As a school principal, you wear many hats. From overseeing curriculum development to managing staff and ensuring the well-being of students, your plate is full. Yet, in today’s competitive educational landscape, understanding the basics of marketing is becoming increasingly essential. This guide aims to demystify the principles of marketing, tailored specifically for school leaders.

Marketing 101: Trying not to blow your socks off!

Marketing can get quite a lot of stick from some quarters, with some people even using the phrase “money making trickery!” (old-fashioned marketers gasping in shock!). 

But there’s another side to marketing that is genuinely about having something amazing that you think certain groups of people can really benefit from; and then with increasing degrees of precision, seek out, talk to, and finally build relationships with, whence both sides derive maximum benefit. 

That’s my kind of marketing; no manipulation, no selling things customers don’t need, just finding a way to deliver your service, in order to make our customers’ lives significantly better.

So, at its heart, marketing is about communicating value. For schools, it’s about showcasing the unique educational experience you offer, and attracting families that want to have a strong, close relationship with you, far into the future. 

Here are some foundational marketing principles that you absolutely must get to grips with

Branding and Positioning: Basically, how does your school stand out from the rest? 

At face value, this often appears to be an easy question to answer. 

The school principal says, “Well, we’re an IB school. We have excellent facilities, and we care about our students.”

Great, but unfortunately that’s basically what everyone else is more or less saying.  

Here’s a great article on Branding in more detail

Something unique

Ok, so next we delve deeper, and the school principal says, “We’re the only school with an indoor swimming pool and air-conditioned gym.”

Great. So next we have two important questions:

1. Are these features valuable enough for families to choose your school over another?

Value Proposition

2. Are these features easily copyable, and likely to be copied in the near/mid-term future?

Assailable Unique Selling Points 

These are just two metrics that a school should be aware of and measure in order to assess their position in the market.

There are a number of other points, such as price, location, curriculum.

You can get a good visualisation of this with a positioning matrix, and see more clearly where you stand in relation to other schools.

Visualise Your Position With A Positioning Matrix

An Excellent Short Video on Customer Service That Your Marketing Team Should Really Understand

School Values And Standing Out From Your Competitors

Although your school features, price, facilities, etc, are important, the values your school embodies are what will carry you through over the long term, and so it’s incredibly important to do a bit of a deep dive into this area.

The values of a school play a significant role in creating a set of Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) as they help differentiate the institution from others and establish a unique identity. Here’s how:

Alignment with Audience:

Connection: Parents and students often seek schools whose values align with their own beliefs and principles. By incorporating the school’s values into the USPs, an emotional connection is established.

Trust: Values such as integrity, honesty, and respect can build trust among prospective students and parents.

Guiding Behavior and Culture:

Culture: The values of a school often shape its culture, which can be a strong USP. For instance, a school emphasising inclusivity and diversity may attract a wide range of students.

Behaviour: Values guide the behaviour of staff and students, creating an environment that can be appealing to prospective families.

Consistency in Messaging:

Brand Identity: Consistently communicating the school’s values in marketing materials strengthens the brand identity.

Cohesive Messaging: Values ensure that the messaging across different platforms is cohesive and consistent.

Highlighting Unique Offerings:

Special Programs: A school that values innovation may offer unique programs or teaching methods, which can be highlighted as a USP.

Community Engagement: Values such as community service and leadership can translate into special initiatives and programs that set the school apart.

Long-term Success:

Sustainability: Values-driven USPs tend to be more sustainable and authentic, ensuring long-term appeal.

Adaptability: Schools with strong values can adapt their USPs to changing times while staying true to their core principles.

Check out this Harvard Business Review article for a detailed look at creating value for customers.

One Size Doesn’t Usually Fit All: Segmenting Your Audience

Segmenting Your Audience

 Know who you’re trying to reach. Is it parents? Students? Alumni? Each group requires a different approach. 

That’s what your Admissions and Marketing team will create for you. They’ll create a detailed profile on each group, and then you’ll see that the marketing team create tailored events, activities, and advertising for each group, to elicit the optimal engagement from each group. 

Content and becoming the expert

Driven by Google, websites are either elevated or demoted depending on the quality of the content they produce in relation to their relevance and helpfulness to its customers.

The more you, as a school, put content on your website that is unique, new, and highly relevant to your customers, the higher your ranking on the results page will be. 

One important way in which this can be achieved is for your school to identify ways in which you can develop your reputation as experts in the field. 

There are certain areas of child development and education, for example, that you can contribute to, which establishes you as clear leaders.

This is why your marketing team will be bugging you constantly for this kind of content, blogs, video, downloadable materials, etc,. 

Feedback & Adaptation

This is a key aspect of any Admissions and Marketing team. Just as your teachers assess the effectiveness of their lessons, tweak them, and regularly improve them, so too, your marketing team assess the results of their activities in order to improve.

They’ll have a raft of documentation on results of previous work, a multitude of graphs, data, etc, with accompanying comments and recommendations. 

Action tip: meet periodically with your admissions and marketing team and have them present the feedback and adaptation measures they are taking so that you can be sure they are steadily learning and optimising their efforts.

Crafting a Marketing Strategy: A Basic Blueprint

Set Clear Objectives: Start with the end in mind. Do you want to increase enrollments, boost attendance at school events, or perhaps enhance community engagement?

Understand Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): What makes your school special? It could be a unique program, a renowned faculty member, or a particular teaching methodology.

Choose the Right Channels: Not all platforms are equal. While social media might resonate with prospective students, a detailed brochure or newsletter might be more effective for parents.

Engage Your Community: Your students, staff, and parents are your best ambassadors. Encourage them to share their positive experiences, both offline and online.

Monitor and Adjust: Use tools like surveys and digital analytics to track the success of your campaigns. Be ready to adjust based on feedback and results.

Balancing Principal Duties with Marketing Oversight

While marketing is essential, it’s just one of the many responsibilities you shoulder. Here’s how to strike a balance:

Delegate Effectively: Trust your marketing team. Provide them with clear objectives and let them handle the details.

Integrate Marketing into School Activities: Events like sports days, drama performances, and science fairs are marketing gold. Ensure your team has a full Gant chart, detailing what action is to be take for each project.

Don’t settle for the old line, “Oh, we’re just going to take some photos and post them on Facebook”. Make sure your marketing team has a clear plan, with detailed outcomes and assessment criteria.

Regular Check-ins: Instead of getting lost in daily marketing tasks, schedule regular updates with your team to stay informed and provide guidance in terms of what you see as the school vision. Never hesitate to hold more discussions if you feel the vision and values of the school are somehow misaligned.

Continuous Learning: The world of marketing is dynamic. Attend workshops or webinars when possible to stay updated, or rely on your team to brief you on the latest trends.

Conclusion

In the evolving world of education, marketing is no longer a luxury but a necessity. As a principal, while you don’t need to dive deep into the intricacies of marketing strategies, having a foundational understanding can significantly impact your school’s visibility and reputation. By grasping the basic principles, recognizing the roles within a marketing team, and having a blueprint for strategy, you’re well-equipped to guide your institution to new heights.

Remember, marketing isn’t about ‘selling’ education; it’s about communicating the invaluable experience your school offers. And who better to lead that narrative than someone at the helm of shaping that experience?

Call to Action

Eager to raise your school from just one more international school among the crowd? Tired of having to explain to families why your school is unique? It’s probably time to look into developing a professional marketing team that’s going to transform your school into a household name.

For further guidance, consultation, or advice, reach out to us at Teaching2Fish. 

We’re here to assist you every step of the way.