In today’s world, consumers have become very highly sophisticated and very demanding. Mobile connectivity and constantly available internet access means that consumers are now savvy users of digital media, and that same ease of mobile connectivity have made social media the norm.
Due to the above, Independent schools are now finding themselves in a very tight corners. In some schools, enrollment numbers are falling considerably, meaning that incoming revenues from tuition fees are also declining. Marketing efforts are almost non-existent or are being limited by budget allocations and unfortunately, with digital media, relying on word of mouth alone as was done in the past, is no longer a guarantee of successful marketing.
Schools therefore, will need to consider taking a very serious approach to utilising the many media platforms available to them, if they wish to attract, engage and keep both prospective and current parents.
To do this, an integration of both social and digital media, (as well as traditional media), needs to be carried out. Having an innovative curriculum and forward thinking teaching system will not do your schools’ marketing efforts any good if prospective families do not know about it. Superb branding (or rebranding, if necessary) of your institution’s value proposition need to be identified and used across all of the schools marketing efforts and engagement tools.
Sadly however, many schools still do not attach any value in a properly funded marketing budget. Plenty more have no idea what a Chief Marketing Officer is or who should rightly fill the role, as promotions tend to be from within the already existing workforce and in most cases, the newly promoted candidate(s) will have little or no experience in marketing.
This is most absurd and wasteful, considering the fact that generating most of your school’s income and revenue is the marketing team’s responsibility.
Regardless of how your school have done things in the past, now is the time to revamp your institutions practices. The position of Chief Marketing Officer should always be filled by an experienced person in marketing (preferably in both digital and traditional). The person in this position should also be responsible for all other marketing positions; Admissions Director, Director of Development, Marketing Analyst and every other team charged with bringing in revenue to the school. A concise and effective strategy should be created, to allow for a seamless teamwork across the marketing network.
Schools should therefore, consider allocating considerable resources towards attracting the right candidates for the positions of Chief Marketing Officer. It may seem like it is not worth that much input at the initial stages of planning, but trust us, the rewards and benefits to be reaped afterwards will be definitely worth it.
Try involving an experienced marketing specialist, to help your head of school and all administrators involved in marketing, come to an understanding of what your school requires in order to acquire the right person that can help drive your marketing campaigns forward!!
Written by Gayle Thompson @SwoopStudios
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