Advertising in the Traditional Media, as part of the School Marketing Plan, is a form of advertising for a broad reach within society.

It goes well beyond the school community.

Common forms include: newspaper, radio, television and magazines.


Purpose and Overview

This form of advertising is mainly used to:

•   Reach a broad audience beyond the school community
•   Build a reputation within the broader community
•   Have the reputation created support those within the school community
•   Advise the broader community of the advantages of your school to society
•   Encourage parents and their child/ren to consider enrolling in your school.

Success rates will vary depending on each individual publication and geographical location.

Advertising costs will also vary according to each individual publication and location.

Thorough cost analysis needs to be done by the SMM prior to developing a School Marketing Plan (SMP).
    
Often the smaller more localized publications are the best value as they often cost less and usually reach the targeted audience more effectively.

However, you need to be satisfied about:

•   outlet’s philosophy
•   usual content
•   style of presentation
•   advertisement placement positions
•   distribution method.


Advertisement Creation Options

Two options are usually available:

•   The school creates and produces its own advertisement or
•   The media outlet creates it for you

Each media outlet would normally create the advertisement for you, if you so wish. You should provide as much information and as many resources as possible, particularly the branding style needed (see ‘Branding’).

Don’t expect this method to be thoroughly to your liking though. You may need to go back and forth with the outlet until satisfied.

Other Topics in this Chapter

The other topics in this chapter from the ebook by Bryan Foster include:

• Background Preparation
• Be Prepared
• Proofs
• Signing Off

Specific Details and Examples for:

• Newspaper and Magazine Advertising
• Creating the Newspaper and Magazine Advertisement - Instructions
• Radio Advertising
• Creating a Radio Advertisement - Instructions and Sample
• Television Advertising
• Creating a Television Advertisement - Instructions

The 'Advertising in the Traditional Media - School Marketing' blog post was written by Bryan Foster author of School Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (3rd ed) 2010.