School Marketing Necessities - First impressions very much count!

Two critical areas necessary as first points of contact are based around initial contact with the school, as well as the basic resources used in all your marketing campaigns. When parents, prospective parents and others in the community see or hear someone or some visual / audio associated with the school an impression is made.

Make it a good one!

Often you have very little time to make an impact here! Therefore whatever the impact is needs to be very good.

Images and people associated with the 'front' of the school are critical. From the phone answering style to your front page of the website, nothing should be left to chance. Just as important are the images and voices / sounds used in your marketing!

Spend considerable time preparing for, selecting and presenting these resources.

Photos and videos / DVDs speak a thousand words! As do the voices used in any production or reply from the school. This chapter will walk you through various key areas and with simple to use suggestions propose ways you might like to aim for success.

Chapter Sub-Headings from School Marketing e-Handbook: Easy to Use Guide to Market YOur School

Powerful Stakeholders
Photos
Videoing
Marketing Resources
Front Office and Office Staff
Telephone
Website
Email

School Marketing Necessities written by Bryan Foster

School Marketers will on occasion experience the Difficult Media Situation.

Sometimes the media request an interview with no forewarning.

This usually happens when a story is considered "big". This may be when something controversial or of a significant status has occurred and the media wants to run with that story on that day or the next.

Examples of these would include:

 a disaster where the school has had major damage, such as from a major storm or fire
 a staff member or student has been allegedly involved with something illegal
 a former student has done something highly successful, controversial or allegedly illegal
 the government or city council have or will make a decision that impacts significantly on the school, etc.

School's Response

In this case initially you need to advise the media that the school, through the principal, yourself or someone else, will speak with them shortly.

You have every right to consider your options before speaking.

It is often best to contact the systemic Communications Manager, if such a role exists. This manager is usually familiar with best practice for such events. The manager will either become directly involved and speak on behalf of the school or offer suggestions on the best approach. The manager may also contact others within or outside the system who may be able to offer advice eg lawyers, building or insurance advisors / consultants, counsellors, etc.

Offering a “No comment” is often fraught with potential misinterpretation or even worse, taking the story according to the information they have which may not be the truth or whole truth. Comment truthfully.

You do not need to give all the details but offer what is needed for the media enquiry allowing for privacy and ethical considerations.

Written by Bryan Foster author. This is an extract from the section 'The Difficult Media Situation' in the 'School Marketing and the Media' chapter in School Marketing e-Handbook: Easy to Use Guide to Market Your School
 

No school can not afford to market the school. School marketing takes many forms.

There are ways and means to develop a successful School Marketing Plan on any reasonable budget once a good appreciation of how marketing works is understood:

How is the reputation of the school being enhanced both within the school community and within the broader community?
 Is the school newsletter being used effectively? Do you have an e-newsletter?
How is the school website used?
No website yet?
What are the possible options then?
Do you have a good mentor or good school marketing 'how to' resources?

Written by Bryan Foster

A good School Marketing Plan should include the use of school marketing emails significantly.

Remembering that your best school marketers come from your own school community. Keep these people well informed.

An ever growing parent population would now expect quick access to necessary information through emails.

Hence, it is imperative that a data base of email addresses is compiled. Request these from the parents and hence privacy aspects should be covered as long as the school marketing emails are not intrusive etc.

This will now allow for information to be quickly sent to each family. A recent example is keeping the parents up-to-date with the Swine Flu Epidemic.

Happy parents who know they are continually informed about necessary information speak highly of the school to others - successful school marketing.

Having this data base also allows for the weekly / fortnightly newsletter to be sent directly to the home.

While social networking websites, along with such other wonderful opportunities, including You Tube, are necessary, to diminish the role of the school marketing email would be to the detriment of the school marketing plan.

Written by Bryan Foster