Lee Has Got a Dream For His School

The first time I met Lee he was greeting students with a smile and checking the crosswalk as they jumped off the school bus one by one. We

Tell Me About Your School

If I asked you to describe a friend in five words you’d have no problem. You would say she is kind and maybe fun, you may see her as loyal

Every School Should Become a Media School, with Don Wettrick

Our guest today is Don Wettrick. He is the Innovation Coordinator for Noblesville High School, the founder and President of The STARTedUP Foundation, and the author of "Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% Time to the Next Level."

Your School is NOT a Starbucks

I had landed in Portland, Oregon the night before. I had gotten a total of 5 hrs sleep.Before heading to my first meeting, I walked into a

Game-like learning to grow your school, with Ryan Shaaf

Our guest today is Ryan Schaaf, instructional designer, professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and author of 5 books.

The 6 Steps to Branding Your School, with Jennie Winton

Our guest today is Jennie Winton. She is the co-founder of Mission Minded - a branding firm established in 2002 to work exclusively with nonprofit organizations.

What a Powerful Moat the Harvard Brand is...

As of early February 2019, we can report that Harvard has received a total of  43,330 to the Class of 2023. Just last year Harvard broke i

Musings After Visiting 20 Schools in the Great State of Texas

In our podcast today, Andrew shares a delightful summary of the recent road trip across Texas, where he and Alexis visited 20 schools in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin to get a closer look at what schools are doing “on the ground.”

3 Ways to Improve Your School's Brand Recall

For most schools, the biggest opportunity for growth comes from taking families from enrolling zero times to enrolling once.Let me explai

We Get Hired as Marketing Directors, with Scott Allenby

Our guest today is Scott Allenby. He is Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives at Proctor Academy.

School Leaders, Burnout and Wellbeing

It was 6 am, and I had boarded the plane feeling grumpy and cold due to lack of sleep. "Hopefully, Houston will be sunny," I thought to m

A Unique Instructional Method is the Best Marketing, with Shelli Kurth

Our guest today is Shelli Kurth. She is the School Director at Thrive Public Schools in San Diego, California - award-winning K-12 charter schools.

13 Tips for Improving Your School's Tours

Making the right strategic decisions is important.If you get the big picture wrong you are bound to fail. Targeting the wrong family demog

How to Run a Balanced Scorecard Workshop For Your School's Leadership Team

The Balanced Scorecard is a workshop for establishing high-level strategic goals and metrics by which to monitor your school’s progress.I

The Best School Leaders Believe in Themselves Almost to the Point of Delusion

Jim Collins once said that "a big secret among effective leaders is that you can bend the world to your will a surprising amount of the time

Walking Through the Parent Journey with Chantelle Zakariasen

Our guest today is Chantelle Zakariasen. She is a conversion copywriter who specializes in using quizzes to gather information from prospects.

Tune up Your School

You are the first to arrive. You hook up your laptop and prepare to lead your typical Monday management meeting.Your staff starts arriving

Merging Data with Word-of-Mouth Marketing, with Bill Diskin

Our guest today is Bill Diskin. He is Director of Admission and Financial Aid at Cannon School. Bill specializes in serving students through helping independent schools with enrollment management, admissions, and financial aid for families.

The 3 Horizons of School Growth

Most school heads we talk to are seeking, recurring, healthy, organic growth.We've worked with schools that were consistently able to grow

How to Prepare Your School for Continuous Change

The world of education requires us to evolve more quickly and significantly than ever before.Despite the pressure to change we've found t

Total School Alignment: How Great Schools Streamline Their Strategy, Stay Centered, and Accomplish Extraordinary Results

Back in late 2015, I was visiting Mary Kay down in New Orleans to help her out with enrollment growth. She'd gone through three years of s

Design Fundamentals for Schools, with Laura Elizabeth

Our guest today is Laura Elizabeth. She is the creator of designacademy.io - which helps developers conquer their fear of design through a practical, hands-on, step-by-step process. Laura also developed client-portal.io - a WordPress plugin for organizing projects.

The Blue Ocean Education Marketing Channel

The problem was the students in California are fed up with all the messages that are coming to them left and right from different companies, educational institutions, and other organizations vying for their attention.

6 Steps in Planning the Perfect Virtual School Event

Most educators still think marketing is just another word for sales.In fact, marketing has evolved into the sharing of knowledge with the

8 Necessary Components of a Brilliant School Marketing Plan

We're in goal-setting season, and most schools are preparing their annual marketing plans.  We're getting a lot of questions about how am

2 Ways Thinking Like a Traffic Planner Will Make You a Better School Marketer

We love to talk about 'the family journey toward enrollment'.And yet no-one in marketing spends any time talking to traffic planners.Two

Serendipity and Diversity in Marketing, with Joshua Wittman

In this episode, Joshua talks about the roles of serendipity and diversity in his position as a teacher, an administrator, and a founder of the school.

Interview: Selling The Invisible in school marketing

Schools are relational products. Learn to "Sell The Invisible".

Why You Should Flaunt Your School's Imperfections

There’s really only one thing school marketing is about…Building trust with prospective parents.  Why? Really stop and think about what

9 Facebook Post Ideas Every School Should Try Out

1. Behind-the-scenes sneak peek of your schoolGiving your prospective parents an idea about what happens behind the scenes piques their c

School Entrepreneurship and Traffic Lights

I woke up at 6.30am.The rain was rattling against the shutters.My wife was sound asleep; it was my turn to take my son to school.I manage

How to Reach the Distracted Parent

We’ve all heard the reports; attention spans are shrinking.You are being told that parents are always distracted.If that’s true, how do w

Three School Marketing Trends Set to Dominate 2019

1.  The Traditional Enrollment Funnel Has Changed  No longer is enrollment marketing focused only on moving a prospective parent through t

What 800 enrollments per year will teach you

The basics of site-level marketing, presentation, and events.

The Inverted Enrollment Funnel

In case you’re not familiar with the idea of the traditional digital enrollment funnel, it works like this: you get lots of visitors to your

The Enrollhand Testing Method

Every week we run at minimum nine experiments for nine different clients.‌‌We make sure that we choose clients from different performance

The Golden Age of Facebook Marketing for Schools

We are living through the golden age of Facebook marketing for K-12 education. It is powerful, affordable and carries the vast majority o

Enrollment is a Marathon

If you’ve ever tried to quit a bad habit or establish a new one, you know that change takes time.When it comes to creating change in our own

How To Develop Effective School Leaders

Telling principals that leadership drives school performance is a bit like saying that oxygen is necessary to breathe.          Ove

You Aren't Recruiting Enough First-Generation Students

A new day of shivers. The third snow day and October is not out yet. Slamming the door behind her, already tired, she would not be back unti

Interview: Why schools need a value proposition, with Grant Lichtman

"Your value proposition is very simply the difference between what you say you're going to do and what you actually do as viewed through the eyes of your customer."

Why the Wellbeing of the School Head Matters

It can be easy to put the needs of others before your own when you're the School Head. Teachers, staff, students, parents, and board members

Technology Integration In The Classroom, Made Easy

Technology Integration In The Classroom, Made Easy

Right or Wrong School Choice is a Force to Be Reckoned With

It's been a punishing decade for districts nationwide.State funding fell sharply, and local funding didn’t make up the difference.In most st

Tips for Keeping Your Parent Audience Curious

When I was in high school, the history syllabus required us to study Russia for a quarter. One of our teachers who was born in Moscow decide

My Best Argument For Why Schools Should Move ALL Their Advertising To Digital

You’ve been telling us over and over that your school is unique.And we believe you... Most schools we work with have truly unique stories, a

The Kaizen Way to School Growth

Over hundreds of interactions I've had with some of our nation's best schools, I've found that one of the most persistent challenges faced b

What is the quickest path to a better school climate?

According to a study from UChicago's Consortium for School Research, 'School Climate' is one of the three top predictors of academic improve

Breathing New Life Into Your School

Sitting in his brown upholstered rickety chair, Victor was letting the phone ring while he was deep in his thoughts... exhausted and overwhe

From Day 1 to Day 30...In A Newly Created School Marketing Role

I will share the step-by-step process that Jane followed in her first 30 days. She won over her school head, created a powerful marketing engine and gained 12 new students during the 2017/18 school year.

9 Ways To Get Your Colleagues' Buy-in In Growing Your School

1. Start by sharing your own struggles with the issue. Talk from the heart.  2. Demonstrate the impact of enrollment and/or attrition in nu

Leap Afraid and Gather Your Courage on the Way Down

She'd bitten off more than she could chew. She decided she'd quit two weeks into her pregnancy. Raised money on maternity leave.Taking her

How To Know When Exactly You Should Contact Your Parent Prospects

When we talk about enrollment strategies, it’s easy to obsess over specifics. How to write the best email or tour script, where to find your

The Benefits Of Offline School Marketing

“I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that I don't know the other side's argument better than they do.”— Charlie MungerI lov

How To Run Your School Like a Startup

While doing research for my thesis a while back, I studied more than 230 school leaders to identify the key practices that explain why some

Do You Remember Your First 12 Months As Principal?

Following a 17-year teaching career, Mia Cochrae had just accepted a Principal position.Confident and optimistic, she would later understand

The Rise Of The School Entrepreneur

By its very nature, a school leader's job leaves little time for reflection.You rush from meeting to meeting, check your e-mail constantly,

[Private] What do you reply when parents tell you that your private school is too expensive?

Does Your Social Media Deliver Enrollments?

Do you struggle to measure the return on investment (ROI) for your paid social media activity? Are you still trying to trace your enrollment

[Private] Event Marketing Mindmap

School Marketing: Emotions vs. Techniques

There is a lot of school marketing lingo being thrown around these days. Too much. So much that I find it a little ridiculous. 🤪Here are so

[Private] Enrollment Basics Quiz Part IV

[Private] School marketing: Outsource Vs. In-House?

[Private] A discussion with Steve Dekany, Senior School Marketing Consultant

Password Private Resources Access   function passWord() { var testV = 1; var pass1 = prompt('Password',' '); while (testV

Scratching The Itch You Don't Have

We spent over fifteen hours on a proposal. We needed it to cover payroll.We followed-up with emails and calls.We heard nothing back.It happe

[Private] Should We Do Any Last-Minute Campaigns To Attract The Parents Who Haven't Decided Yet?

[Private] How to build a Parent Persona

[Private] A Parent's Ultimate Guide To Snapchat

[Private] Waring School - Humanities Templates

Your School's Marketing ROI

Families shouldn’t have to come to campus to feel your magic. But how can you ensure that the right families get to know your school BEFORE

[Private] Stanford Reviews Waldorf Education

[Private] Checklist - How to create parent testimonials on autopilot

[Private] Permission Marketing For Schools

Challenges Make For Great School Leaders

You decided to devote your life to education. You knew that salaries have been declining for years.But you wanted a way to make an impact. W

[Private] What is an Enrollment Funnel?

[Private] Split Testing Ideas: Email Marketing

[Private] How to deal with unresponsive parents

[Private] 5 Tips To Improve Your School's Content Strategy

An Easy Method To Create Parent Personas

Parent personas, aka parent profiles, are necessary for the success of a school’s marketing plan. As our friends at Hubspot write, a persona

What If You Didn't Need More Students?

There are two types of educators in the world. Those who believe in age-old proven educational principles. And those who would favor Sir Ken

Your School's Message: Candy or Wine?

Most school heads I talk to are frustrated about one thing. They're doing amazing things at their school day-in and day-out, but few parents

How To Get Parents To Engage With Your School

More and more, schools are focusing less on getting their mission across. Does this statement surprise you? Millennial parents are somewhat

[Private] A Quick-Fix Landing Page Checklist: Don’t Send Prospects to Your Website. Do This Instead…

Are You In Love With Your Student Families?

"They wanted my job, and it would be easy enough to discredit me."That's the first thing that Mathias told me. The school had been through t

[Private] 9 school marketing trends for 2018

[Private] Enrollhand Survey - Choosing a school for your child

[Private] - 30-Day Roadmap in a New School Marketing Role

5 Genius Techniques to Spice Up Your Emails To Prospective Parents

The stories that lament the death of email marketing are high on hype and low on reality. The truth is that for generating school tours, ema

Permission Marketing For Schools

Feel That Marketing Is Too Undignified For Your School?   Permission Marketing is a fundamentally different way of thinking about advertisin

What can Jack Mountain Bushcraft School teach us about authentic marketing?

A relevant education in today’s changing world What skills come to mind when you think of the phrase “necessary education?” Basic literacy a

Green Chimneys – A school looking to revolutionize special education

Balancing the communication tightrope Imagine this: You’re leading a school with a particularly important mission. Maybe it’s a focus on STE

Making an effective School Website: Lessons Learned from a successful Catholic School

Why is having a site significant? Your audience is spending more and more of their time online. Even if schools typically meet parents offli

Creating an Enrollment Funnel – three simple steps to solving all of your enrollment needs.

What if you had a specific set of steps you knew would consistently guide prospective families from piqued interest to full-time enrollment?

We analyzed what successful school principals do.

They all share five entrepreneurial characteristics. As a principal, do you think of yourself as an entrepreneur? Do you think of the school

Why prospective parents want you to treat them as clients & what to do about it

Neville Medhora once said “No one cares about you. They care about themselves.” This is a message that successful businesses infuse into the

[Private] Text Messaging Ideas For Schools

[Private] Email Marketing For Schools

How to combine Word of Mouth with Facebook to increase enrollment

Word of mouth is by far the most common answer when asking a school leader where they are getting their new students. By far. It’s very powe

Today’s Parent Is An Investor Looking for A Solid ROI

In this article, you will learn how to adjust your marketing strategy and treat your school as an investment with an excellent rate of retur

How can a school leader become a better listener?

In this article, we will show you how to tune out interruptions and gain authentic feedback you can implement immediately. “No significant l

The School Principal ‘Time-Clawback’ Method

Time. Such a precious resource, yet most of us take it for granted. How can we get a better understanding of what our time is really worth?

New York Private Schools: Vouchers or not, you’ll need to adapt.

Schools in other states, take note. This article will help you deal with regulatory changes coming your way. Reality Check: Although New Yor

Let’s Get Social: Increase School Enrollment Through Social Media

It’s hard to imagine life without social media. We use it for everything. Work, play, friendship, and family. Many of us can’t do without it

Traditional Marketing VS Social Media: Where to Put Your Marketing Spend

Two-in-ten. That’s how many U.S. adults get their news from print newspapers (as of early 2016). And, twice as many adults (four-in-ten) get

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Daycare Enrollment

Choosing a daycare is a big deal. Parents will go the extra mile to find the most nurturing environment for their kids to thrive, and this i

Reviving the Skilled Trades: Your Guide to Boosting Enrollment in Trade Schools

There’s a high demand for the skilled trades. There always has been, and there always will be. Twenty-one percent of the engineering workfor

The Boarding School Experience: Worth Every Single Dollar

Socrates once said that “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel”. With 55% of high schoolers feeling unprepared f

Learning From Arizona: How Your School Can Thrive Under Any Circumstances

According to recent studies, students in the United States are underperforming compared to their peers in other advanced nations, including

Events to do for the 4th of July

Independence Day. Our great nation’s birthday, and like all birthdays, a momentous occasion to celebrate. The fireworks have definitely beco

What Does A Superstar Campus Tour Look Like?

First impressions matter — especially to prospective students and parents who are choosing a school to enroll in for the next school year. A

Defining Your School Brand: 10 Questions You Must Answer

Today’s parents have tremendous choice when it comes to their children’s education. Whether to choose a private, religious, charter, or publ

Why Not Start a Summer Camp? You Can Make a Difference While Increasing Enrollment.

Why Not Start a Summer Camp? You Can Make a Difference While Increasing Enrollment. What if you could start a summer camp at your school tha

5 ways to decrease your attrition rate to 1% by re-recruiting your family community

An important part of maintaining enrollment is student retention. Students often cite a lack of connection to the school community as the pr

Continuous Enrollment is the Best Option for Handling Re-enrollment.

Every year, beginning in January, the Sunshine Academy starts its annual enrollment campaign for the upcoming school year. They have a great

Enrollment Managers – Boost Your Numbers By Cultivating These Five Traits

If you’re an enrollment manager, it’s fair to say you’ve got a lot on your plate. You keep your department in motion every day by: Supervisi

What Every Private School Should Do To Prepare for the Shifting Demographics

Are you planning for the future of education based on outdated demographics? If so, you are making a common and potentially serious mistake.

How Private Schools Can Use Character Education To Boost Enrollment

As a private or independent school, you should be thriving. With so much to offer and the highest grade averages, things should be going ver

Powerful Tactics to Increase Parent & Family Engagement through Facebook

It’s no secret that most schools struggle to properly reach their audience on Facebook. And if they do, often by chance, they usually fail t

The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing for Schools

We have some good news. You can finally start feeling in control of your enrollment. School leaders always have this little nagging feeling.

KIPP Marketing Funnel: The Secrets of Online Enrollment

“We are losing students. Families no longer want to send their children to our school.” Sound familiar? You are not alone, there are many sc

6 Priorities for Every School Admissions Officer in the Competitive 2017 Market

Recruiting and retaining students is becoming increasingly difficult. Today, students and families no longer choose only between private or

Use these effective open house strategies and win your next open house

Effective open house campaigns once meant filling the halls with artwork and dusting off your PowerPoint floppy disk. Today, that dated appr

5 Tested Marketing Steps Guaranteed To Boost Your Enrollment

A number of schools are telling us: It doesn’t look good. School choice doesn’t seem to be helping. But we keep answering: Despite the negat