Interview: Selling The Invisible in school marketing
Schools are relational products. Learn to "Sell The Invisible".
Audio version:
My guest today is David Garden. He is an expert marketer with 20+ years’ experience. David has an MBA in Marketing with interest in strategy, service design, and conversion rate optimization. Currently, he serves as Group Marketing Manager for Australian Christian College, a group of nine schools located in five states around Australia.
We talk about the difference between the corporate world and the school marketing world. Most importantly, we explore how to market schools as a relational product.
Listen to this episode and take note of the insightful and actionable information you need to"sell the invisible" at your school.
Timestamps
05:06 – What works and does not work when putting into practice your school marketing strategy
7:52 – David explained why schools must be in a "Selling Education" and “Selling the Invisible” mindset
14:10 – How writing helps create impact within the community
15:28 – We talk about creating short seasonal campaigns versus keeping marketing always on. David is doing the former but is tending towards the later.
17:20 – David and Andrew agreed on one crucial factor before deciding which school to choose for your children
19:47 – We talk about distinct influences that play a role in the final decision-making process of choosing a school
22:13 – Why the school culture is an element that parents should take into consideration
23:20 – How you should do tactical and strategic school marketing
26: 32 – Three practical steps on how you can elevate your school marketing strategy
27:39 – David shared the importance of bundle benefits and having a strong value proposition
31:16 – Andrew asks about what changes that David wants to see in the school marketing world
36:15 – David and Andrew discussed the practical way of communication between school stakeholders and parents
Quotes:
6:56-“School marketing is more like a relational product. So invite people to visit your school and start to form a relationship of trust and ask what they expected or observe what they wanted to experience.”
9:19 - “The idea of giving parents the opportunity to see a classroom in action helps to give them an insight into the type of school and the way that you (teachers) deliver your learning in the classroom, and they (parents) can look into the operations of the school.”
26: 32 - “In (school) marketing, take smaller risks over time and keep tracking, monitoring, and then revising your strategy as you go.”
38:15 - “Give everyone an insight into what next year is going to be, use always on marketing at the moment, identify what works and discard things that you do not need, and allocate budget for marketing.”
Resources:
Connect with David
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/
Like here: https://blog.enrollhand.com/selling-the-invisible-in-school-marketing/