New Connor eBook Defines Everyone’s Role in School Marketing
Download the eBook for your teams and your leaders today
“Loved your e-book. What I loved is how comprehensive it is and thus, the clear statement that everyone needs to own the marketing of the school. It was really interesting to see how different constituent groups could positively impact marketing. I also liked the importance you place on collaboration as a mechanism for marketing the school internally first.
Great read!”
Tom Olverson, Search Consultant, leadership mentor at RG175 and former Head of School
Getting Everyone On Board
Our new eBook defines the interdependent roles that all school administrators, trustees, and faculty must master to attract and retain mission-appropriate families:
A. Head and Divisional Directors/Principals
B. Faculty and Staff
C. Enrollment Managers/Admission Officers
D. Development Officers
E. Communication Officers
F. CFOs and Business Managers
G. Trustees
Why is this important now?
This summer, many independent schools were fortunate enough to attract a number of public school families, with some noting enrollment increases of up to 20%. Overall, these public school families apparently felt that smaller, more agile private schools were a safer bet during the Covid-19 threat. As the pandemic dragged on, and the uncertainty in the air was as thick as the smoke from the West Coast wildfires, these families knocked on the doors of our independent schools for the first time.
The buzz among private school leaders now is, “How do we keep them?” Debra Wilson, President of SAIS, the largest regional association of independent schools in the United States, puts the call to action succinctly: “We have one year to prove ourselves!”
Over the years, I’ve addressed that concern about retention using two strategies:
First, Everyone has a role to play when marketing a school. The internal leadership team, the faculty, and the trustees must understand their individual roles, and they must understand each other’s roles. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts! Our families don’t enroll in the admission office or give to the development office. They enroll and donate for the entire educational experience. They also want to be associated with your school’s “cause.” That cause is clarified by a bold vision and the relationships you create with them across the entire school community.
Second, Communicate Value. Both prospects and current families hunger for statistics and stories that explain why your school is worth the investment over time. They expect quantitative and qualitative evidence on the ROI. So make it personal and relatable to them. Blow them away, frequently and systematically. You may get tired of hearing those value-laden messages, but families come, grow, and go. The cycle continues. If you don’t continually remind them that they made a great choice, beginning the day they made it, their minds will naturally default to cost. They need to be able to tell their friends it’s worth every penny and more. Keep them focused on value, early and often!
“We have one year to prove ourselves!” —Debra Wilson, President, SAIS
A Timeless Approach
That’s what our new eBook does: It helps you see the whole picture and how everyone is interdependent. It will get your internal team pulling in the same direction. It will help disintegrate the silos as they are described by our job functions.
While marketing fads may come and go, the approach here is timeless. It is foundational to all effective communications—digital, print, and in your personal interactions with colleagues and families.
The eBook provides specific guidelines for all school personnel. It is an approach you can put into practice immediately to either shift or reinforce your school’s culture. As someone who has performed most of the jobs described here, I can promise you it will increase retention of current families and the conversion rates of prospects and applicants.
To learn how to get everyone on board as authentic marketers, download your free copy of the eBook Pulling in the Same Direction.
Finally, I am confident this publication will help you earn the long-term trust of those new public school families who enrolled late this summer. Best wishes for success from all of us at Connor Associates!
Download Our eBook
Connor Associates Strategic Services, LLC is based in Northern California and has served the market research, planning, and branding needs of hundreds of private, charter, and independent boarding and day schools and colleges in 26 states, Europe, Africa, and Asia over the past 20 years. For information on how we can support you, please visit https://www.connor-associates.com/
