「知名度」を上げずに「認知度」を上げたい

　私の塾の名前は「高木教育センター」と言います。知っていましたか？知るわけないですよね(笑)。三重県の最北端にある「いなべ市」という田舎にある小さな個人塾です。知名度ゼロです。河合塾や駿台ならだれでも知っています。知名度抜群です。

　でも、Google でも Yahoo でもいいので「京大　英作文　添削」で検索してみて下さい。上の方は全て広告のＰＲマークが付いているので無視。純粋な記事のトップに何が出てきますか？それは、高木教育センターのＨＰです。

　その他にも、ココナラの「京大英作文で８割」とか、Storys というエッセイサイトの「余はいかにして」とか、アメブロの「キョウダイセブン」など４つの記事が出てくると思います。最初のページは１０記事出てきます。有名どころの「Z会」なども出てきます。そのトップページ１０記事のうち４記事が無名の個人塾って驚きでしょう？

　「Z会」は知名度が高いですが、認知度は「高木教育センター」の方が上なんですよ。

　京都大学の入試問題は独特です。「英作文」と「和訳」のみということが多い。英作文や和訳は解答が存在しません。予備校が模範解答の例を出しますが、本当にそれでボーダーを超えるか分かりません。河合、駿台、東進など予備校によって解答例が異なります。

　すると、どうしても

「本当に“京大医学部の合格レベル（８割の得点率）にある講師”はいないのか？」

　と、探し始める。大規模予備校の講師にも、京大医学部卒の講師なんて滅多にいるものではありません。そこで、ネットで検索が始まるわけです。

　その結果、高木繁美という講師を見つける人が多い。私は SEO 対策の方法を知りません。だから、純粋に検索数が多いのだと思います。生きていくには「知名度」など無くてもいいんです。お客様になってもらえる人の「認知度」が高ければ問題ありません。

　京都大学は毎年３０００人ほど合格し、倍率は３倍から3.5倍です。つまり、１万人くらいが「京大受験生」です。合否を左右するのは“英語”“数学”。この１万人に知ってもらうのが私の目的であって、他の受験生に知ってもらう必要はありません。この１万人のうちの１％がの１００人が潜在的な「通信生」マーケットとなります。

　私は大規模予備校のようなマスコミを使った宣伝ができる資金がありません。逆に言うと、そんな資金を使わないから添削料が安く設定できるわけです。簡単に英検１級や通訳ガイドの国家試験に合格し、京大二次試験で８割を超せないことが分かっているから、手の内をバラしています。

　The name of my school is Takagi Education Center. Did you know about it? I don't think so (laughs). It's a small private cram school located in the countryside of Inabe City, the northernmost part of Mie Prefecture. It has zero name recognition. Everyone knows Kawaijuku and Sundai. They are very well known.

　However, you can search Google or Yahoo for "Kyoto University English essay correction". Ignore the top ones, as they all have advertising PR marks on them. What comes up at the top of the pure articles? That's the Takagi Education Center's website.

　You'll also find four other articles, such as "80% in Kyoto University English Composition" on Coconara, "How Yo wa How" on an essay site called Storys, and "Kyodai Seven" on Ameblo. On the first page, you will find ten articles. The famous "Z-kai" and others will also appear. Isn't it surprising that four of the ten articles on the top page are about an unknown private school?

　Zkai is well known, but Takagi Education Center is better known.

　Kyoto University's entrance examinations are unique. In many cases, there are only "English composition" and "Japanese translation. There are no answers for English composition and Japanese translation. The prep schools will give you sample answers, but I don't know if they will really get you over the border. Examples of answers differ from one prep school to another, such as Kawai, Sundai, and Toshin.

　So, you can't help but think

"Are there really any instructors who are at the level of passing the Kyoto University School of Medicine (80% score rate)?"

　I start looking for them. Even in large prep schools, it is rare to find instructors who have graduated from Kyoto University's medical school. So I started searching on the Internet.

　As a result, many people find a lecturer named Shigemi Takagi. I do not know how to do SEO. I think that's why there are so many searches purely for me. You don't need to be "well known" in order to survive. It doesn't matter as long as you have a high "recognition" of people who can become your customers.

　Kyoto University accepts about 3,000 students every year, and the ratio is 3 to 3.5 times. In other words, about 10,000 people are "Kyoto University students. What determines whether you pass or fail is "English" and "Mathematics. My goal is to get to know these 10,000 people, but I don't need to get to know other students. Of these 10,000 students, 1%, or 100 students, is the potential "correspondence student" market.

　I don't have the funds to advertise through the mass media like a large prep school. On the contrary, I don't have the funds to advertise through the mass media like a large prep school, which is why I can set my correction fees low. I am revealing my hand because I know that I can easily pass the national examinations for Eiken level 1 and interpreter guide, and that I cannot exceed 80% in the second examination of Kyoto University.