Marketing Ideas for Your School
If your
school’s marketing budget is being decreased given the current economic
situation (or for any reason), then you MUST counter weight that decreases in
spending with a more significant increase in effort. Here are a few marketing
ideas that cost little money, but have significant impact.
Whether we
like to admit it or not, competition in the independent school is on the rise
where parents are much more valuable-conscious than ever. The message is loud
and clear that you must take steps to differentiate your school from the
alternatives and demonstrate value. This effort — the hard work that goes into
differentiating your school and demonstrating the value you offer — should be a
part of everyone’s job. Although only some people in your institution may
actually have the word “marketing” in their titles or job descriptions, hence
the other stakeholders have also critical roles in conveying a positive,
unified message.
Make no
mistake. Marketing is not just about advertisements and press releases. For
today’s independent schools, marketing is also about the daily details, such as
getting the amount on the tuition bill correct, sending grades to the right
contact person and keeping assignments on the Web site updated daily. Each
interaction provides an equal and important role for any institution.
The most
effective schools recognize the power of partnerships among key internal
stakeholders, including faculty, admissions, development and finance staff.
Integrating departmental functions not only shows good leadership and management,
but also it’s great marketing. By listening carefully to those you seek to
serve, making sure all stakeholders understand their roles, and putting the
right technology infrastructure in place to support communication, schools can
foster strong internal collaboration that helps to advance their missions.
Ironically, we
do not often see this approach being applied to the way schools are managed. Admissions
and development officers usually see their roles as separate. Teachers often
don’t understand the important part they play in enrollment, retention and in
reinforcing to donors the value of their investment in the school. Business
offices, who oversee many of the customer service aspects of the school, often
aren’t consulted by development and admissions officers. We seem to live in
different tribes and don’t always focus on what unites us: the achievement of
the mission. Too often, each office works with its own objective and doesn’t
consider its impact on the whole operation.
Our success depends
on recognizing that we’re all interdependent. Everyone in the school should be
held responsible for advancing the mission.
Assess
internal marketing and collaboration
Begin by
getting a clear picture of where you are in terms of collaboration — both the
opportunity to collaborate and the environment that nurtures it. Is there
congruence among major administrators and faculty leaders about the school’s identity,
mission and direction? Do the school’s academic, admissions, fundraising and
business office functions work in concert to maximize external marketing? Is
there a concerted effort to bring all of the institution’s human resources to
bear on enrollment and fundraising goals? We know that our prospective
“customers” need to understand who we are, where we are going and what we value.
Do we give the same information to our internal audiences? Particularly
faculty? Staff? Parental leadership? Alumni leadership? Students?
Everyone in
the school should be held responsible for advancing the mission. Everyone
markets, everyone recruits, everyone fundraises and everyone at the school is a
teacher.
Word
of Mouth
It is the most
powerful promotional tool, originates internally. An internal environment of
collaboration, coordination and collegiality is critical to enrollment,
retention, public relations and philanthropic goals.
Listen
to stakeholders and conduct external marketing research
Get a clear
and an objective sense of your school’s identity and value from the perspective
of those you seek to serve. An internal marketing assessment reveals who you
think you are and whom you think you serve; an external image audit reveals who
they think you are and whom they think you serve. How similar or different are
the two perspectives?
There are
literally dozens of constituent groups you should systematically monitor; whose
pulse you take will depend on your goals. But among the most fundamental are
those in your admissions process, current parents, young alums, first-time
donors, major donors and the larger community of referrers and potential referrers.
Because the population of a school moves upward and out of the institution,
periodic and systematic research is advised.
Maximize
everyone’s role in marketing the school through collaborative relationships and
mutual support
Make all
efforts to align your internal team with your mission and vision. You must have
external evidences of the viability of your mission and how you deliver it. Ensure
and remember that every key stakeholder on your staff will play a role in
advancing your mission. For practical tips on how you or your department can
contribute to stronger internal collaboration and improved marketing, consult
to the recommended appendices.
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