Persuasive Campaign for Online Education

Introduction 

Persuasion is a skill that we employ daily to people to get them to do what we want. The actual adoption of our suggestions and ideas depend on how convincing one is in their persuasion. It is, therefore, the duty of the campaigner to convince the target audience by clearly stating the benefits and advantages of adopting the idea or suggestion (O’Keefe, 2006). Online education has grown in recent times with many people taking it due to various reasons. Among the reasons people go for online learning is employment and family commitments; current financial status cannot allow one to leave the job and become a full-time student attending classes every day. Online education will enable one to continue working and create time, through efficient time management, to learn and do assignments. Other people prefer to get their knowledge from universities that are far from their homes, and they cannot afford to move to the university location; they, therefore, opt to take a cheaper online course (Information Resources Management Association, 2018). 

To reach the target audience, the campaign will use social media for promotional purposes. The campaign’s slogan is “Get an education, anywhere, anytime.” The slogan indicates that one can get an education from any institution in the world provided it has an online program. One does not have to move from their home countries and relocate to the university; all they need is a computer and a good internet connection (Funk, 2013).

Target Audience 

The campaign will target different groups of people among them mothers. The rising cost of living has made it hard for women, more so mothers with young children to advance their education. This dilemma is due to the high price that comes with hiring help to take care of children when the mothers are in school. Taking an online program is therefore ideal for the mother as they get to learn from home while taking care of their children; they can do this when the child takes a nap or early in the morning before they wake. All in all, with them being at home, they can organize their studies based on the home setting (Information Resources Management Association, 2018). 

The campaign also targets the disabled; this group of people sometimes has trouble moving from one lecture hall to the next and end up being frustrated in the campus. To avoid this, one can opt to take the course online and still be equally competent like the one who physically attends classes in the university. Others have issues in accessing amenities like the bathroom where other students stare at them which makes them uncomfortable. The last group of people who should take up online education is the employed who wish to advance their knowledge. Most people are in a dilemma on whether to leave employment and go back to school, where they choose to keep on working as they need the money. It is possible to work and learn at the same time with online education. One can decide to be studying in the evening or on weekends when they are not working which is a winning situation as they get to keep their jobs and acquire education at the same time (Information Resources Management Association, 2018). 

In online learning, one registers and pays for the course online. They then receive logins to be able to access school resources from wherever they are. Notes and assignments are also issued via the internet, and the student is also required to submit assignments and exams via the same means. The school e-library is also accessible online where the student can read any book they want at the comfort of their homes. Where class discussions are necessary, there is access to a discussion board where one can contribute and respond to other students in the same class but in different geographical locations (Information Resources Management Association, 2018). 

Medium Used 

Social media has evolved in recent times; hence it is the most appropriate medium to promote this campaign. A lot of people have abandoned television and radio and prefer getting information and news on social media. The medium that will be most useful is Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as every social media user has at least one account in these platforms. Small clips with eye-catching graphics will appear on these platforms with links provided for those who require more information on the same (Funk, 2013). 

Persuasion Outcome

The intended outcome from the persuasion campaign is for more people to get an education online. Physical location and finances should not be an excuse for one to get an education as online learning is much cheaper in comparison with attending classes physically. In online learning, one does not have to buy textbooks, print assignments, find accommodation within or around the campus, or travel to the school; these are just some of the costs that come with physical attendance of classes ( O’Keefe, 2006).

Persuasion Theories

The Narrative Paradigm

     The narrative states that an individual can be persuaded through factual arguments and logical declarations. The campaign should provide clear explanations to the target population to convince them to adopt the suggestion before them. The campaign on online education has definite advantages and viability of the program; it also has clear explanations on how the learning process operates ( O’Keefe, 2006).

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

     The theory states that one has to make the target for the campaign see the advantages of adopting the idea. In this case, the benefits that comes with taking up online education and the disadvantages of the traditional form of education. The advantages of online training have to outnumber those of the normal mode of learning for the audience to adopt it ( O’Keefe, 2006). 

Social Judgment Theory

     This theory suggests that an individual has a personal opinion on a matter and it is up to you to convince them otherwise. When an idea is brought forth, the target weighs the alternatives against the proposed approach and comes up with a decision. In the case of online education, the target audience has to consider the benefits that they will get from it and if they need it. The medium used is appealing to them as social media has become the primary source of communication for most people under the age of 50 years ( O’Keefe, 2006).

Conclusion

     The campaign medium to promote online learning is useful as it will reach the target audience. The campaign message will also convince those that want to take up online learning as there are clear explanations on questions that one might have concerning online education. Online learning should be encouraged as it gives more people the chance to advance their knowledge in situations where they would have been unable to under normal circumstances.

References

Funk, T. (2013). Advanced social media marketing: How to lead, launch, and manage a successful social media program. New York: Apress.

 Information Resources Management Association,. (2018). Online course management: Concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications.

O’Keefe, D. J. (2006). Persuasion: Theory & research. Thousand Oaks [u.a.: Sage.Pullman, G. (2013). Persuasion: History, theory, practice. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., Inc.