How You Create an Outstanding School Ambassador Programme with your Admissions and Marketing Team: See Your School Reputation Sore Through the Roof
We’re taking a deep dive into how your Admissions and Marketing department create, develop, and utilise school ambassadors:
A School Ambassador Programme is also hugely powerful tool to beef up your brand across your school, and ensure the right kind of families identify you as their pre-eminent school of choice.
Contents: Jump to Key Concepts
Understanding the Concept of School Ambassadors
School ambassadors act as the face and voice of your educational institution.
They are the storytellers, the relationship builders, and often, the first point of contact between the school and the outside world.
A well-spoken student or a passionate teacher can make a world of difference in how a school is perceived.
They are also essential in building a strong culture within the school.
When I ran my own school, it was these authentic experiences and testimonials that resonated with families more deeply than any marketing material we could come up with on our own.
Key point:
With social media being a key way in which we consume news and get information, our school ambassadors play a central role in how we are presented on social media.
Consequently, the existence of school ambassadors is an intentional and deliberate set of activities, created and managed by our Admissions and Marketing department.
A Great Video on How To Start A Cultural Transformation
A Reflection Of A Strong And Positive School Culture With School Ambassadors
This is most likely second nature to you as a school leader, but it’s worth highlighting, especially if it’s the first time your Admissions and Marketing team have looked into creating an Ambassador programme.
- The presence of school ambassadors is often a reflection of a strong and positive school culture.
- The enthusiasm to represent the school is usually rooted in a genuine sense of pride and belonging: the hallmarks of a healthy school culture.
- When a school has a vibrant and supportive culture, it encourages members to actively participate and contribute to the school’s vision.
A self-sustaining cycle: the school culture nurtures ambassadors, and ambassadors, in turn, reinforce and spread the school culture.
To foster an effective school ambassador program, it is crucial to first cultivate a strong school culture
- Clear Communication of Values: Ensuring that the school’s values and expectations are clearly communicated and understood by all members of the school community.
- Community Involvement: Encouraging participation and input from students, staff, and parents in school activities and decision-making processes.
- Recognition and Celebration: Regularly acknowledging achievements and contributions that reflect the school’s values, thus reinforcing a positive culture.
- Supportive Environment: Creating an atmosphere where students and staff feel supported, respected, and connected to the school.
Solidifying these aspects of school culture lays the groundwork for an ambassador program that is not only successful but importantly, sustainable.
Selecting and Training School Ambassadors
As a school leader, you’ll already have an excellent understanding of what makes a school ambassador, but it’s incredibly important that this criteria is understood and shared with your marketing team.
- Criteria for Selection: The ideal ambassadors are those who embody the school’s values and spirit. They should be articulate, engaging, and above all, embody a positive outlook on school life.
- Training Programs: Effective ambassadors don’t just happen; they are made. This is where comprehensive training comes in, covering areas such as public speaking, content creation, and the nuances of representing an educational brand.
Example: A workshop series might include sessions on crafting compelling narratives about school life, managing social media responsibly, and engaging with different audience segments.
What Should School Ambassadors Be Doing For Us?
It’s about being very intentional in mapping out their roles, so that every member of the team, across the SLT, the Admissions and Marketing team, and the school ambassadors themselves share a clear understanding of what is expected of them.
The Role of Student Ambassadors
- School Events: Student ambassadors shine during school events. They can lead tours, answer questions, and provide a warm, personal welcome that leaves a lasting impression on visitors.
- Online Presence: In the digital age, a student’s online endorsement can be powerful. By sharing achievements and day-to-day school life, they contribute to a vibrant, online community that attracts attention and interest.
- Peer Support: New students often find comfort in interacting with their peers. Student ambassadors can ease their transition, making them feel at home and part of the school community from day one.
The Role of Staff Ambassadors
- Networking and Partnerships: Staff ambassadors can tap into professional networks, creating opportunities for student internships, community projects, and collaborative events.
- Community Outreach: By participating in community initiatives, staff ambassadors can demonstrate the school’s commitment to social responsibility and local partnerships.
- Promoting Educational Excellence: Staff ambassadors are perfectly positioned to showcase the school’s academic strengths and innovative approaches to education at conferences, workshops, and seminars.
Challenges and Solutions in Implementing an School Ambassador Programme
Implementing an ambassador program can be particularly challenging for schools. Limited resources require smart, sustainable strategies to ensure the program’s success.
Some detailed solutions to common challenges:
Limited Time and Resources
Solution: Streamline and Prioritise
- Leverage Existing Resources: Integrate ambassador activities into current roles and events. For example, have student ambassadors lead portions of already scheduled school tours or open houses.
- Focus on Quality Over Quantity: Instead of a large team, select a few dedicated ambassadors and provide them with in-depth training.
- Utilize Digital Tools: Implement scheduling software to manage ambassador activities efficiently and use digital platforms for virtual engagements to save time.
Training Resources
Solution: Optimise and Collaborate
- Peer Training: Implement a peer-mentoring system where experienced ambassadors train new recruits, reducing the need for formal training sessions.
- Online Training Modules: Develop or source online training resources that can be accessed at any time, allowing for flexible learning schedules.
- Community Partnerships: Collaborate with local businesses or marketing professionals who may be willing to provide workshops or training sessions, sometimes at no cost, as part of their community outreach.
Maintaining Consistency
Solution: Create a Sustainable Framework
- Ambassador Handbook: Develop a comprehensive guide that outlines the school’s values, key messages, and FAQs to ensure consistent communication.
- Regular Check-ins: Schedule brief, regular meetings to touch base with ambassadors, which can be done virtually to accommodate busy schedules.
- Feedback Loop: Establish a simple, ongoing feedback mechanism, like a shared digital journal or log, where ambassadors can record their activities and reflections.
Measuring Impact
A special mention here: measuring the impact and results of your efforts with an Ambassador Programme are incredibly important.
It can’t be emphasised enough that the Admissions and Marketing team have a thorough understanding of how effective their efforts are, in order to adjust and improve where necessary.
(See below for a more in depth discussion)
Solution: Implement Practical Metrics
- Set Clear, Achievable Goals: Define what success looks like with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives that are tailored to the school’s capacity.
- Simple Data Collection: Use easy-to-manage tools like Google Forms for collecting feedback or data on ambassador activities.
- Regular Reporting: Have ambassadors provide regular updates that can be quickly reviewed and analysed for insights.
Ambassador Engagement
This too is something that can’t be overlooked.
We can’t take our ambassadors for granted, and should go to significant lengths to make sure we have their continued support.
Solution: Foster a Supportive Community
- Recognition Programs: Create a system of recognition for ambassadors, such as a feature in the school newsletter or a certificate of appreciation, to keep them motivated.
- Build a Community: Encourage ambassadors to form a supportive network where they can share experiences and advice, which can be facilitated through regular informal gatherings or a dedicated online group.
- Professional Development: Offer ambassadors opportunities for personal growth, such as leadership training or public speaking coaching, which can be sourced from local community resources or online platforms.
Tracking the Success of School Ambassadors
Here’s how the activities of school ambassadors are evaluated by your Admissions and Marketing team, in order to showcase their real value to the educational institution.
Enhanced School Image
- Assessment: Track the number of positive mentions on social media and the sentiment of comments on posts featuring ambassadors. Monitor the increase in followers or engagement on platforms where ambassadors are active.
- Quantifiable Benefits: Measure the correlation between ambassador activities and spikes in inquiries about admissions. Analyse trends in enrollment numbers following ambassador-led events or campaigns.
Community Engagement
- Assessment: Keep a record of community events attended by staff ambassadors and the nature of their participation. Surveys are often used to gauge community perception and awareness of the school before and after these events.
- Quantifiable Benefits: It’s a good opportunity to evaluate new partnerships or sponsorships that result from ambassador networking.
- Count the number of community-led initiatives or projects that the school participates in or hosts as a direct result of ambassador outreach.
Peer-to-Peer Influence
- Assessment: Your team will be conducting surveys among prospective and new students to determine the influence of student ambassadors on their decision to attend the school.
- Track the number of peer-led tours and the feedback from these sessions.
- Quantifiable Benefits: The Admissions team will be looking at the conversion rate from school visits to enrollments and assessing the retention rate of students who were mentored or guided by ambassadors. A sense of belonging created by ambassadors can influence a student’s decision to remain at the school.
How to Build A Brand Around Strong School Values
Conclusion
The role of school ambassadors is multifaceted and deeply impactful. By training students and staff to represent the school, leaders can extend their reach, build genuine connections, and foster a positive image that resonates with all stakeholders. Investing in a robust ambassador program is not just about enhancing visibility; it’s about enriching the educational experience and fostering a sense of pride and belonging within the school community.
Call to Action
For schools looking to strengthen their community ties and amplify their presence, consider the power of ambassadorship. It’s an investment in your people, your story, and the future of your school. If you need advice creating an Ambassador Programme, feel free to contact us here at Teaching2Fish