Kumon Australia & New Zealand

Marketing is essential for any business, including Kumon franchises. Sometimes, business owners are daunted by this task; they don’t know where to begin. Kumon franchisees receive extensive support for their local area marketing from their respective branch and the head office. This includes support for activities such as shopping centre displays, flyer printing and distribution, outreach to local schools and nearby businesses, and assistance in content and advertising for social media. Kumon Australia and New Zealand also runs national marketing campaigns, including the Free Trial advertising held each April and July, and supports franchisees’ marketing activities through some financial subsidies. Wendy Christodoulou, franchisee of Kumon Wonthaggi Education Centre, and Kooi Duan Beh, franchisee of Kumon Kelmscott Education Centre, are both busy marketers. In this article, they discuss their thoughts on marketing, the strategies and activities they believe are most effective, and how to use the marketing support from the franchisor. **Wendy Christodoulou, Kumon Wonthaggi Education Centre, VIC** Ten years into her career as a Kumon franchisee in Melbourne, Wendy opted for a sea change by opening Kumon Wonthaggi. Located on the Bass Coast in regional Victoria – an area where Kumon had never before been present – Wendy knew she had to raise brand awareness. “In Melbourne, I was very lucky I had neighbouring centres and the Kumon name was quite well known there”, Wendy says. “But, in Wonthaggi, people don't really know what Kumon is. So, we're educating a little bit about what Kumon is and how it works. We've been going out into the community quite a lot and talking to locals and to businesses about what we do, and who we are”. Wendy says the response from her community and local businesses has been positive as they are interested to hear about something new. She also greatly appreciates the support she has received from the branch and head office. “The head office looked into doing a press release and they have provided a special opening offer. They've been very generous with their marketing budget for what they've allocated to me, so that's been pretty amazing”, Wendy explains. “On a branch level, my Field Development Consultant has been amazing, she has given me a lot of her time. Last month she drove down twice and spent two whole days with me out in the community, and it's a two-hour drive for her to get there. She gave me a lot of moral support and when I was feeling a bit scared to go and talk to businesses, she was there with me and helped me along”. Wendy advises for prospective franchisees to plan for marketing, to allocate a budget and prioritise it. And while marketing to new customers is important, Wendy says that franchisees should market to existing customers too, since they are essential for generating positive word-of-mouth. She also says that marketing is an activity that takes practice to perfect. ![](https://www.kumoninstructors.com.au/Resources/Franchise/Articles/z-Images-for-article-body/Wendy.jpg?v=20220405230939) **Kooi Duan Beh, Kumon Kelmscott Education Centre, WA** Kooi is a new franchisee with nearly one year’s experience. And while her franchise, in Kelmscott in Perth’s southeast, benefited from the strong brand awareness of Kumon throughout the city, Kooi doesn’t solely rely on this for business growth. “We have done a lot of local area marketing”, Kooi explains. “For example, we advertise in one of the local school’s yearly calendar, we participate in local events such as the Kelmscott show, which is the largest community event in our area, and we visit local businesses who let us place our materials in their café, restaurant, or even at the medical centre.” Kooi says that cross-promotion activities with other businesses have been successful for her, with both parties benefiting from reciprocal marketing. “There's an activity pack provided by the branch and head office. It contains activity sheets, colour pencils, eraser, and also information about Kumon”, Kooi says. “When families visit cafes or even a medical centre, young children can grab one of these activity packs and do some colouring or number writing while waiting.” “I think it's very effective. It's something free. Families can grab information about Kumon, and at the same time the kids are entertained. It's a win-win situation between Kumon and local businesses.” But Kooi is not alone. Before opening Kumon Kelmscott, Kooi says she was thoroughly trained and continues to receive ongoing support for marketing her franchise. “I received training in all aspects of marketing and how to promote my business successfully from the branch and head office, and received a detailed step-by-step guide on how to create a business page on Facebook and how to run paid digital campaigns on Facebook”, Kooi says. “Every month, I receive social media posts from the PR team, and also suggestions on what other topics that we can actually include in our own individual Facebook page. For printed materials, I can request very customized artwork. I provide the PR team with the measurement and the messages I would like to see in the artwork and they'll just get it done.” ![](https://www.kumoninstructors.com.au/Resources/Franchise/Articles/z-Images-for-article-body/Photo3.jpg?v=20220405231117) If you love working with children, want to make difference and own your own business, we would love to hear from you. If you are not sure whether you are the right fit for Kumon, visit our website: [Who are we looking for? | Kumon Australia - Franchise Opportunities (kumoninstructors.com.au)](https://www.kumoninstructors.com.au/Franchise/Who-Are-We-Looking-For) To see a full list of available locations, please visit: [https://www.kumoninstructors.com.au/Franchise/Available-Locations](https://www.kumoninstructors.com.au/Franchise/Available-Locations) (AU) or [https://www.kumoninstructors.co.nz/Franchise/Available-Locations](https://www.kumoninstructors.co.nz/Franchise/Who-Are-We-Looking-For) (NZ)

As a Kumon franchisee, you're not alone in marketing