Marketing your School

Gillian AllenBusiness Manager

Churchill Community CollegeNorth Tyneside

Marketing your School

What is marketing?

“the means by which the school actively communicates and promotes its purpose, values and products to the pupils, parents, staff and wider community”

(Davies and Ellison, 1997)

Why market?

Improve (or manage) the school’s reputation Raise the school’s profile Schools with a positive image tend to have

better student behaviour/attendance A positive image improves morale Attracts quality staff Develops a sense of pride

Why market?

Some schools have use marketing strategies to overcome challenges, such as falling pupil numbers and poor reputations

The power of a positive image should not be underestimated!

Why market?

Marketing needs to be • central to school business management• embedded into school development

planning• the remit of all staff

Above all – marketing needs to be .... Given high status – at leadership level

Who is the market audience?

Internal Market

Staff Governors Visitors/helpers Current pupils Current parents

External Market

Prospective pupils Prospective parents Prospective staff Community LA Ofsted

Developing a marketing strategy

The Marketing MatrixProductPricePlacePeoplePromotionPositioning

Developing a marketing strategy

1. Agree a Vision

2. Identify your school’s “Unique Selling Point”

3. Devise a Mission Statement

4. Audit existing situation

5. Set up a Marketing/Publicity team

6. Agree actions to realise Vision

7. Implement the actions

8. Monitor and evaluate

Developing a marketing strategy

1. Agree a Vision

What kind of school do you want to be? What are your goals, aims and

objectives?

Developing a marketing strategy

2. Unique Selling Point

Identify the things your school does very well already

Stress these unique features wherever possible

Promote them in marketing materials

Developing a marketing strategy

3. Devise a Mission Statement

Articulate the Vision and communicate the Unique Selling Points of your school

Needs to be clear and concise eg

“Everyone learning together”or

“Success through achievement”

Developing a marketing strategy

4. Audit existing situation

Important to establish current perceptions Helps to evaluate current strengths and

weaknesses Determine who will carry out the research External expertise or in-house? Look at what is available already

Developing a marketing strategy

4. Audit existing situation

Open days / parents meetings Questionnaires / attitude surveys to key stakeholders Focus groups Media reports Ofsted reports PANDA’s, performance and assessment data School self-evaluation documents

Developing a marketing strategy

5. Set up a Marketing/Publicity Team

The team should include:

At least one member of the SMT Governor Support Staff Parent Community representation

Developing a marketing strategy

6. Agree actions

Use outcomes from research and input from stakeholders to agree an Action Plan

The Action Plan should include:

Priorities Actions required Timescale Costs Who is responsible How progress will be monitored How it will be evaluated Success criteria

Developing a marketing strategy

6. Agree actions

Marketing/Publicity activities include:PublicationsMediaEventsWebsiteResearchPhotographyPrimary links Internal CommunicationsExternal Communications

Developing a marketing strategy

6. Agree ActionsPriority: Media - Increase the number of press releases

Action Time-scale

Costs Who? Monitoring Evaluation Success Criteria

Identify key events in school diary

Create a half-termly programme of press releases

Write press-releases and send out

Take digital photos of events

Developing a marketing strategy

7. Implement the Actions

AUTUMN TERM SPRING TERM SUMMER TERM

Publications Prospectus

Student Planner

Termly Newspaper

Staff recruitment

Termly Newspaper

School Calendar

Termly Newspaper

Advertising Open Day Staff Recruitment Summer Fair

Website Development of Contents

Website Update Review Contents

Primary links Roadshows in primaries

Workshops for Years 4/5

Visit of Year 6 intake

Research Student questionnaire

Staff Survey Parental Focus Group

Etc etc

Developing a marketing strategy

8. Monitor and Evaluate Monitoring allows you to check things

are progressing according to the Plan Consider your monitoring systems and

how they could be improved eg Have a feedback section on website Simple questionnaires to give feedback on

school events Ask telephone callers and visitors about

their experiences

Developing a Marketing Strategy

8. Monitor and Evaluate Have visitors to the website increased? Is press coverage increasing? What’s staff turnover like? How many applications are you receiving? Are school events well attended? Have pupil numbers increased? Are there improved links with local

organisations?

Marketing Techniques and Activities

•People

•Publications

•Media / News Releases

•Events

•School Website

Marketing Techniques and Activities

People:The 4 P’s:

• Pupils• Parents• Professionals• Public

Marketing Techniques and Activities

Publications include:

• School Prospectus – statutory requirement• Brochures – other promotional material• Flyers – flat or folded sheet (cost effective)• Newsletters – home/school communication

Marketing Techniques and Activities

Media

Make the media work for youHave a named contactFind out the ‘copy deadlines’ Invite journalists into schoolSet up interesting photosSend a regular flow of high quality articlesDo they want fax, phone or email contact?

Marketing Techniques and Activities

Media continued

News releases should have A good quality photo and caption The date and time A descriptive headline Factual information (eg about the school) Include What, Where, When, Why, Who Avoid jargon (eg HOD, SMT etc) Contact information for the journalist to get more information Send to newspapers, radio and television Use to update the school website Include in school newsletters Display where they can be seen by community or visitors to school Keep a file

Marketing Techniques and Activities

Events

Consider:• How you meet and greet visitors • Use students as guides (ensure they are

well-briefed)• What information is available?• Is there a range of appropriate displays?

Marketing Techniques and Activities

WebsiteGolden Rules:• Update the site regularly• Remember the “Three-Click Rule”• Use short paragraphs and avoid

overcrowded pages• Include a section highlighting current

news and events

Marketing your school

ReferencesBest, B., Donnelly, I. and Grebot, M. (2006) Promoting Your School, Hampshire: Teachers’ Pocket Books.

Davies, B and Ellison, L. (2003) Strategic Marketing for Schools. London: Pearson Education Ltd.

Devlin, T., (1998) Public Relations & Marketing for Schools. London: Pitman Publishing.

Lockhart, Johanna M. (2005) How to Market Your School. Lincoln, USA: iUniverse.

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