I just finished reading a blog suggesting a number of good books published in 2017 that I should consider for my summer reading. I usually look for these lists both at the beginning of the new year and the start of summer as a shortcut to finding work to include on my vacation. I enjoy reading and like to use … Read More
Effective Messaging: Summary vs. Significance
School leaders know the importance of supporting the admissions efforts of their school with well-developed plans in order to effectively communicate with prospective parents before, during and after “sales efforts” (admissions team activities) have taken place. Marketing efforts can increase the pool of families exploring your school as an option and also prepare prospective families with information that makes them more … Read More
Five Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
We all make mistakes. They are unavoidable but not always easy to explain—especially when others have made the same mistakes in the past and share their learning experiences. David Urban and Paul Neal, of Charter Oak Research share the following five marketing mistakes in their blog and webinar:
Five Marketing Mistakes
We all make mistakes. They’re unavoidable but not always easy to explain—especially when others have made the same mistakes in the past and share their learning experiences. Maybe that is why lists of “top 5” or “top 7” mistakes to avoid are everywhere—the lists always seem to odd numbered, right? Well, here are 5 marketing mistakes to avoid. Have you … Read More
The Perfect Storm?
In October and November of 1991 an unnamed nor’easter grew in strength off the east coast of the United States absorbing an already existing Hurricane Grace and eventually reaching full hurricane strength itself. Going unnamed during the event in order to avoid confusion with the previous hurricane, it spawned waves recorded at 100 feet high by buoys off the … Read More
Marketing Research for School Innovation
All change involves risk. Change that is truly innovative requires understanding and awareness. Research helps minimize the risk inherent in the decisions around innovation. For the school leader or educator, research provides the intelligence to make informed decisions based on real needs and parent expectations. Awareness of what parents (and students) want allows us to respond to those needs and … Read More
Marketing Research, Part 5: Brand Awareness & Perception
In the final installment on marketing research, I want to focus on how awareness and perception impact Christian schools. Awareness is critical to understanding how a school can increase its reach and perception impacts a school’s ability to capitalize on increased awareness. The two should be explored together because change in awareness impacts reach and change in perception impacts conversion. … Read More
Marketing Research, Part 4: Brand Positioning
When working with Christian schools all over the country, one of the first things I hear from leaders or those involved in Christian education is, “we are the best kept secret!” While to some extent this is true, most often your school is known. The problem is what is known is not very significant. In fact, awareness, we often find, … Read More
Marketing Research, Part 3 : Message Testing
Do you know what’s important to your current and potential school families? It’s different from what you may call key distinctives or core values (why we do what we do and the words that best describe our deliverable). Key distinctives and core values may be important ways of talking and thinking about your school, but they aren’t necessarily important to … Read More
Marketing Research, Part 2: Satisfaction in a Changing Market
This is the second blog in a 5 part series on the types of marketing research that prove to be the most effective for Christian schools and how to think strategically about research. My goal is to provide a small toolbox of articles that can be used by Christian school leaders to assess their overall approach, and supplement, where possible, … Read More