Education Marketing Starts in the Elevator 

The new school year has started. Many school managers are scratching their heads and wondering. Where have the forecasted extra students gone? Why do we have more students than budgeted for? 

Chances are both questions are symptomatic of one thing; the perception of the school in the community.  

Schools are either effective or ineffective at attracting (or repelling) students.   

This article is the first in a series on how schools can use simple marketing techniques to manage their roll, their image and their future. Articles will include: 

�         �Number 8 wire' marketing is redundant - the pros and cons of outsourcing for schools.

�         The reluctant department / faculty / board /staff � getting everybody to market.

�         Parent care or parent be careful?

�         Marketing schools, colleges and PTEs 101.

�         Building the right framework to recruit students in multiple international markets.

�         E-marketing and integrating technology.

�         How to stand out in print and on the web - on a small budget.

�         A general assortment of marketing and EduBusiness tips and ideas. 

But first, what do you do? 

Before your school begins to market, print prospectuses and design your website, as Principal, you need to be clear exactly what it is that you are marketing.  

�         What makes your school different from the school down the road?

�         Why should I go to that school?  

These are the two critical questions that prospective parents (PP) and students intuitively ask themselves. I am often surprised how many principals and managers I speak to, when asked what they do, answer in vague terms.  

Put yourself in the shoes of a prospecting parent (student): which school would you want more information about? 

�         �We are a school in central Auckland with 150 students� or

�         �XYZ school is central Auckland�s family-friendly primary school� 

To a busy working parent both schools could be any school in the country (after all, how many schools do you know that aren�t family-friendly?). However, the distinct difference is that the second school is prepared to tell PP�s that �family� is central to their school ethos. As a PP, reluctant about my kids leaving the nest, I infer this to mean I will be able to be involved in my child�s education which is exactly what I want to hear. I�d be more interested in enquiring about getting a prospectus from this school. [Note-Try replacing �family-friendly� with other adjectives; high tech, sporting, academic, nature loving, after school care etc.] 

Without getting caught up in the semantics of copywriting and target marketing, the key is to develop the 10 second elevator definition (the amount of time you have in an elevator to tell someone about you) of your school.  

At the next management meeting take a few minutes to write down the most important points about your school FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PARENTS and STUDENTS. This is critical (hence the shouting capitals) otherwise your description will end up being a MOE mission statement! 

Ask teachers, caretaker, reception, dental nurse, itinerant teachers and even students and parents to do the same. Before long, what you do will jump out at you. 

Your objective is to use these terms/phrases/words to develop a short (unlike this article), concise, non-academic, description of your school. Not only will having a defined description make elevator conversation easier, but it will ensure you can better manage the perception of your school, avoid enrolment surprises and prepare to market your school.

Note about the author:  

David Shearer, of SYNERGY Education, is an ex teacher now an education marketing and EduBusiness specialist, speaker and trainer. He consults with a wide range of education providers throughout NZ and internationally and his monthly newsletter explores current education marketing and compliance issues.