Authentic School Brands, with John LaPerch

John LaPerch is a funny guy with an in-depth knowledge of marketing. He is Director of Online Marketing & Social Media Content Creator.

My toughest sell is (persuading schools against) promoting this catalog-worthy picture of a school like a Benetton ad - when authenticity is really what sells. - John LaPerch


Listen on:
iTunes | Android | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Overcast | Email

Audio version:


Summary

John LaPerch is a funny guy with an in-depth knowledge of marketing. He is Director of Online Marketing & Social Media Content Creator. We didn’t have a set agenda for our conversation about school growth and marketing, but our casual discussion ended up covering everything from digital word-of-mouth to how schools should embrace authenticity. John takes us through the process of how he moves schools from a communication model to a marketing model, and from glossy, print magazines to email and Facebook videos. The discussion then turns from tactical to strategic.

Without divulging more, prepare to be entertained and informed.

In our discussion, we cover:

01:15 Andrew asks John to share the major change he has seen in 10 years of school marketing.

02:28 John elaborates on his statement that schools are “internally focused.”

03:30 Andrew asks John to explain what he means when he says that “glossy magazines don’t fill the enrollment funnel.”

06:00 John relates the process of shifting a school from a communication mindset to a marketing mindset.

08:05 Andrew asks - How important is it for a school to have a niche?

08:43 John talks about why differentiation is so important.

10:50 Andrew asks - What do you mean by “the work starts AFTER you produce a video?”

15:40 John tells how and why he uses Landing Pages.

19:15 Andrew asks John to talk about topics that were difficult to convince people to accept.

25:22 John expands on the process of “ghostwriting” for schools.

Quotes:

14:15 “The numbers (of people reached) are not great on the print side, so you’ve got to hit people where they are.

17:20 “Once you get that name and email address, it’s about building a relationship.

23:30 “My toughest sell is (persuading schools against) promoting this catalog-worthy picture of a school like a Benetton ad - when authenticity is really what sells.

28:45 “Schools will find success in marketing, but they won’t stick with it; what is marketing, but repetition and measurement, repetition and measurement?

Here are some resources mentioned in our discussion:

David Perrell - Naked Brands
https://www.perell.com/blog/naked-brands

In News Industry, a Stark Divide Between Haves and Have-Nots
https://www.wsj.com/graphics/local-newspapers-stark-divide/

Love, Mom & Dad
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10155235380487381

Where to learn more about the guest:

John on Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/johnlaperch

Where to learn more about Enrollhand:

Website: www.enrollhand.com

Our webinar: https://webinar-replay.enrollhand.com

Our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolgrowth/