Marketing isn’t just a department – it’s the heart of your school’s identity, shaping how families, students and your community experience what you offer. If you leave marketing entirely to your marketing team, you’re missing the bigger picture. Marketing is everyone’s responsibility, starting with you.
In this interview episode, Brad is joined by Phillip Heath, Head of Barker College, to discuss the potential risks of parent WhatsApp groups. Phillip explains why trust and culture must be the centrepiece, why schools should monitor group chats and avoid “swinging at every pitch”. Phillip outlines a 3R test (Repeated, Reasoned, Relevant) to help Heads decide when intervention is the best course of action and explain how clear boundaries protect staff while allowing for constructive responses that don’t add fuel.
You can’t be everything to everyone – but when you focus on what sets your school apart, you attract the right families and build a reputation parents can’t ignore.
Brad and Scully explore how Heads can hold consistency and creativity in productive tension. From staffroom culture to prospectuses, they unpack why brand consistency isn’t about sameness but brand alignment. The duo explore how inconsistency can quietly erode trust, how internal alignment reinforces external perception, and why brand governance is essential for enabling creativity. Learn the importance of brand guidelines to improve process and message consistency and that true brand strength comes from internal alignment.
In this episode, Charlie is joined by imageseven Managing Partner Andrew ‘Scully’ Sculthorpe and Digital Marketing Specialist Harrison Shearn. The trio explore how AI-generated summaries are affecting website traffic and SEO, and how school marketers should adapt. In the Deep Dive, they explore key findings from the 6sense B2B Buyer Experience Report, highlighting strong parallels between the B2B buyer purchasing process and the prospective parent journey in education marketing. Finally, in the Rants and Raves, the team spotlight a school pushing the AI envelope with a conversationally aware virtual principal.
Renovation is no small feat, and it starts with a deliberate and strategic demolition of what no longer serves you. For school Heads tasked with revitalising an ailing brand, the same principle applies. Before you can rebuild something stronger and more aligned with your school’s vision, it is crucial to clear away the outdated elements holding you back. However, like in any renovation, there’s an art to demolition, and it must be approached with caution, care and communication.
In this special interview episode, Brad is joined by Nick Jensen from ACTS Education to explore an innovation in school marketing – AI avatar simulations. These simulations offer school staff a space to practice and develop skills whilst simulating difficult scenarios. AI avatars can be used as virtual registrars for enrolment interactions to help prospective parents find information about your school. Nick also shares early demos that simulate a prospective parent’s enrolment interaction and discusses how Heads can shape this innovative technology to reduce workload and improve efficiency.
Marketing and enrolments must work as one team to convert interest into enrolments. A seamless handover avoids lost leads and ensures a positive parent experience. By aligning goals, defining clear processes, and encouraging regular collaboration, Heads can drive team performance.
In this episode, Brad and Scully are joined by Pauline Shuttleworth, imageseven Advancement Specialist, to ask whether the traditional enrolment funnel has reached its expiry date. Together, they explore how parent behaviour has changed with stealth applicants and silent dropouts. The trio introduce the ideas of ‘evaporation’ and the ‘dark funnel’ and share a seven-step plan to help school Heads shift from a linear enrolment model to one that reflects today’s complex parent journey.
Charlie and Rita are again joined by imageseven Digital Marketing Specialist Harrison Shearn to assess Google’s new ‘AI Mode’ and its implications for school marketers and digital marketing more broadly. In the Deep Dive, they explore how to brief your marketing agency or creative team effectively by discussing why a solid brief matters, and how to avoid miscommunication and misalignment to get the best results. Finally, they answer a listener’s question about the fine line between inspiration and imitation, before raving about Canva’s cheeky and out of the box outdoor campaign in London.
A SWOT analysis conducted by a school Head can provide a rich source of information and perspective that prompts deep thinking about where the school is, potential aspirations for the future and capabilities and structures necessary for success.
In this practical follow-up to episode 213, Brad and Scully take Heads from mindset to action as they reveal how to build a true ‘lighthouse’ strategy for your school. They dismantle common strategic myths, discuss how to uncover the unique value your school delivers and introduce a three-layer strategic hierarchy. Then, they share five daily habits all designed to help your school shine consistently.
