#134marketing

[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]

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 

[134marketing]

Hard work,  preparation & dedication.....

makes an (ENGLISH!) winner of the Tour de France! (YIPEEEE!)

but it also helps forge a successful business or school. Take this example from Rapha, a rather exceptional cycle company.  Their marketing is just deliciously stunning (it is simple yet engaging and beautifully designed), their products are fantastic quality, the packaging befits and validates the purchase, and the company communicates with customers in an informative yet friendly way. 

Here's the learning point.....this email campaign was built and ready prior to Wiggins' win.  It was sent pretty much as he crossed the finishing line. Impeccable planning. How organised is your school communications? Are you ready to capitalise on current events happening at your school, in the community or the world?

Preparing news articles in advance is easy, setting them to 'go' is easy too with good content management systems, twitter tools such as Hootsuite and email providers such as MailChimp. There's no excuse.... it just takes hard work,  preparation & dedication.

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 , follow me on twitter   or google+

[134marketing]

Fifty shades of grey – a powerful lesson in word of mouth?

If you haven’t heard of this book, or what it’s about, then you must be living in a bubble.  Or haven’t been into a book shop in the last month.   On Saturday I was stood in WHSmiths reading a gigantic poster stating that Fifty Shades of Grey was ‘the fastest selling book of all time’ selling over 20million copies worldwide. At the same time a couple of WI looking ladies clutching not just one, but all three copies were waiting at the till.   And a much younger girl (you’d ask her ID for a drink), practically winked at me whilst I was reading the poster.

 The book was originally written on a fan-fiction website.  This is where aspiring authors write chapters and post them up online for others to give feedback and rate.  It’s an open process and the stories are often based around specific themes that have a real fan-base.  It is a community of like-minded individuals.  They are using a specific technology to communicate with each other.  So…

1.     Does your school know who its fans are and which technologies/websites they use? (e.g. have you asked your parent body whether they use social networking and if so, which particular ones?)

2.     Do you actively ask your ‘fans’ (aka parents/pupils/stakeholders) for feedback? Are you open enough to ask for their opinion on how to develop your school? Do you do this regularly enough (not necessarily one chapter at a time, but annually?) Do you take that feedback onboard and let it help you to shape your school development?

The reason cited for the success of the book is the word of mouth it has generated. Everyone seems to be talking about it.  People want to know ‘what all the fuss is about’ so they go out and buy it.  So…

1.     We all know that word of mouth is vital for schools. But how do you generate word of mouth? What do you actively do to get people talking positively about your school? Do you have a plan of how you could do this? Do you have parents who you can ask to help you? Do you have clear messages of what you want people to talk about?

2.     The book is talked about because it is controversial. It is different and stands out from the crowd of other books.   How different is your school from its competitors? Are you a me-too brand that is similar to your state school and private school rivals? Why would someone talk about your school?

* Just to validate that I don't only read rubbish chick lit, here's a snapshot of my very random bedside table: including Steve Jobs’ Biography (outstanding), Crime & Punishment (not by choice but by bookclub) and Horrid Henry, amongst many other books and magazines (mainly Wired and Gardeners World!!) that I’m currently reading.

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 , follow me on twitter   or google+

[134marketing]

How's your school dealing with "Generation C"?

Brian Solis, in a recent Washington Post article (June 28th 2011), discusses Generation C - meaning 'connected customers'. If you want to read the full article, just click here. 

The nub of the article (in my opinion) is that: "At the center of this evolving customer landscape are shared experiences. People share just about everything and, whether we believe it or not, the activity around these shared experiences influences the impressions and behavior of other consumers in social networks to varying effects."

Have a think about the events your school host. Would your prospective pupils or parents actually engage or be 'wowed' enough with the event to tell others?

Open events

Taster days/sessions

Entrance tests/procedures

Induction days

School plays/sports days/concerts etc

Again, referring back to the article: "Suddenly, the audience with an audience becomes a formidable foe or ally for any organization. As such, the proactive investment in positive experiences now represents a modern and potentially influential form of consumer marketing and service. But to engage in the new realm of digital influence will take more than tweets or participating social media conversations. Connected audiences demand that marketers and executives alike rethink the entire customer experience before, during, and after transaction."

My suggestion is that we, as school marketers, need to "rethink the entire customer experience".  How? Well it depends on your events, what you currently do, what your marketing objectives are for your school or for each of the events you host.  But sweeping these aside for just one minute,  what about....

Using QR codes or augmented reality on tours or for special 'digital' events:

Perhaps a history tour of the school - bringing the history of the school to life for visitors.  Could be good for alumni? 

Treasure hunts for taster days using QR codes to provide or help solve the clues

QR codes in classrooms that are on tour routes: which link to further information about what's offered in that subject (which could be bookmarked and read later at leisure), or linking to AR of pupils at trips (e.g. a short video showing geography trips or drama productions)

These have been a bit inspired by this video showing how QR codes have been cleverly  used in Central Park.  Shows what a bit of inspiration can achieve to put these new technology to use.

Or does your school already do something like this? If so, how successful has it been?

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]

Sometimes, things just hamper your productivity.

Sometimes, you don't notice just how much more you'd accomplish if you tried something differently.

Sometimes, you just need to take time to try a new approach.

The Summer Holidays is a good time to do this. What have you got planned?

A bit like me.... I'd work so much better if my dog sat under my desk, rather than on it!

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

[134marketing]

Simplify your admissions process to increase enquirers..

According to a report*, consumers are willing to pay a premium for brands that provide simple communications and experiences.   Most interestingly for independent schools, the report found that….

 88% of consumers were more likely to recommend a brand because it makes their customer experience simple.

We know that parents find the process of choosing independent education stressful – so how much does your school do to help reduce this stress and make the customer experience simple? 

Spend time to review your admissions process – what are the points that could be confusing to parents & give some thought as to how you could simplify them, for example the:

the language you use: (if you have a high percentage of first time buyers this is particulary important) Do parents know what a 'Registrar' is? Do you have unusual names for your year groups? What about your terms?  Consider that not everyone has come across words such as 'Michealmas' before. And there is that old addage 'if you have to ask you can't afford it': I've certainly come across parents who could afford independent education but simply felt alientated by it. 

timings you set: Are your prospective parents absolutely clear what the process is to get into your school? Can they explain it to their friends? Do you, or could you produce a list that outlines the  '5 steps to join your school', which explains it and put dates next to the key events?

information you provide (e.g. fees) Making your fees difficult to find, hard to read or unhelpful to work out the actual TOTAL cost your education is just unfair and obstructive to parents.  Again, lets go back to the old addage 'if you have to ask you can't afford it'.  Well, if you take this attitude you are potentially missing out, not only on parents (or grandparents) who actually can afford the fees, but also on potentially brilliant bursary or scholarship pupils.  Most parents who make the choice to invest in independent educuation do so with their fixed income i.e. their current salary. They need to understand what the monthly, termly or yearly cost will be, in order to budget for this outlay.  How can they do this, when your school has helpfully separated everything out into different costs (e.g. lunch, exam costs) ?! I've spoken to parents who have invested a lot of time setting up spreadsheets working out the actually cost of education both now and in the future (modelling for various fee increases over time).  At one school, I worked closely with the Bursar to reduce the number of 'extra costs' to provide clarity for our 'first time buyer' parents. Did it work? It's obviously difficult to work out how much of an impact this specific activity had, but many parents did mention that they liked our 'simple' approach and our admissions enquiries and conversions went up year on year.

forms needed to be completed (online & offline) Quite simply: test your forms. Watch people fill them in and ask them to talk you through it.  Do you leave enough space for them to complete them (very annoying if not)? Do you have separate forms that are tailored to different year groups so that parents don't have to wade through questions they don't need to answer?

exam or entry processes Prospective parents and pupils often worry about exams: so communicate, communicate, communicate! Tell them what will happen, explain to them, help them through it to avoid worry.  And if your school does this better than your competitors, then might parents begin to think that perhaps your pastoral care is better too?!

So, if you can spend time on simplifying your admission, according to this survey, your School could increase the amount of recommendations it receives.  This really is 'free' schools marketing - it only costs your time to work through and rewrite things and yet potentially has a good return. Great news for independent schools that have small marketing budgets!

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 (I’m practicising on it at the mo - so there’s not much on it if I’m honest!!!

*(Marketing Week Magazine  published the results of this report, by Seigel+Gale, To read the full article on the Marketing Week Website, click here)