Are you listening? Are you connecting? We are.

Connor Associates recently called out a David Brooks (NYT columnist) article, “Nine Nonobvious Ways to Have Deeper Conversations.” When we read it, we thought that those “non-obvious” questions reflected much of what our Image Audit interviews do for schools, to gauge perceptions about the School and manage reputational assets and risks. As in many of his writings, Brooks spoke about “connection.” 

Connection.  

It’s a big word these days. And, one we don’t take lightly in our Image Audits when we are discovering the deeper reasons for why (or why not) a constituent inquired at, enrolled in, promoted, or supported a school. When we connected with schools and their constituents in the early days of COVID-19, the adage, “The more things change, the more they remain the same” often came to mind.  Because of the uncertainty around the pandemic, many parents wanted closer and closer connections with schools.

In August 2020, the National Association of Independent Schools said that 58% of its schools had reported an increase in interest from the previous summer. While market conditions may be shifting during the pandemic, the problem and value statements expressed in our phone interviews during this period have not. Parents, students, and supporters alike still seek that deep connection to a school, because the school might be a significant investment from which a return is expected: a network, a supportive community, a zone of safety, an exciting adventure, or a last hope.  

We know schools are in the business of connecting. We are too!

The data from our phone interviews connect directly to a school’s strategic marketing plan. Our marketing research questions, which have been honed from our decades of working in and with independent schools, uncover how a school can better understand its market, its product, its messaging, and its relationships.  

A school client parent is knee-deep in kindergarten applications for several independent schools in her area. She joked with us that she needed a buzzword bingo card with the phrases promoted during the schools’ virtual tours: “social-emotional learning,” “whole child,” “meeting the child where he/she is at,” “progressive curriculum,” “school community,” and others. Unfortunately, nearly all schools are using these same buzzwords and they are, essentially, meaningless as distinguishing features.

Are your points of connection meaningful to your constituents? Are they encouraging inquiries, enrollment, giving? Let us help you identify your differentiating and prominent features, the connective tissue, the deeper meaning behind your messaging.  

 Are you listening? Are you connecting? We are.