smj podcast

Your enrolment success is a result of all the work that’s gone into your marketing and your brand building efforts, but having full admissions and long waitlists should never mean halting your marketing efforts completely. This episode, we make the case for continuous marketing – which isn’t just about getting new students but reinforcing your school’s brand and building brand longevity.

Every school wants to be seen as the perfect choice for families, but perfection is impossible. This episode, Brad and Scully discuss how every school’s brand will falter at some point, but that doesn’t have to mean instant failure. There’s a lesson in every misstep that can help your school become more trustworthy, authentic and turn your brand’s weaknesses into your greatest strength.

In this special interview episode, Brad is joined by Graham Catt, CEO of Independent Schools Australia, to discuss the School Choice Counts campaign which was launched ahead of the federal election. Together they discuss why it matters, how you can support the campaign and, most importantly, how the campaign can support your school community.

In this episode, Brad and Scully discuss why school Heads must take ownership of their school marketing. They investigate the three main roles of marketing in schools, highlight where leadership is essential and examine the leadership mindset required to balance strategy and promotion with the goal of helping Heads recognise their influence and maximise their marketing impact.

In this episode, Brad and Scully discuss why school Heads must take ownership of their school marketing. They investigate the three main roles of marketing in schools, highlight where leadership is essential and examine the leadership mindset required to balance strategy and promotion with the goal of helping Heads recognise their influence and maximise their marketing impact.

In this special interview episode, Brad is joined by Graham Kenny, an expert in strategy and performance measurement, who has helped leaders across business, government and education navigate complex challenges, as well as being Australia’s only regular author to the Harvard Business Review. This episode, Graham reveals some lessons he has learnt about strategy and discusses his research into how AI can help school Heads with strategy going forward.

Choosing a school is an emotional decision for families. Whether it’s about finding the right academic fit, culture or values, each family has unique criteria. Your school competes with dozens of other schools, all vying for a place on prospective families’ shortlists. To truly stand out and secure your spot, you don’t need to be the biggest or the best. You just need to be their favourite.

In this special interview episode, we are joined by Ashley Fell, the Director of Advisory at McCrindle, to discuss the tool they have developed, the Thriving Schools Index. This tool delves into understanding the school experience from a range of stakeholder perspectives, to give a score across a number of areas. She also shares how school Heads can use communication as a tool to move the needle on these indicators, to ensure your school is perceived as positively as possible.

In this special interview episode, we are joined by Peter Baron, who served as the Chief Member Relations Officer for the US Enrollment Management Association, directing their marketing and communications, member recruitment and retention, leadership training programs, and research. He introduces us to his new business, MoonshotOS, which is designed to help education leaders to reimagine the independent school business model. We also discuss the findings of a survey Peter conducted on school leaders, including eight business competencies that directly affect school leaders.

Managing enrolments is about more than just filling seats. It’s about building a secure and sustainable future for your school, and that takes an approach that goes beyond surface level fixes. Introducing imageseven’s newest offering: the Enrolments Practice. In this episode, we are joined by imageseven’s Belinda McCubbin and Pauline Shuttleworth, to take you through the rationale behind the Enrolments Practice, why now is the right time for this service, and how it can help Heads confidently move from challenge to clarity.