School Marketing

School Marketing

Mary-Angela Tombs

School-wide performance is key to educational marketing. However the reputation of a school is also reliant on the conversations that take place at the local supermarket and in the school carpark. Such conversations have a huge impact on the community perception of a school and, in turn, the number of parents who choose to send their children to the school. It is up to each school to monitor the feeling within the school community, as well as the wider community that the school serves. In this way, schools can target their learning programmes to meet the needs of their community. They can also identify what makes their school unique and market the school to attract potential enrolments, based on this identification.
 
A smaller number of students in a school can be easier to manage and more personal than a larger number, however there are many negative impacts of roll drop such as the need for the funding that accompanies each enrolled student and the impact on staff employment. Research indicates that is important for schools to promote information about the effectiveness of their programmes in order to increase their roll (Lubienski, 2007).
The most effective form of marketing for a school is by word of mouth (Vincent, 2001). However, a problem with this type of marketing is that it relies on positive messages being generated and it loves much to chance. For word of mouth marketing to be successful in promoting new enrolment, there must be a strong programme of learning in place, the school must be offering the prospective family something unique, and the school must be receptive to its community. Vincent recommends that schools must actively ensure that word of mouth is positive.
In order to create a culture within a school that promotes positive word of mouth marketing, Vincent offers many suggestions for school leaders (2001):
  • Ensure that any concerns shared by parents are followed up effectively. This applies to teachers who promise to follow up on student issues, as well as complaints from parents being followed up promptly and approrpriately. Such actions build trust in the school.
  • Encourage staff to go the extra mile within through their actions, and make sure the parent community hears about staff members who go beyond what is expected within the school. In this way the community will build an understanding of a school community that is doing everything possible to enhance student learning. 
  • Communicate more often than you believe is necessary with parents – this will ensure that a void of communication is not filled wth idle speculation at the school gate or in the supermarket.
Vincent and Scott-Vincent also describe the common mistakes made by those marketing a school. One mistake suggested is that schools focus on attracting inquiries, but fail to follow up on these inquiries and show interest in the needs of potential families. Another mistake is a failure to highlight what is unique within the school, that families will not find in the school nearby (2001).
 
 
References
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.

Mutch, C. (2005). Doing educational research: A practioner’s guide to getting       started. Wellington: NZCER Press.

Vining, L. (1997) How to develop a marketing plan. The New Zealand Principal,    June, 12-14.

Vincent, M., & Scott-Vincent, R. (2001). The ten most common mistakes schools             make in their marketing. New Zealand Principal, 16, (2)27-28.

Vincent, M. (2001). Let your stakeholders do the talking. New Zealand Principal, 16         (3), 9­10.

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