one way communication with the prospective customers
which shall communicate key information in an effective manner that shall either pique
interest of prospective customers to accord their interest in making career in hospitality
industry and make use of the services of Ad Astra or else make effective acquisition of the
prospective customers who have already made up their mind to make a career in hospitality
industry and seeking suitable service provides for the same (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra
2017b; Ashley and Tuten 2015; Papasolomou and Melanthiou 2012).
The tool identified for the purpose of undertaking the email marketing initiative is
Mailchimp, an established and effective service provided for undertaking email marketing in
a large scale with effective outcomes (Wang et al. 2012; Tuten and Solomon 2014;
Mailchimp 2017). Mailchimp represents a platform that enables marketing automation as
well as offers services for email marketing. Mailchimp is a service brand offered by the
operating group called Rocket Science Group (Mailchimp 2017). This company was
established in the United States during the year 2001 (Mailchimp 2017). The company
initially started the services of Mailchimp in the paid model and gradually included a free

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 8
service in the year 2009 (Mailchimp 2017). The introduction of the free services tool enabled
the company to enhance its user base to significant extent with emergence as largest service
provider in terms of usage for sending bulk marketing emails (Mailchimp 2017).
In the context of the overall strategy for marketing and promotion in digital mediums, the
proposed email marketing efforts shall aid in meeting the following objectives – reate an
effective impression on the minds of prospective clients on what Ad Astra offers and the how
effective Ad Astra delivers its services and act as a board for converting prospective clients to
actual customers by creating suitable motivations (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra 2017b; Khang
et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams 2013). The following Email marketing strategies and
efforts can offer significant boost to its existing marketing efforts,
 Create a simple yet effective infographic based content for emails which include
various metrics and simple statements that illustrate the significance of making a
career in the hospitality industry, the effectiveness of service offered by the company
in ensuring the students develop requisite skillsets, etc. (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra
2017b; Khang et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams 2013). The content that can be
shared with the targeted customer based needs to be aligned with all of the existing
marketing efforts and specifically the posts that are made in its Facebook pages (Ad
Astra 2017a; Ad Astra 2017b; Khang et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams 2013). The
sample of the content is presented as follows,

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 9
Sample Content

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 10
 Create and share simple videos and other text / visual simplification of the video
based promotional materials illustrating the facilities offered at the company’s
facilities like the various kind of equipment, accommodating services, etc. offered can
create an immediate impression on the people interested (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra
2017b; Khang et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams 2013).
Recommendations
The earlier sections offered a critical case for using the tools identified in a manner that is
effective and most suitable to the company’s need for digital marketing and affiliated
communications. While the tools per se are means to ends certain needs, the identification,
strategizing and planning of these needs are very critical. The need in this instance is creating
effective marketing impact in terms of increased people and more importantly the targeted
customer base getting visibility of the promotions / marketing efforts being undertaken and
the effectiveness by which these efforts convert prospective customers to actual customers
(Armstrong et al. 2015; Scott 2015; Sigala et al. 2012). In this context, the broader
recommendations made in this context, include the following,
 At the outset, the overall context across the various marketing mediums like the
conventional mediums, social media marketing using Facebook, and the Email
marketing using Mailchimp need to be aligned to the overall organizational strategy
and specific marketing strategy of the company (Armstrong et al. 2015; Ashley and
Tuten 2015; Papasolomou and Melanthiou 2012).
 In addition, the overall context across the various marketing mediums like the
conventional mediums, social media marketing using Facebook, and the Email
marketing using Mailchimp need to be consistent in terms of the content / information

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 11
being shared (Armstrong et al. 2015; Ashley and Tuten 2015; Papasolomou and
Melanthiou 2012).
 Further in specific the marketing tools in digital platforms should require additional
focus while preparing newer contents as the same needs to address the identified
objectives of creating an effective form of impression with the prospective clients on
what Ad Astra offers in terms of the services and the how effective Ad Astra delivers
these services and shall act as a jumping board for converting prospective clients to
actual customers by creating suitable motivations (Ad Astra 2017a; Ad Astra 2017b;
Khang et al. 2012; Whiting and Williams 2013).
 More importantly, it shall become essential for establishing an internal team (either as
new recruits or within the existing marketing team) or else employing the services of
external agencies to manage the digital marketing / communications as a sustained,
continued, dynamic and immediate environment related efforts / contents alone garner
the interests of the customers and lie at the heart of successful outcomes using the
digital marketing initiatives (Armstrong et al. 2015; Ashley and Tuten 2015;
Papasolomou and Melanthiou 2012).
Conclusion / Summary
At the outset, this report presented a detailed evaluation of the prevailing social media
presence of Ad Astra, identified tools that are essential given the nature of its services, social
media / digital marketing objectives and proposed changes in its Facebook presence as well
as offered an effective communications approach using Mailchimp Email services. In
addition, the recommendations made offered an integrated and broader guidance on aligning
these tools and affiliated initiatives in the context of broader overall strategy of the Ad Astra
Institute.

Digital marketing & Communication – Ad Astra Institute 12
References
Ad Astra. 2017a. Ad Astra Institute.
[online] Available at: http://adastra.edu.au [Accessed on: 26th August 2017]
Ad Astra. 2017b. Ad Astra Institute.
[online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/adastrainstitute/ [Accessed on: 26th
August 2017]
Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., 2015. Marketing: an introduction.
Pearson Education.
Ashley, C. and Tuten, T., 2015. Creative strategies in social media marketing: An exploratory
Study of branded social content and consumer engagement. Psychology & Marketing,
32(1), pp.15-27.
Castronovo, C. and Huang, L., 2012. Social media in an alternative marketing
Communication model. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness,
6(1), p.117.
Emarketer. 2016. For Social Media Marketers, Facebook Produces the Best ROI
[online] Available at: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Social-Media-Marketers-
Facebook-Produces-Best-ROI/1013918 [Accessed on: 26th August 2017]
Facebook. 2017. Facebook.
[online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/ [Accessed on: 26th August 2017]
Khang, H., Ki, E.J. and Ye, L., 2012. Social media research in advertising, communication,
Marketing, and public relations, 1997–2010. Journalism & Mass Communication
Quarterly, 89(2), pp.279-298.
Kim, A.J. and Ko, E., 2012. Do social media marketing activities enhance customer equity?
An empirical study of luxury fashion brand. Journal of Business Research, 65(10),
pp.1480-1486.
Mailchimp. 2017. Mailchimp.
[online] Available at: https://mailchimp.com/features/ [Accessed on: 26th August
2017]
Papasolomou, I. and Melanthiou, Y., 2012. Social media: Marketing public relations’ new
Best friend. Journal of Promotion Management, 18(3), pp.319-328.
Scott, D.M., 2015. The new rules of marketing and PR: How to use social media, online
Video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers
Directly. John Wiley & Sons.
Sigala, M., Christou, E. and Gretzel, U. eds., 2012. Social media in travel, tourism and
Hospitality: Theory, practice and cases. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd..
Tuten, T.L. and Solomon, M.R., 2014. Social media marketing. Sage.