making your school shine: tips for increasing enrollment
DESCRIPTION
Bullpen is a marketing agency based in Houston, Texas. We specialize in Academic Marketing for private schools. We figure out what makes your school unique, then help you stand out from the crowd. This is a presentation to help private schools shine by increasing enrollment.TRANSCRIPT
Agenda
• Marketing 101 • What marketing says about your school • I want a billboard • Marketing Audit • Why do parents choose your school? • Enrollment Marketing • Pictures role in marketing • www.yourschool.com • School brochures • Resources
Marketing 101
Marketing is getting people with a specific need to know, like and trust you.
Marketing 101
Marketing is the set of activities used to: • Get your potential customers’ attention • Motivate them to buy • Get them to actually buy • Get them to buy again (and again…)
What does marketing say about your school?
• Everything! • Good marketing helps to:
– Attract new students – Reduce student attrition – Bond alumni and past parents – Keep good teachers – Raise funds – Build your school’s image in the wider
community
I want a billboard
I want a billboard
Perform a Marketing Audit
• Get an outside-in perspective of your school • You’re too close to the situation – “can’t see
the forest for the trees” • Helps evaluate a school's efforts and budget • Assign a person or a team to perform the audit • What are your goals?
Marketing Audit
• Consider all of your prospective parent/student touch points
• Spread out all marketing materials and external communications on a table – Brochure – Advertisements – Website – Email communications – Open house information – Registration process
Marketing Audit
• Listen to what your constituents say about their perception of your school and what they like and don’t like – and what they would like to see – Student leaders – Parents – Alumni – Faculty and staff – Prospective students
• Walk around your campus with a camera • Look at what your competition is doing
Marketing Audit
• Evaluate results • Look for marketing disconnects • Determine what needs to be done • Create priorities, timeline • Marketing plan
Recruiting
Recruiting is seeking families to your school who will be: • Great students • Supportive families • Great referral sources • Generous donors
Retention
• Customer Service • What sets you apart • Make them feel
needed
Retention
• Include them in your team
• Spotlight their kids • Be authentic
Referrals
• Always ask for a referral from your superstar parents
• Most schools admit that referrals are by far the best source of new students
• Train them. Teach them.
Why do parents choose your school?
Why we chose JP2 Catholic School?
Enrollment Marketing
• Things to do… – Foundation pieces – Website – Open house – Brochure – Advertising – Direct mail – Church bulletins – Make it easy!
Foundation Pieces
A picture speaks a 1,000 words…
Pictures Tell Your Story
• Emphasize: – Faith – Academics – Athletics – Extracurricular
activities – Spirit
• Show diversity
• Simple close-ups • Unaware action shots • Parent photographers • Stock photo files • “Pictures have legs!” • Talent waivers
FAITH
ACADEMICS
ATHLETICS
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
SPIRIT
www.yourschool.com
• THE most important marketing tool • Targets internal and external audiences • Keep it current, simple, clean • Focus on recruitment and retention • Publicize web presence everywhere • Make it a top priority
Your Front Door
Enrollment on the Web
School Brochure
School Brochure
Additional Resources
• Facebook.com/makingschoolsshine • Sign up for newsletter at
AcademicBranding.com • 10 Commandments of Academic Branding
– academicbranding.com/ten
• CHOOSECATHOLICSCHOOLS.org – Tools4Schools
• Fellow Catholic Schools – what works, what doesn’t, best practices