School Marketing
School Marketing
Mary-Angela TombsSchool-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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