134 Marketing Blog

134marketing helps schools to thrive by providing practical and tactical advice to improve their marketing and admissions. We have a lot to say. Here are just a few of our opinions and insights - or things that just caught our eye!

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The rise of the selfie ...

'Selfies' - photos taken of yourself - have become a staple part of today's culture (even getting into the dictionary last year).

We are becoming obsessed with ourselves.

And marketeers are using this to their advantage.

Net-A-Porter (online clothing retailer) has just launched a magazine. To promote it they created an iOS app called ‘I Am Porter’. The app allowed users to make a front cover of the magazine, with their own image and choice of cover line. They then encouraged users to post them on twitter and instagram.

Nice. Who wouldn't want to be a cover star? (Well, more importantly, those people who do want to be a cover star are highly likely to be prime customers for their magazine!)

Whilst it isn't a 'selfie', Boden have recently run a fun children's campaign to 'create your own front cover' for their boden catalogue.  My son spend a good 40 minutes making his creation online. We enjoyed finding it online in their 'gallery' and, most importantly, forwarded it onto friends to see.

The technology is now amazing to be able to 'create' your own magazine or brochure cover.  It just got me thinking, could schools tap into this kind of approach?

Just imagine your prospective pupils (young or sixth formers) being able to design, or star in, a prospectus???

As ever, for general thoughts and sometimes some rambling blogs, follow me on twitter #134marketing. (I’m aiming to be usefully sporadic rather than annoyingly regular!)

[134marketing]

The way we buy is changing...

First have a read of this article -  it shows just some examples of how digital technology is starting to be used in retail shops.

My question is, if this becomes the norm as a sales tool, will people expect it in non retail envirnment?

Whilst technology becomes further integrated into the way we live our lives, to such a degree that shopping becomes more than a physical transaction but a highly technical and social retail experience, surely it will lead us to 'expect' this type of experience elsewhere?

I'm thinking open days.

How many schools give consideration to how they better integrate technology or IT into their event?

Or how they make integrate it into Social Media or make the event 'shareable'? 

Perhaps it's something to put onto the list of 'how to make our open events a success'?!

As ever, for general thoughts and sometimes some rambling blogs, follow me on twitter #134marketing. (I’m aiming to be usefully sporadic rather than annoyingly regular!)

[134marketing]

Dusting off my old-school books and spring cleaning my Social Media

She’s gone quiet.

Perhaps she’s ‘given-up’ on twitter.

She doesn’t really practice what she preaches about being ‘regular’ and ‘drip-feeding’ a ‘planned communication’ does she?

Oh, I can hear you all now.

Or perhaps I can’t. Because I just can’t imagine that anyone has really noticed that I’ve not tweeted for a month. 

So why did I go quiet?

I decided to do a ‘dry January’. Not in an alcoholic or chocolate denial kind of way, but in a Twitter way.  I wanted to ‘take a month off’. To be honest, it was probably more difficult than giving up anything else, as it had become very much part of my daily routine (not posting, but reading). And, four weeks spread into five. Which merged into six.

Why? Two reasons:

1.  I wanted to free up some time to allow me to read some books. 

You know those things that are made of paper (well originally they were!), take more than one or two clicks to access, and require a good ‘chunk’ of time, rather than time captured in-between multitasking.

I’ve become aware that I’ve been buying books, but not reading them. They were sat on my windowsill, left read.  Enough was enough.

I like reading books on marketing and business  - I find them inspirational.  They make me stop and think.  Yes, articles online do offer interesting insights.  But you can’t highlight the text, scribble ideas into the margins, fill them with little ‘tab’ markers and keep them close to your desk for when you need ideas or to reference something. Yes I do use Evernote and ‘clip’ things to it. (this is a really good app for keeping ideas or notes from online logged in one place), but, call me a luddite, I just don’t think its the same.

With a book, I think about what I’m reading. I process it more. I think about how it applies to the world of school marketing and how it could benefit the schools with whom I’m working.  I’d got out of the habit of doing this, because I was reading online so much.

I won’t bore you with the books I’ve read or re-read. If you do want to know, just email me. And the reason for this is…….

2. I’m just getting a little bored of all the noise.

Too many people are talking. Quite a lot of them aren’t really saying that much. Or, I’ve started to find that what they are saying is repetitive.  Harsh I know and I’m sorry. And you perhaps may include me into this ‘noise’, which is fine and I’m going to take that on the chin.

So I thought that by standing back for a while, I’d feel refreshed.

But I was wrong. What I needed to do was a ‘spring cleanout’ – to look at who I am following, make a choice whether to follow them still, and more importantly to go out and actively find some new inspiration. 

I suppose it’s a bit like being the same conference constantly every day.  At the beginning it’s great and inspiring and you just can’t get enough.  Then you start to need a bit more coffee to get you through it. Next you’re actively avoiding the people in the room because you feel like you’ve heard it all before.  And then, you stop listening, which means that when something new or interesting does come along, you’ve missed it!

So, there’s my justification for being off-line. I’m back, but will continue to ‘spring clean’ my social media, as well as rationing it, so that I carve out time to keep reading books (because that’s what works for me!)

So, what possibly could be the ‘take-aways’ from my twitter absence?!

Go old school and pick up a book. If you haven’t already read any of Al Ries and Jack Trout’s books, they are a good start. Or Malcolm Gladwell. Or Seth Godin.

Why not set your marketing team or SLT the challenge of each reading a marketing/business book (perhaps over Easter or Summer?!) and sharing the bits that you think your school could benefit from remembering, doing, or being inspired by.

Do a social media spring clean-out….. change who you are following, put people into ‘lists’ rather than lose them forever.  Using lists means you can read groups of people or about a specific area when you want or need to, rather than all of the time.  (These are particularly good if you using Hootsuite)

Get re-inspired by people outside of your ‘bubble’.  Try following brands that you don’t like or know; just to see how different people use twitter/social media. Or anything ‘non school related’!

Be aware that NOT using social media can be as addictive as using it.  I got out of the habit and once out of it, I struggled to get back ‘in’! This is particularly useful to remember if you’re doing social media for your school.  Ultimately, if you need a break (and are able to pass it over to someone else for a while) set a deadline to come back at the outset.

And please don’t feel upset if I’ve ‘un-followed’ you – I’ve probably just put you into a list so I can read you more easily!

[nevver]

[134marketing]

Small things can make a big impact. If you spent last year focusing on the 'big, strategic stuff', perhaps you could spend this year looking at improving the small things? Could 2014 be the year of marketing nuance for your school? Of getting the details 'just right'?

Because ultimately as all schools improve their marketing, it may come down to the small details to help you to stand out in the market.

It even comes down to the tea bags....

1. When I was looking to buy a greenhouse, I ordered a catalogue off the internet. It came the next day with a tea bag attached to the letter and instructions to 'sit down and have a cuppa' whilst browsing through it. Lovely idea - especially when the average purchase value must be quite high.  Now I'm not suggesting you all put tea bags into your prospectuses, but what else could you do?!

2. I recently ordered a calendar as a Christmas present. At circa £15 it was a tad steep, but given it was Guy Martin I was happy to pay up!  In with the calendar was a bundle of other 'goodies' that helped validate my opinion that I'd made the right choice.  There was (again!) a tea bag (Yorkshire tea - so very on brand!), a signed postcard and a discount voucher for his online shop. Nice brand-building details.

So - spend some time now (before the manic-ness of term really kicks in) to think about the details of your marketing and admissions. 

Here's one final tea bag related idea....I love these biscuits. Not only  because I enjoy baking and eating, but also because they are memorable. Imagine going to an open day and instead of being offered a packet biscuit getting one of these biscuits instead?! They'd even be fun for the pupils to make, or to design a school motto 'tag'. 

All this talk of tea and biscuits, I'm off to make a brew!

(Picture found on http://thisisnthappiness.com/post/16335185440/teabag-cookies, original post http://frostmeblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/teabags.html)

[134marketing]

Christmas Trees

Today I’m going to buy a Christmas Tree.  There’s a local farm that sells them close by.  They open up their barn, fill it to the rafters with trees and give you mulled wine & minced pies to quaff whilst you choose….

They’ve grown the trees themselves; they have cut each one down.  The kids helping out are all friends of the family & are having a ball helping you out (sqeezing 6ft trees into a Mini – seriously!) 

 It’s a great family atmosphere and it feels like the right place to go and buy our tree. We go every year. And yes it does cost us a little bit more than if we went to a commercial chain.  

But we GET so much more.  It’s an experience that we look forward to.  We don’t just get a tree.  For us, going to get the tree marks the beginning of Christmas.

Would you say your admissions events are something to go through before School starts, or is it part of your School experience?  Do you really sit down and consider the ‘experience’ parents and pupils will have at your open events?  I don’t just mean the logistics (i.e. timings, refreshments, availability of tour guides and teachers to talk to). I mean the things that elevate from being just an Open Day, to being an experience parents and pupils want to share with others?

My rule of thumb for a large-scale open event is that pupils should actively try, or participate in at least a couple of activities.  Which allows parents to see them ‘in-situ’ and increases ‘pester power’.   And ideally they should take something home with them too, preferably something they’ve made or done during the event.   This should help to make your open day more of an experience and less of standard event.

As ever, for general thoughts and sometimes some rambling blogs, follow me on twitter #134marketing. (I’m aiming to be usefully sporadic rather than annoyingly regular!)

[134marketing]

The colour of Christmas... and your School's brand...

Think Christmas… think of a colour…..

Go on – think of a colour that you think epitomises Christmas. I don’t want to go all ‘Derren Brown’ on you – but I guess that you are thinking Red.…

 Because that is the quintessential Christmas colour.  Father Christmas wears a bright red outfit, it’s the colour of winter berries and of course it’s the colour of Ruldoph’s shiny nose…

The colour red and Christmas go hand in hand. Probably something to do with Coke (see my previous post) and those darn marketers getting involved with their pesky brands!

So what colour is your School?

What’s your visual id?  What is the exact (and is this any different from your perceived) colour of your brand?

In the commercial world companies have fought over the ‘rights’ to colour (Cadbury's purple, Tiffany's blue and Louboutin’s iconic red soles).

So how to do you use & protect the colour of your School?

How do you maintain the colour & protect the brand? How could you use or leverage it more?

So here are some of my thoughts on colour:

Pick a colour(s) and stick to it. Simples. Either your current colour, or rebrand (wisely).  If you are thinking of rebranding, do lots of research (on the brands and colours of your competitors, the perception of your current brand etc) and take advice from a trusted designer who can help you understand how colour translates across different mediums (e.g. Red is supposedly an ‘angry’ colour and difficult to use online in block colour - so instead use it as an accent colour) And remember parents are savvy – they question what you are doing and why. So if you do plan to change your colour – talk your stakeholders through it & bring them along with you!

Understand what exactly that colour is - its pantone references (basic stuff, but believe me I’ve met a lot of schools who just don’t know).  Now you’ve got this, why not buy your colour for charity?  Unicef are ‘selling’ pantone colours – why not get the whole school community behind your school colour & buy it?  http://www.ownacolour.com/

If you haven’t already got a brand bible which outlines what your brand is, how it should be displayed, pantone colours etc – then get one up and running & make sure that everyone knows it exists and uses it.  Along with some good communication, it should stop different departments from going off alone and producing their own materials that don’t fit your brand guidelines.

As ever, for general thoughts and sometimes some rambling blogs, follow me on twitter #134marketing. (I’m aiming to be usefully sporadic rather than annoyingly regular!)

[134marketing]

What have advent calendars & admissions got in common?....

As I'm forced to get up a good 45 minutes early each morning in order to open an advent calendar with my over excited 5 year-old son, I've had some time to think about how these calendars are actually quite similar to Admissions in schools....

An Advent Calendar is a countdown to Christmas:

1. It builds anticipation.

2. It moves you closer to the end goal.

3. It signifies when you are getting closer. 

4. It keeps you involved and excited. 

5. It provides you with 24 ‘mini pleasures’ (usually gifts or chocolate, but for some it can be notes of appreciation or nice pictures)

Why not think of your schools admissions process in a similar way?

1. The moment someone is interested in your school you need to think about how you can ‘build anticipation’ to the point that they join you (and hopefully pass on that anticipation and interest to their friends). 

2. How do you ‘move them closer to the end goal’ i.e. make their entry to the school as easy and enjoyable as possible (think uniform purchasing, information booklets, induction days etc).

3. What obvious ‘stages’ of the admissions process do you signpost to  your propsective parents and pupils so that they know where they are up to and feel comfortable/excited about the journey?

4. How much effort do you put into keeping prospective families ‘involved and excited’ before they join?  At this stage, they could bring with them many other families, or generate more interest for you. Equally at this stage they may get ‘wooed’ by other schools….

5. Think about what ‘mini pleasures’ you give prospective families? Plan them out - over the 1 or 2 year period that they are involved with your school prior to their admission.  And to whom are you giving pleasure?! Remember all of the family members - the prospective pupil, their mother and father (and grandparents) - what activities could they take part in?

I know it's the end of term and you're perhaps not at your most creative, but also, if you work in the holidays, you may find some free time to mull over your admissions, to start 2014 in an exciting new way!

As ever, for general thoughts and sometimes some rambling blogs, follow me on twitter #134marketing. (I'm aiming to be usefully sporadic rather than annoyingly regular!)

[134marketing]

Useful Social Media Tools for schools....

So - part two of my follow up to the ISA presentation I gave to Heads about social media.

I gave a lot of ideas of tools that could be used for social media... here's a list of some of the most helpful ones I think you should consider:

Monitoring what is being said about your school:

Google Alerts (but soon to be phased out unfortunately!)

Talkwater Alerts

Tagboard

Mention.net

To help post content:

Hootsuite (good for twitter)

Postplanner (good for facebook)

To improve your content / help you to use your SM better:

Twitonomy.com (twitter)

Likealyzer.com (facebook)

Google Analytics

To find content to post out:

Feedly (to read blogs all in one place)

To research/benchmark against competitors (& improve how your content is found over them):

opensiteexplorer.org

SEMrush.com

To create graphics for content:

picmonkey

Louise, aka 134marketing, helps schools to thrive with practical and tactical marketing.  If you want some help understanding social media (from the basics of what a hashtag is, to setting up your strategies or policies, to taking it to the next level - just get in touch!) www.134marketing.

[134marketing]

Following my ISA presentation to Heads about social media, I was asked for a few of my slides. Given I use prezi, I've done some screen grabs instead!

One of the key points about social media is to establish what content you will be posting, who is going to create it and how you plan to keep generating it over the long term. (Remember social media is for life, not just as a fad!)

So - here's just a few points to get you thinking about what content you could use on social media.  There's lots more - this is just a starting point.

And remember - when thinking about content - it's not just about pushing content out, you need to think how you will engage with your followers. That's the whole point about 'social' media - to get the most out of it, it's supposed to be a conversation rather than a monologue!

Louise, aka 134marketing, helps schools to thrive with practical and tactical marketing.  If you want some help understanding social media (from the basics of what a hashtag is, to setting up your strategies or policies, to taking it to the next level - just get in touch!) www.134marketing.co.uk

[134marketing]

imaginary friends... your new best marketing tool?

Could developing an imaginary friend be your new best marketing tool?  My son has had an imaginary friend called ‘tu-tu’ since he could talk... Given that he’s only 4 years old, he’s had this fella by his side for half of his life.  He’s a constant companion who gets him out of trouble; ‘mummy – it wasn’t me – it was tu-tu’, who asks the questions he dare not; ‘tu-tu would really like another scoop of ice cream’, as well as being his comedy vehicle, comfort blanket and companion when he’s playing by himself.

It’s a complex companionship, which I don’t deny him. In fact, we’ve welcomed him into the family (an imaginary second child is much better than the real thing, in my opinion).  But as ever, my little man has taught me something.  Having someone (however imaginary) to talk to, or bounce ideas off, is a really useful asset.

I have been giving schools candid advice on how to improve their marketing and admissions for about 10 years now.  I know what works strategically and tactically. I can work with Governors, Heads, Teachers and School Secretaries (i.e. I can find a way of talking to all different types of people and help them out).  And yet, when I find myself tackling my own business; its marketing or promotion, I find it hideously embarrassing and I shy away from it. I’ve been lucky enough to just work off referrals.  Writing my own web copy, or indeed starting this blog, has been a painful experience in terms of the amount of time & wasted energy I’ve put into them (writing and rejecting a lot of text!).  I’m just not that big a fan of blowing my own trumpet, I find it cringy and embarrassing. 

And yet, in a lot of independent schools I visit, I often advise them to be proud of what they are doing, shout about their achievements and to remind parents why or how they are satisfied.  Great things often get bypassed.  The press are told too late or parents are left to ‘connect the dots’ about how good they really are.

So, I’ve developed a technique for myself that I’ve been telling my school clients too; create an imaginary friend and use them when writing your promotional materials, online blogs or tweets.  

Luckily, I’ve found out I’m not totally mad in doing this; as it appears others do it to! Much more so – have a read of this great copyblogger article, which outlines how to really develop the persona of your imaginary copy friend: http://www.copyblogger.com/marketing-personas/

And no, before you ask; my imaginary friend isn’t ‘tu-tu’.  My son wouldn’t share him.

[nevver]

[134marketing]

Everyone loves a quote. Better still they like a recommendation.

Have you got parent recommendations on your school website?

If not...why not?!

Thanks to a great picture originally posted by nevver:

Rubbish

From: http://arrestedmotion.com/2012/01/streets-world-roundup-jan-23-jan-29/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=streets-world-roundup-jan-23-jan-29

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It’s ‘snow’ joke how far communications have come…

How quickly we forget.  When snow used to descend upon England, ALL PARENTS would be glued to the local radio station.  Usually, for the first time since the last snow we had, scrabbling to pick up the elusive signal (remember it’s analogue!).  Listening attentively for the scrolling new-reel of which schools were open and which were closed. 

Imagine that – having to actively go and find the information out for yourselves? Rather than it being... delivered to you personally via text, email, twitter or any of the other social networks.  Or it not being a simple ‘click’ away on the school website, helpfully updated by one of the teachers, at home probably, via a content management system.

We have so many blooming amazing communication systems and tools available to us now, with more being added every day it seems.

All of which should be helping and benefiting parents – to know what is going on at their school, to feel involved and to keep them up to date.   It’s just up to us to work out the best ways of doing this for our school and for our parents (there isn’t a one size fits all).

Especially as we ALL quickly forget about cramming round the ‘wireless’.  Everyone’s expectations have risen- independent school parents want and expect more communication.  So please don’t assume just because you’ve got the tools in place that you are ‘done’.

Let’s take snow as an example:

Do parents know how they can / will be informed about school closures?

It’s all very well putting it up on Twitter or Facebook, but if your parents aren’t using these tools, then they won’t be aware of the situation or your efforts to tell them!

Have you communicated to parents that the reason you use Twitter/Facebook is to keep them informed of ‘snow’ or other emergencies? (It might drive interest/sign ups)

I assume you’ve got answer phone messages, text messaging, emails, urgent news sections of your website sorted and use these to inform parents?! But have you got all the access codes / information of how to do this at your home so that you can still do it even if you can’t get out of the house?!

What about those parents who choose not to be online or have a mobile – do you have a list of those parents who need to be contacted by telephone if there is an emergency?

Do you ask your parents after snow closures/potential closures how they thought the school did in terms of communicating with them? How they could improve?

And on a more positive note... Remember to take some lovely snow pictures, if you don't, you'll be kicking yourself later on in the year when you're designing the school Christmas card!

Louise aka 134marketing provides pratical and tactical marketing advice to independent schools. If you want to find out a bit more about me visit my website, follow me on twitter or go mad and google+ me (it’s my new shiny toy - not much on it if I’m honest!!!)

[134marketing]

School marketing advent calendar - Day 4 - presents!

Presents are a key part of the Christmas experience. So what makes a good present? 

The picture shows one of the best presents I've ever received.

Twice.

The first time was when my dad bought it for me when I was little.  The fact that he didn't normally buy gifts (that was mum's job), but he saw this and thought I'd like it. Which I did.

The second time was when my husband brought it home for me.  Because I'd told him (probably far too many times) the story about dad buying it for me.

And why wouldn't you like it? You put money in the top and it dispenses a mini chocolate bar. How cool is that? (Yep I'm quite sad)  But it just presses my 'happiness' button.

So - how do you press that very same 'happiness button' for your prospective parents & pupils, your current parents and pupils, your staff and governors?

Do you even know what makes them happy? Have you asked them? And if you do know what would make them happy, have you got a plan in place to keep them happy or a strategy in place to give them that happiness?

If you missed the previous Advent Calendar posts:

The first day of our Marketing Advent Calendar was a suggestion of how to approach your admissions  - just like an advent calendar! 

The second day we covered Carol Singing - on and off line!

The third day we discussed the colour of Christmas & your brand

There’ll be another one tomorrow – and 12 days in total…by the middle of the month most of you will have broken up anyway ….

So follow me on twitter to get a reminder: #134marketing

If you like these seasonal blogs, comment on them, retweet them or generally give me some feedback (is there anyone actually out there?!)  I’ll might just send you a Christmas Duck…. Thanks!

[134marketing]

What has Baumgartner, Lego and a model maker fair got to do with your school PR?

How can your school piggy back on the news of the day? Of course it is vital for you to create new, engaging content to communicate about your school.  Sometimes though, you can work cleverly and think about opportunistic content… Just like the Model Fair in Vienna who created a Lego version of the Baumgartner space jump.  To see this really clever video click here http://youtu.be/yFU774q6eVM

1.     Plan ahead….Look at what is coming up globally/nationally/locally that will be covered in your lessons or may inspire or interest your pupils & think how could this be translated into a story.

2.     Create a hook, consider how you’ll make it accessible and exciting. Think about pictures. Videos. Audio.

3.     Consider how you are going to get the story out (on and offline) and through which particular channels (social media, aggregator sites, school website etc)

4.     Be ready; go live when the news story is hot. Don’t delay!

Louise aka 134marketing provides pratical and tactical marketing advice to independent schools. If you want to find out a bit more about me, or keep up-to-date with my views then visit my website  or follow me on twitter 

[134marketing]

Middle ground marketing

Listening to the Today Programme on Radio 4, I heard that General Motors has suspended production at its UK Vauxhall plants due to the fact that car sales in the Eurozone have been slow. The ensuing debate on the health of the British car industry made one thing clear – that the ‘middle ground’ car brands (like Ford and Vauxhall) are the ones that are flagging. The expensive cars, like Mercedes and BMW, are doing ok.  And the lower end cars, like Hyundai and Dacia, are doing rather nicely too.

It seems that this has been happening across many other sectors too.  Think of the recently demised JJB in the sports industry (offering neither the discounts available at Sportsdirect nor the service offered at the local independents).  Or consider that Tesco, which was once thought to be ‘all things to all people’, offering both ‘value’ and ‘best’ ranges; now sits firmly somewhere in the middle; between the cheaper supermarkets (Lidl and Aldi) and Waitrose.

Medium sized? I think that size is more likely to be a factor when it comes to costs and profitability.  I have certainly never held a ‘non-joiner’ interview where a parent has said ‘that school was just too middle sized”.  However I have spent many hours (or so it seems) listening to parents debate the pros and cons of large or small schools.  Parents can be sold the benefits of a small, medium or a large school – as long as they are convincing and true.  I worked at a small girls school for many years and we talked so much about the benefits of a small school education that parents would quote us back verbatim in our bi-annual surveys. I’m convinced any good educational marketer could do the same for middle or large schools.

 Middle of the league tables? For many schools, being academically successful and at the top of the league tables is a key part of their ethos, aims and brand positioning.  But obviously not all schools can be at the top.  Parents do know and understand this.  I’ve always strongly believed that being in the middle of the league tables is not necessarily a negative – but this has to be clearly positioned in parents’ minds.  It can be a exceptionally convincing positive (education is more than just exams after all). A lot of schools instead focus on “maximising their pupils’ individual success” or their value-added.  Again, this can be a convincing position – as long as it is made clearly, consistently and truthfully asserted (i.e. not something the school just says until it gets ‘better’ results) in a way that is memorable and engaging with parents.

Mid range fees?  I’d suggest that most parents think in terms of the value for money that a school offers, rather than the exact fee level and whether this is ‘mid priced’.  Especially during these difficult economic times.  They want the reassurance that their investment is worth it.   And what they place value on (prestige, facilities, class size, atmosphere, academic ethos, exam results etc) is dependent on the type of parents you have or want to have.   Ultimately, if your current parents don’t feel they are getting good value for money, they will tell others, or they will simply walk with their feet.  It is your job to reinforce the value for money that you offer and to convince them (through your communications) that their choice to invest in your education is a wise one.

Mid quality education? Who wants to spend money on a middle-of-the-range education? When they can get a good state education for free?  I think this is where we really get to the nub of the ‘middle ground’ issue.  Parents invest in private education because the perceived benefit outweighs the cost of fees (or the sacrifices the family has to make to pay for the fees).  It’s your responsibility to not only strive to offer the very best quality education to your pupils but to also educate your current and prospective parents on the benefits of this education, to reassure them of their investment. 

Medium conviction in your brand or what your school stands for?   I’d definitely say that the dangerous middle ground for schools is having a middle of the road approach to your marketing – by that I mean not being clear enough about what you are, what benefits that you bring to your pupils and how you do this better than your competitors.

Louise aka 134marketing provides pratical and tactical marketing advice to independent schools. If you want to find out a bit more about me, or keep up-to-date with my views then visit my website  or follow me on twitter 

[134marketing]

A mother’s lament - how your school can help parents on their first day....

Spare a thought for the mothers* today.

Or next week.

Or whenever your school term begins.

Yes of course a school’s aim is to best education its children. 

And of course it is their responsibility to look after the children who are starting school.  Those children who have been lovingly dressed in their new school uniform, had their hair tamed under duress and their feet squeezed into new shiny (and unfathomably bloody expensive) shoes. 

It’s a momentous day. 

Photos have been taken. And probably emailed, text and facebooked before they’ve even reached the school gate.

Whilst the mothers are holding back tears or putting on brave faces, the children are, quite rightly, oblivious.  It’ll wash over their heads.  For some, school can be unsettling or different.  But for many, it’s the start of a new adventure; where they will learn new and exciting things every day.

For the mothers, it’s a start of new routines and logistics, new friendships that need to be made (by both the child and the parents), new teachers to be trusted and new fangled approaches to education to be understood (no doubt including phonics, red words and the delights of Biff and Kipper).

So spare a thought for the mothers. All of them, including…..

1.     The mother with an only child who feels it like an irretrievable loss.  The moment that defines the next seven year phase, when their child will be influenced by people other than herself.  When their safety and development is put into the hands of people whom she does not yet know or trust (and won’t be able to until she is given good reason to do so). Believe me.  I’m one of them.

2.     The mother whose first child is joining school feels the same. But can get some relief from the fact her second child remains in her care.  

3.     The mother whose last child is joining school feels the same.  Despite having had other children start school, they feel the same loss. A finality.

4.     The working mother has yet another complex dimension. Gone are the easy days of full time, year-round childcare (be it nursery, nanny or childminder) and welcome in an era of terms and shorter days (or extended hours with guilt).  So along with any other feelings of loss, she also feels the weight of logistical responsibility and the inevitable female guilt.

5.     The mother who has chosen to send their child to an independent school feels the same loss.  But has the burden of the first term’s fees to pay, as well as the thought at the back of their mind that it had better be worth it, or the right choice, because if not, what next?

So just what, exactly, has your school done to help mums (regardless of what type) through their first day?  What have you prepared for them in advance, or planned for the first week?

Having done a straw-poll of mums who sent their child back last week, I’ve compiled a list of what they wanted / liked / or would have liked their school to have done:

1.     Offering a coffee morning for parents after they’ve dropped their children off, is really well appreciated (if not always taken up by the parents!)

2.     Having really clear information about what happens at the start of the school day is a real plus – listing where parents need to go and what their child needs to do (where to put drinks bottles, shoes etc).

3.     Having a ‘helpful tips’ sheet – things to get children used to prior to starting e.g. the normal things like wiping bottoms or noses and the perhaps less obvious things such as saying grace at the lunch table or using a urinal (one mum was mortified that her son didn’t know what the urinal was and upset that she didn’t realise the school had them in reception class)

4.     An opportunity to ask teachers ‘how it went’ – rather than just passing children out through a door and then disappearing.

5.     An early feedback session/parents evening – waiting two terms before having the chance to talk to the teacher is too long for some parents.  They only want 5 minutes for the teacher to say how their child is settling and what else they as teachers or parents can do to help the transition.

6.     A resource for parents whose child is struggling to settle. Approaches that can help, guidance or advice.  Bringing this into school rather than parents having to find it externally (e.g. a social network like Mumsnet) means that parents will trust and value your school and become strong advocates.

Believe me, if you get this right, if you help parents through this time (rather than keeping them at arms length) they’ll become loyal advocates of your school.  They’ll tell their friends and recommend they consider it.  They’ll happily donate to your school fund.  They’ll become your staunch and loyal school advocates. 

  * Of course, I could say ‘primary care-giver’ instead of ‘mum’ but I’m writing this for myself, as a mum, the weekend after my little boy went to school. So excuse me if I’m not P.C !

Louise aka 134marketing provides pratical and tactical marketing advice to independent schools. If you want to find out a bit more about me, or keep up-to-date with my views then visit my website  or follow me on twitter 

[soupsoup]

[134marketing]

The lightning bolt.

The Mobot.

These have become symbols of success at London 2012.

Obviously Usain Bolt and Mo Farrow are stupendous athletes.  The Gold medals adorning their necks are proof of that. 

Whilst their attitude, approach and demeanor couldn’t be more different, they have both created a recognisable symbol in their photographic stance.   This has ensured ongoing media coverage and no doubt increased their sponsorship value exponentially.  

Andy Murray’s ‘finger guns’ and even Wiggins’ sideburns have become iconic. 

They are all easily and instantly recognisable.  Just what a good brand should be. Just what your school should be.

Yes, your school needs to aim for Gold; getting the best inspection report it can, improving its academic results, its all-round provision and pastoral care. 

But at the same time, you need to think carefully about your brand and what will make your school stand out. 

-       What are you known for?

-       What’s your iconic photographic image?

-       What makes you distinctive – what are your ‘sideburns’?

 Louise aka 134marketing provides pratical and tactical marketing advice to independent schools. If you want to find out a bit more about me, or keep up-to-date with my views then visit my website  or follow me on twitter  

(Photo reblogged from soupsoup: My favorite two athletes of the #london2012 Olympics. Congrats Usain and Mo. Photo via @olympics (Taken with Instagram - http://instagr.am/p/ONDzUjCZpA/ )