We all want to make things simpler and more efficient. And there’s no doubt that going online these days is simpler than dealing with hard copies — both for schools and parents.
Allowing parents to complete an application online is sensible and carries no significant legal risks because you aren’t entering a binding legal relationship at that point.
But can parents accept the offer of a place online?
In the education sector the various functions of communication often get blurred, especially when it comes to branding and marketing. While related and interdependent, these are entirely different stages of communication that require different approaches. This episode, we discuss an article by Deroy Peraza that we came across, and we approached him to investigate how his article, Branding is expecting. Marketing is parenting applied to school marketing.
In some parts of the world, Strategic Plans have an unfortunate tendency of outlasting the school leaders. Meaning, many new Heads are given the tricky task of taking over where the last person left off and implementing a plan that can all too easily feel second-hand and a bit tired around the edges. And then, of course, there is the small issue of a global pandemic that relegated even the best laid Plans to the metaphorical back burner. To the point that, midway through 2023, they have either gone up in smoke or, at best, are difficult to locate.
There is a lot happening in the modern school marketing landscape. It seems that every time you open a new browser tab there is a new tool or app that is going to ‘make your life easier’ and solve your enrolment problems. Of course, it’s not real. School communications and marketing are getting more complex, not easier. This episode, Brad and Scully provide a four-pillar framework on how to unlock your school’s value to prospective parents.
The wrong question is: “Our project isn’t catching on, how do we promote it better?”
The right question is a little more nuanced and far more important:
“We’re seeking to make a change in part of the world. How do we find the right people and tell them the right (true) story that helps them get to where they’re going – and that they’ll tell to their peers?”
It has long been known that video is a powerful way to connect with your audience. But, as production becomes cheaper and tools get easier to use, how can schools cut through the clutter? This episode we are joined by filmmaker, speaker and educator Ryan Koral. Ryan specialises in documentary creation and we delve into why this visual medium gives viewers an emotional experience and leads them to take action. Most importantly, we learn how you, as a school Head, can leverage the format to yield great results for your school.
White space is a design term that suggests ‘negative space’ — also known as space where there is no design element.
It can work on a purely aesthetic level, but it also serves to tell the viewer where to look, what the hierarchy is and where to take breaks. It can also help an entire piece be more inviting.
How does your school’s newsletter compare to the benchmarks of the industry, and do they really make a difference to what you are trying to do? Recently, imageseven’s Digital Marketing Specialist, Harrison Shearn undertook a comprehensive project to analyse the performance of over a quarter of a million school email newsletters. For the first time in Australia, Harrison’s findings have revealed some benchmarks for school email newsletters, which we discuss in depth to learn all there is to know.
Your taste plays a huge part in marketers work, so you should definitely make an effort to get to know it. Often, when author Bonnie Siegler asks her clients what design work they respond to most strongly, they tell her they’ve never even considered the question. But everyone has personal preferences, and having a sense of what they are will make it easier to judge creative work with confidence.
Is it possible for your school to stand out in a sea of sameness? This episode, Brad and Scully discuss the idea that to be effective with any content marketing strategy, you have to develop a distinctive – as opposed to distinct – point of view for the story you’re telling or the value you are delivering at your school. We investigate how being only distinct limits our ability to stand out and how by being distinctive, your school can be the ‘purple duck in a room of brown mallards’.
There is a lot happening in the modern school marketing landscape. It seems that every time you open a new browser tab there is a new tool or app that is going to ‘make your life easier’ and solve your enrolment problems. Of course, it’s not real. School communications and marketing are getting more complex, not easier.
A good school leader needs to be able to build trust and strong relationships with all participants in the school community – students and their families, alumni, staff and other stakeholders. Motivating these diverse audiences to work towards the school’s mission is one of your greatest challenges as a Head.
This episode Brad and Scully discuss the case for school magazines and why it is important not to dismiss the idea of print publications. We discuss how the long form content of Prospectus’ and other school publications work differently from the ‘bite-sized’ content that is so often associated with digital communications, and how school Heads can use these hand-in-hand to get the best communications results for their schools.
