It's the time of year when we at Lampstand Press try to determine where our small advertising budget will do the most good in getting the word out to the homeschooling world about TOG. We have two polls, and this is the second one. We're trying to find out where you heard about TOG and how we can best reach new customers.

Question:
Have you ever bought a Tapestry of Grace year-plan?

Choices:
yes
no

Question:
To what resources do you first turn when making homeschool curriculum buying decisions?

Choices:
Friend: real life neighbor, church member, or mentor
Online Friend: prominent figure, reviewer, or leader/members of an online support group
Magazines: print. I read their reviews/suggestions/ads.
Books: print. I read their reviews/suggestions/ads.
Magazines online: I read their reviews/suggestions/ads.

Question:
To the best of your recollection, where did you first hear about Tapestry of Grace?

Choices:
Online friend
Online advertising
Surfing the 'net/google
Online support group
Real live friend/neighbor/church member
Co-op or other local group/support group
Conference booth
Print advertising

Question:
If you are using Redesigned Tapestry, or are only familiar with it (i.e. you are not a Classic TOG user/owner) please answer this question: what form of TOG did you first see?

Choices:
I don't use/own Redesigned TOG: I am familiar with/own Classic TOG
Printed version of Redesigned
Online or digital three-week sample product

Question:
If your first exposure to Tapestry was Redesigned TOG in print, which of the statements below most accurately refelcts your first impressions?

Choices:
N/A: I'm a Classic user/fan or have only seen digital versions of the Redesigned TOG, or none at all
It looked overwhelming, and I turned away.
It did look big, but the colors and layout held my attention long enough to examine it.
I found it easy to understand, but wondered if I could really do it.
WHERE have you BEEN all my homeschooling life? I LOVE you!!!!

Question:
If you used DIGITAL Redesigned TOG products to make a buying decision, or are doing so now, please evaluate the effectiveness of this product in helping you get to know TOG. (Check the option that comes closest to describing your experience, and then feel free to comment at the end of the survey, if you wish.)

Choices:
I have not used/been exposed to Go To Egypt or Sail to the New World digital samples of TOG
I found them difficult to navigate or use.
I couldn't really use them to "get my hands" around TOG until I printed it all out.
I found the digital presentation very helpful, especially the annotated week-plans.
The three-week free sample was my "on ramp" to purchasing TOG. VERY effective!

Question:
Which of the following has been most informative for you in making a buying decision about TOG?

Choices:
Digital three-week mini-unit sample: Go To Egypt
Digital three-week mini-unit sample: Sail to the New World
32-page printed brochure
Tapestry Tea video/meeting at a friend's home
Website (please comment on specific part below)
Yahoogroup or online Forum where I got questions answered
Phone counselling from Lampstand Press staff
Conference booth hostess
Share 'n Save affiliate who took time to explain to me online or in person

Question:
How many times did you "hear of" or encounter a "sales pitch" about TOG before you bought?

Choices:
Just once: love at first sight!
Two distinct presentations of TOG were needed before I made the plunge
I had to hear about it three different times
I can't count: it was kind of a general buzz
I've heard a lot about it, but still haven't made a buying decision

Question:
Which of these factors was (or would be) MOST influential in your decision to buy TOG? (Choose the one that fits you BEST, then feel free to comment below!)

Choices:
Wanting to join a friend or group who is already using TOG
It's a fit: TOG is the way I want to teach my kids
I was pre-sold on classical ed. but lacked a means of implementation: TOG gave me that
TOG is the best way I have found to teach multi-level students
The reading list is what sold me (and the online bookshelf is a real plus!)
I like the online store and use of modern technology. It just simplifies life for me.

Question:
Do you/would you call yourself a convenience shopper or a "frugal Fanny"? Click on the one that you most identify with as a homeschool mom.

Choices:
I have more money than time, by God's grace. If you can give me TOG in a box, I'll buy it in a large, once-a-year easy package deal.
I like packages of curriculum and books, and will buy them, but we need to spread the costs out over the school year.
I have more time than money, and so I can't afford to be a convenience shopper. I have to shop around for the best deals on curriculum and books.
We are totally pinched. I have to borrow as much as I can, and buy the rest used or go without.
We have more time than money, and I love TOG. I find that Share 'N Save really helps stretch our budget and get us the products we want and need.

Question:
Please rate our Bookshelf by choosing the statement that fits you best.

Choices:
I got frustrated with your interface last year and frankly have never been back.
The bookshelf is much improved, but I need to buy books at bargain prices or not at all.
I use the planner page and find that combining it with gift giving seasons like birthday and Christmas and Share 'N Save as you suggest really help me get the products I want. THANKS!
I buy about half my books from the Bookshelf (the ones that are harder to find or core books) and borrow the rest from my library.
We took advantage of your volume discounts and were pleased with the time (we knew it was the right book with just a few clicks) and money savings (with your volume discounts). Added together, this amounted to the best deal for us.

Question:
When did you place your TOG order last year?

Choices:
I didn't: I'm a new customer.
Jan-March
April-May
June
July
August
September
Oct-Nov

Question:
Did you buy all your books up front for the year, or are you ordering through the year? (What WOULD you do, if you are a new customer?)

Choices:
Buy them as we need them, a few weeks at a time.
Unit by unit.
All the year up front, during the summer.

Question:
Did you buy a bonus bundle last year?

Choices:
No, I'm a new customer.
Yes: Year 1
Yes: Year 2
Yes: Year 3
Yes: Year 4

Question:
Did you place your order from/using any of these last year?

Choices:
I have never ordered.
Tapestry Tea (or using a Tea hostess' code)
Conference booth (or using a conference code)
Internet order through Tapestry website
Phone order through Lampstand Press
Mail in, printed order form
Co-op order (using code)
Individual friend's Share 'n Save code order

 

THANKS so much for giving us your valuable feedback! Please feel free to give us any other impressions or advice below on how we can serve people better!

I marked that I bought a Yr 2 bundle but I really didn't because I earned my year plan by working a conference. I would have bought the bundle under other circumstances though. I feel that is the best deal.

June

I first heard of TOG when I got a daily HSLDA "Homeschool Heartbeat" in my inbox, featuring an interview with Marcia.

I used the website to make my purchasing decision. Initially, this was before Redesign came out, in autumn 2005. I thoroughly read the web site for classic, then read nearly the entire forum! I finally prepurchased Redesign Year 1 in April 2006.

Several questions in the poll didn't quite fit. First of all, I bought the yearplan used. Secondly, I don't HAVE to be so frugal...I guess I just am. Your choice about how to buy books wasn't on their either. I buy A LOT of my books at used bookstores. We had a great one here that was alphabetized and by category. I can also bring in a lot of my old books, cd's etc to trade at Hastings to get books and my husband had a good gift certificate. I got the books from the bookshelf that I couldn't find. I also didn't really hear about TOG from an online friend but rather there was A LOT of talk about TOG on the Sonlight boards. Another question talked about how you make decisions about buying curriculum and there wasn't a good answer there either. I like to put my hands on it (like your wonderful sample) and then ask questions on various homeschooling boards. This board and others are invaluable to me. I don't know anyone around here who uses Tapestry. I plan to buy my redesigned year 2 from you in January and then look at it before I buy my books this time.

Christine

Just a clarification on how I first heard about Tapestry ... my very first exposure was in Cathy Duffy's Top 100 book when it was first published. When I completed her check list and tallied the results, it pointed directly to Tapestry. I then went online to further investigate. I have to admit, my first several visits to the website completely confused and overwhelmed me. (This was the old website -- so many improvements have since been made!) I shelved the idea as too complex for me only to return six months later to try again. I printed out the sample weeks (this was still the old website) and poored over everything. I filed it again thinking it was just too difficult to implement. God kept nudging me, I went back a third time, and the light bulb finally went on! I made the switch about a year ago and am ever so thankful that I listened to those nudges.

Monica

I answered that I have found TOG through print advertising - which is true! I found out about it from the 1st print article done way back in 2005 was it? Or was it late 2004? Anyway, to be honest I don't read magazines really so I normally wouldn't have found it, but God had a free magazine sent to my door and I read it and that was the end of the search! My kids were 6 and 5 at the time. We have never looked back or looked for anything else!

Teresa

My first exposure to TOG in print form was the one week sample offered as you were redesigning Year 1. I printed it out and poured over it, sufficiently occupied until my first unit of year 1 arrived. I love the website and reference it often, just to see what's up. I spend alot of time looking at The Bookshelf but, to be honest, feel I need to look for discounts through Amazon or whatever, especially free shipping. The Share and Save program (in which I participate) has greatly influenced me to buy books from TOG, again, because I feel I should save all I can. (I really wish we were in a position to 100% buy from you.) I am currently teaching two with two, soon to be three, Lord-willing more, to follow so my husband and I feel buying the books for our own "library" is a good investment.

Tapestry is just great and I often thank God for the friend of mine who told me all about "the gold" she had found for her family. I waited several years before my daughter was in first grade and we've loved the journey ever since. Thank you so much for your hard work!

Melissa (Wife to Dominic (for 13 years), Mommy to Josiah (worshipping before The Throne), Leah (7), Dominic (6), Elena (3), Johanna (1) and One-due-to-arrive-in-three-weeks!)

Some of my answers didn't fit either. Like Monica, I first heard of TOG through Cathy Duffy's Top 100 book; the combo of classical and unit study with the ease of teaching multiple age levels was perfect for us.

We didn't buy this past year. We bought the year before (Y1 redesign) and will use it two years (half each year for K and now 1st grade). We plan to buy Y2 before too long, and would ideally love to get all the books at the time of ordering the year plan, though I've noticed amazon having lower prices on some books, so I might go the "piecemeal" route and see how that works.

We LOVE TOG! I can hardly wait to get into the next year plan because it is a period so fascinating to me, personally.

The tricky thing about polls, valuable as they are, the answers are never going to fit exactly. So here's the real story:

I can't remember how long ago I learned about TOG, but I do know that there was no Redesigned at the time. My mom had a friend at church that used TOG, and when they taught a "World Perspectives" class, Mom said that her friend's son was so clear in his thinking, and all his papers were far and away the best papers in the class. This was important to me in educating my kids, so my interest was piqued.

I hopped on the TOG website and was immediately in love. The next time I was home, I asked to meet my mom's friend, and I asked a bunch of questions and pored over her Classic YP. Oh, rapture! Perfect! My oldest was about to start kindergarten then, and I planned to start TOG the following year.

Over that year, I pored over the website, read the forums religiously, and generally let TOG form my homeschooling "big picture." The old Classic samples were a huge part of selling me on the curriculum. (For whatever reason, I liked the old samples better. Presentation is better in the new ones, but they are harder for me to navigate.)

And then first grade involved a pregnancy with bedrest, and I needed something I could do flat on my back (no projects), so we went with SL that year, and I spent another year dreaming of TOG. TOG Y2 works well after SL Core 1, so we would start in second grade. And then, that was the year that you all decided to redesign. AAARRGH! That would put me always a year behind. So for second grade, I just did the three Rs and a little American history and VP Bible and goofed off a lot.

And finally...WAAAH-HOOOO! This year we started Y2! And it's been great! I have definitly bitten off more than I can chew, but I get bored otherwise, and I end up scrapping boring curriculum. There is so much room for ME to grow. We love it.

As for the Bookshelf: I love TOG so much, and want to support you all in every way I can, and I wish I could buy every book from you. When you had the sale, I bought every book I could within the budget my dh set for me. Money is tight, and he has asked me to exhaust all other options before I pay full price for a book...and then at that point I for sure will buy from you, out of loyalty.

So I guess the initial selling point for me was the product: a really neat, clear-thinking, articulate high-schooler who loved his parents and loved God and had a very mature world view. And that continues to give me hope, as I watch you work together as a family to build this company, reading CJ's super-insightful posts and David's zany humor and just generally enjoying you all.

Peace--
Julie in AZ

Edited to add: Some of the questions don't quite fit my situation either.

I first found TOG on another classical homeschool web site. My friend and I traveled to Maryland in the spring of 2004 and had the pleasure of attending a Tapestry weekend. Marsha brought in her co-op students and led a discussion along the lines of "Is the American Revolution a true revolution? and compare it to teh French Revolution." My friend and I were floored by the responses of such fine young men and women sitting in front of about 40 women they had never seen before and intelligently answering a question that we ourselves couldn't have answered at the time! We were sold- that was the type of education we wanted for our children! I know that you ( Marcia) are one very busy woman, but I sure wish there was a way to schedule a few of those weekends again!

Took TOG home on the airplane ( Classic yr 3) and haven't looked back.

I have used classic and redesign, so the questions about my exposure to redesign don't really match my situation. I moved to redesign from classical because that was the direction Lampstand was going . I really didn't need to use the three week plans or digital products to decide.

Thank you for a great product.

Sincerely,
Dawn Snyder

A few of the questions didn't fit me exactly. I used the Classic version first, and then switched the next year to the Redesign as it was being developed. The question about the Bookshelf was a bit tricky as I ordered about half of my books from the Bookshelf, but because we live overseas in a non-English speaking country, I purchased the other half from places that offered the books for less vs. using books from the library as is the option in the question. I did find the Bookshelf great to use, though, and when I recommend Tapestry to other expats around me, I recommend ordering everything from Tapestry as it is one-stop shopping and one-stop shipping. I could order from various places this year since we were in the states for the summer and it was easy to have the books from different places trickle in before we returned overseas. In hindsight, I will say that once it was all said and done, and I had received my discounts for volume, free shipping, and Share and Save credits, the Bookshelf was very, very competitive in price. In the future, I can see myself ordering most of my books from the Bookshelf because of the convenience, the great service I have experienced as an overseas customer (we know we make your lives difficult), and the discounts which keep the prices competitive. Thanks for all of your hard work on our behalf.

Blessings,
Lilli

Just wanted to add a note on a couple that wouldn't fit the poll, just because it might be interesting for marketing. I typically buy about a year at a time (or will once redesign is more than just one unit ahead of us), but more often November-January, as we school year round with no consideration to 9 month school schedule or "years" as the public schools view them...

I really like the organization and pricing of the Bookshelf, and for books not covered through the library or on my own shelves, I'll likely order there.

A few clarifications - although I had to mark that I first saw TOG at a convention booth, it was the only convention I'd attended in years and probably the only decision I've ever made that way. I'm much more likely to find something in print and then go researching it - online or in books. Most materials I'll see multiple times in catalogs that I receive, and then if I have more questions I go online.
Also, I usually purchase most materials during the summer, but to spread it out a little I purchase some 2nd-half-of-the-year things around Christmas time when I'm ordering gifts anyway and can take advantage of shipping discounts. Not exactly unit-by-unit, but not really all at once either.
I wasn't sure how to answer the question about digital samples. I was already using classic and am 2 years behind your schedule, so I had to mark that I've not used them, but I've certainly been exposed to them, as I've viewed them to try to decide whether to re-use my classic for the next go-around, or bite the bullet and purchase Redesigned. If I were in different circumstances, I would probably say that I couldn't get around it 'til I'd printed it out.
I normally wouldn't take the time to say any of this, but I REALLY want your poll to help you make wise decisions about spending limited funds. My husband is self-employed and we have to make those kinds of decisions all the time. God, please use the answers to these polls to guide the TOG staff and further your purposes for them.
Bonnie

Just wanted to add. I dont want to throw off your research. I did purchase year 1 and 2 of redesigned but not a bonus bundle so I just had to check no that I was a new costumer. Also if this helps. My husband and I were at a Homeschool Conference. I heard Marcia speak and my husband heard Marcia's husband speak. we both came out very impressed with what they had to say. I told my husband that they had a curriculum that I wanted to see so we went upstairs to check it out. (and the rest is well HIStory.) We still love it and God has used it in many ways. So I guess you could say that God led me to your curriculum. But I didnt see that one the poll so I just marked friend