The School Marketing Plan (SMP) and associated School Marketing Strategies are the foundation for success in marketing your school. An example Overview of a SMP follows. Specific details for each step are found in the School Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (3rd ed), 2010, by Bryan Foster. An analysis of the plan follows the overview.


School Marketing Plan Overview

Define what you have to offer:

Define your target group:
 
Budget:

Personnel and Talents available - including School Marketing Manager:

Develop School Marketing Aims and Objectives – from previous information:

Select Marketing Strategies:

Evaluation:

(Details for each section above are noted in the school marketing manual ebook.)


Analysis of the School Marketing Plan

•   The School Principal is ultimately responsible for the SMP.

•   The School Marketing Plan is based on the School’s Vision and Mission Statement.

•   A SMP is the plan used to market the school to the community. The community includes all people who know, or those who you want to know, about the school. These include the general public in your catchment region, parents, potential families, school staff, parish  staff, other schools’ staff especially from feeder schools, present and past students, parents, etc.

•   The SMP includes the strategies used within a defined budget.

•   The plan is used to inform all stakeholders, and other targeted groups, of the benefits and successes of the school.

•   It also informs about aspects which may be of interest.

•   It also needs to plan for issues which may arise of a controversial nature.

•   The plan should inform and emphasize the real nature of the school and the direction the school is planning or presently implementing.

•   A realistic budget is part of the SMP.

•   Marketing is relatively inexpensive when viewed in the terms of the potential gains made – reputation, new parents, supportive present parents, enrolments, etc.

•   The SMP can benefit from the combination of views of staff and others
associated with the school community.

•   In the initial stages of developing the school’s first real plan it is often best to include a variety of interest groups for gaining ideas and suggestions about how best to market your school. These thoughts may then be used as felt necessary.

•   The School Principal needs input and has the overall responsibility to implement the plan.

Other sections covered:

• SMP Evaluation
• SMP is Not ...
• Be Ethical
• Who Needs a SMP?

The School Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (3rd ed), 2010, written by Bryan Foster details the essentials for a successful school marketing plan and associated strategies.