Development issues

Five-point briefing on smart marketing. By Tim Edge

Do you walk the talk?
Many schools use bland marketing statements in their literature. For example, “St Cuthbert’s prides itself in its standard of pastoral care”. What is truly important is not the statement itself, but the way in which St Cuthbert’s can demonstrate, with use of actual examples, what it is that makes its pastoral care excellent and distinctive from its competitors.
Work on your USP.
For those with a phobia of marketing speak, substitute “unique selling point” for “unique and strong personality”. What are the characteristics that make your school great and unique? Once you have decided your USP, make sure it informs all your marketing communications, particularly those to prospective parents.
Build a relationship from the first point of contact.
In order to turn a higher number of enquiries into “sales”, ensure that your admissions office is populated with natural communicators who build strong empathetic relationships.
Why are you advertising?
On average, independent schools spend almost £20,000 per annum on advertising, much of it done on a scattergun basis. Until you can analyse the effectiveness of your advertising in penetrating your target markets, save yourself the expense.
Rejection has its uses.
Find out why prospective parents visited your school then chose somewhere else. Once you have conducted this non-purchaser research, be prepared to act on the findings.

Tim Edge is development director at Charterhouse.