Dear Partner in Education:
Thank you for your interest in marketing your company or organization through The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and our subsidiaries. Once you get to know us, you'll understand why our advertisers are so happy to be a part of the TOS "family". We invite you to take a moment to learn about the billion dollar market that is home education and the options available for marketing to the families we serve.
Who We Are
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, offers support and encouragement to homeschoolers everywhere. Our print publication, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, is a high-quality quarterly magazine featuring helpful articles, thoughtful editorial offerings, and news and tips from both experts in the field and those "in the trenches" at home. In addition to our magazine website, TheHomeschoolMagazine.com, TOS is the proud sponsor of a new online community for homeschoolers. Homeschoolblogger.com offers homeschool families an opportunity to share their thoughts, trials, and triumphs as they network with other home educators and companies catering to homeschoolers.
What We Do Best
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine offers the homeschool community the cream of the crop when it comes to resources and information. Each full-color issue contains approximately 200 pages of content printed on glossy paper and perfect bound, rather than saddle-stitched. TOS stands out from the crowd…each issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is instantly recognizable thanks to the beautiful photograph of an old schoolhouse found on the cover. The feedback we've received says it all. TOS readers are very impressed with our publication and they are devouring it, cover to cover.
Why Market to Homeschoolers?
According to Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), homeschooling is growing across the United States at a rate of 7% to 12% per year. Home education is also finding solid ground worldwide. Companies and organizations catering to professional educators have seen the homeschool market blossom to a billion dollar industry. Homeschoolers are savvy! They are constantly seeking news about educational methods, resources, and "tricks of the trade" in an effort to supply their children with the best education possible. A growing number of families are choosing homeschooling as the most appropriate option for their special needs or gifted students as well. These parents are accustomed to being advocates and researchers, and to networking with professionals and diagnosticians in order to create an individualized education for their students. If your company or organization works with educators of any type, or offers products to families and children, the homeschool market holds marketing opportunities that can't be easily dismissed.
Why You'll Want to Advertise With Us
When it comes to reaching homeschoolers and branding your company to parents teaching at home, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, offers options that can't be beat. Whether you choose to reach homeschoolers on the 'Net, in print, or both, you'll find packages to suit any marketing budget. Our print publication, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, is a great place to start. Distributed across North America through newsstands and by subscription, TOS Magazine can be found at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, Books-A-Million, Chapters, Hastings and independent stores. We're also found around the world thanks to a subscriber base that stretches from Japan to Turkey, Brazil to Spain, and Ghana to Norway. The homeschool community is seeing growth in Australia and the UK and TOS is right in the swing of things with volunteer coordinators and support group leaders endorsing us all the way. More importantly, well-known speakers in the home education field are carrying their copies of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine to speaking engagements, conventions, and conferences. Authors Christine Field, Maggie Hogan, Sue Gregg and Cindy Rushton are just a few of the many homeschool experts promoting TOS and getting sample copies into the hands of those who hear them speak. While our Advertising team partners with you to devise a marketing plan for your business, our Public Relations team is getting the word out about TOS and our family of advertisers. Partnerships with companies such as HomeschoolTalkRadio and those chosen to participate in our "Bouquet of Gifts" promotions offer an amazing array of options in addition to standard print ads. A 2004 Reader Survey found that 98% of respondents reported both reading the ads in our magazine and enjoying them. Ninety percent of respondents stated that advertisements help them in product-buying decisions and 75% have ordered products found in an ad. Considering our print run of 30,000 copies per issue, a readership of 90,000 to 100,000 means an incredible amount of exposure for your ad campaign.
Our website, TheHomeschoolMagazine.com, offers another phenomenal advertising opportunity for your company. This site is packed with the information homeschooling families are looking for – articles, contests, product reviews, homeschool information for each state – and that's just the beginning! Be sure to visit us at HomeschoolBlogger.com as well! Many of our clients have begun blogs at HSB themselves. This arena is perfect for sharing the more personal side of your efforts to support and encourage homeschoolers, and the banner ad program can't be beat! With banner programs available for as little as $100 a month, either (or both!) of these sites will provide the perfect addition to your print campaign. Let's not forget the e-newsletters! Whether you choose to gear your ad toward the leadership in the homeschool community via our Support Group Leaders e-news or the general community by entering our Devotional Door e-news, there are plenty of affordable options available.
In our most recent reader survey, we found that:
What are the grade levels being taught at home? Who's doing the teaching?
- 26% of our readers are educating their HIGH SCHOOL students at home.
- 31% of our readers are educating their JR. HIGH SCHOOL students at home.
- 89% of our readers are educating their ELEMENTARY AGE students at home.
- In 99% of households, the mother is the primary educator. 70% of those moms belong to a homeschool support group (this means they are likely talking about good resources with other homeschooling friends).
- 81% of our readers say they are going to homeschool "for the long haul" - this means all the way through 12th grade! They are looking to the future for their upcoming high schoolers and college age students.
How educated are the moms homeschooling their kids?
- Our homeschool parents are well-educated. 83% of mothers report some college. 41% of mothers have at least a Bachelor's degree. 13% of mothers have a doctoral degrees.
- 56% of TOS mothers are between the ages of 35-44.
- 96% of TOS readers are independently or privately homeschooling their children (they need to purchase materials). Only 4% are charter schooling their children (the state provides funding for materials used).
- 92% of our readership believe that there are no other homeschooling magazines they enjoy more than TOS.
Do the ads make an impact with our readers?
- 98% of our readers study our advertisements and enjoy having them in the publication.
- 90% believe that advertisements in general help them in their buying decisions when it comes to homeschool products/services.
- 75% have ordered products from a homeschool advertisement in the past.
- 98% of our respondents share homeschool resources or ideas with their friends.
To view this survey in full, (please note respondent feedback in their own words about the advertisements in general) please visit: http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Advertising/ReaderSurvey.pdf
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine offers you more advertising options at competitive rates. With more ad sizes than any other major print publication catering to homeschoolers, TOS is the way to go. Take advantage of our product review program and see your review posted on our website, in full length and including a link to your home page, for free! Whether you prefer to market to customers in print or online, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, has the ability to create a far-reaching marketing net that will be the perfect fit for your company.
Look over our 2004 Reader Survey and our Media Kit, and then give us a call! We look forward to serving you and partnering with your company.
Call Lisa Barthuly, at 1-888-718-4663 dial 8, and ext. 113 to begin your advertising journey with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!
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We recently conducted our first ever online survey and found that nearly a third of our current customers found us through the pages or the website of The Old Schoolhouse.
~Terri Johnson, Owner of Knowledge Quest
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