Support
M MAKING B
rent Davies, author of Strategic Marketing for Schools, defines marketing as the means by which the
school ‘actively communicates and promotes its purpose, values and products’. Effective marketing lets you take control, manage your agenda, and broadcast your positive messages to key stakeholders. Moreover, there’s a synergy between marketing and income generation: your ability to communicate effectively can attract vital support for your fundraising. Education is currently surrounded
by ‘white noise’: budgets are tighter than ever, competition for places is fierce, and recruitment for the best talent is a challenge. Promoting your school and making yourself heard above all this white noise has never been more critical – and that’s where marketing comes in. Some may question the value of
marketing in schools, and, certainly, wasteful and ineffective campaigns deserve scepticism and doubt. However, having a clear plan of
ARKETING MATTER
The end of the school year is a time to reflect on what worked well, and consider what you might change. Education marketing expert Justin Smith shows you how to review your marketing activity and rise above the crowd
action that’s designed to meet measurable objectives should help deliver success. An effective plan should be a simple and accessible document that evolves over time and is shared with stakeholders.
The key features are: n Executive summary – at a
glance, the purpose of your plan n Situational analysis – an assessment of your situation, using tools such as SWOT n Planning – your objectives for both the coming year and for
the following two years n Programme – actions and
timescales n Resources – personnel and
available budgets n Measurement and reflection – what works and why
This final part of the plan is often overlooked, but it’s vital to reflect on past and present marketing activities to understand what is working and what needs tweaking. This needn’t be an onerous task – a review of strategy over the past year can cover the following simple steps:
Press coverage Look at your communication with local and regional media outlets and assess how it is helping promote your fundraising projects and other good causes. I’ve introduced a number of schools to a simple press release template that covers the five news ‘Ws’ – who, why, where, when and what. Using a template saves you time and makes it easier for the media to publish stories about your school, especially when accompanied by eye-catching photographs and a quote from staff or students (where appropriate).
TOP TIP A similar template could
be introduced for internal use, allowing staff to share their departmental success stories. Stories can then be introduced to social media and websites in a more managed and effective way.
Culture and branding The renowned management consultant Peter Druker claimed that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’. Astute school marketeers will recognise the role culture has to play and how core messages reflect the culture of the school. You may be looking to partner with a business, or asking for sponsorship for your fundraising events. So being clear on your values and what makes your school a worthwhile investment is really important.
TOP TIP Consider whether your school has identifiable core
FundEd SUMMER 2019 25
IMAGES: VLADIMIR OBRADOVIC; MARYLIFLOWER/
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
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