Your School Marketing blog | Private & Christian School Marketing

Happy New Year: 7 Content Suggestions for Your School in January

It’s the start of a brand new year. Here are 7 suggestions on content you should consider addressing in this first month of the new year:

BE RESOLUTE: everyone’s talking about their New Year’s resolutions, so why not chime in with this obviously trending topic? Take a quick poll of your staff and ask them what their resolutions are (get permission first before publishing their names and resolutions). Or offer your own administration’s resolutions for a better school (this is a chance to revisit your vision for the school). Not only do current families need to hear this, but with open enrollment season approaching, prospective families would love to know where you believe the school is headed.
EPIPHANY: January 6th is a day many Christians celebrate as “Three Kings Day”, recognizing the mission of Christ to reach the Gentile world as seen in the visit of the Magi.
LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY: soon after the new year, on January 9th, it’s Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Go on a field trip to the police station, or have delivered some special thank you cards. This is a great opportunity to develop some community relations. You might consider partnering with some of your feeder system schools to do something special.
MLK: further down the calendar, do not forget about Martin Luther King day (recognized on the third Monday of January, often recognized as a school holiday). Videos of your students (especially the younger ones) sharing their “dreams” for their world would make cute (dare I say “viral”) content for your social feeds.
POOH: yes, there’s a National Winnie the Pooh Day (it’s actually in honor of Pooh’s creator A.A Milne’s birthday, January 18th). If the goal is social engagement, Winnie the Pooh can offer a much-needed boost in the doldrums of an often dull January (and speaking of dull, your local media might jump at the chance to cover your school having fun with this holiday on Monday the 18th). With so many great Pooh quotes, you can have some fun on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook (here’s a list of some great Pooh quotables in case you need a reminder). With Pooh quotes like, “A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside,” you could do short videos from your students about “what makes a good friend” (again, elementary students are prime candidates for cute videos). Or because Pooh could not get enough of his sweet nectar, how about polling your staff about their favorite way to eat honey (current and prospective families love the personal side of staff members). Who wouldn’t love hearing that the head football coach has a special recipe for honey and peanut butter protein bars or that your upper school principal has a secret addiction to Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast and a late night snack! You might even have someone willing to share their home remedies made from honey.
BACKWARD DAY: with “Drawkcab Yad” (uh, that would be “Backward Day“) always on January 31st, you can expect some funny memes on Facebook.
FOOTBALL: while the Super Bowl is not until early February, the month of January will be full of NFL playoff games. Look for local tie-ins (by chance are any of your graduates actually playing in the games?), NFL role models for your students, fun predictions, etc. Also, coming up quick in the new year is the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday, January 8th (Georgia vs Alabama) . Like the NFL games, this game will trend on Twitter and Facebook and will no doubt occupy the conversations in your school’s hallways. A couple of years ago, when Heisman trophy winner Marcos Mariota and the Oregon Ducks were in the final game, Columbus Christian Academy in Jackson, MS, did a cool video the week before the national championship of their student athletes commenting on how the Christian faith of Mariota and other top athletes like Tim Tebow inspired them. Watch the video here.

If you need more ideas on having your own content calendar, download our FREE spreadsheet calendar and a complimentary content guide.

And don’t forget to sign up for our Premium “RETENTION” Course. We are in the season of retaining families so this course could be coming at a great time for your school’s marketing efforts.

Alliteration Post: Prospective parents prefer opportunities to play, perform and participate

No one likes to sit on the bench.

Few like to always be the understudy.

Who likes to feel like just a number in a large crowd?

When I work 1-on-1 with Christian schools around the country, we always try to nail down the target market’s “need, problem, pain, frustration, or fear”. It is crucial to know your audience’s “pain point” so you can showcase how your school can meet that need, alleviate the problem or pain or be the answer to a parent’s frustration or fear about educating their children.

If you know your target market well, there are often some common needs, problems, pains, frustrations, and fears. As the title suggests (with all of its alliterational glory), these pain points normally center around the 3 Ps:

PLAY – a Dad might investigate a school’s athletic program, because his daughter did not make the A-team (or even the B-team) at the large public middle school, not because of a lack of talent, but because she was competing with so many other athletes (and some of them may have played organized sports for years and spend thousands of dollars on private lessons or leagues). This Dad simply wants to see his daughter play volleyball. Dad might also be thinking about the missed scholarship offers if she sits on the bench at the school she’s at now. However, more than anything, he just wants to watch his daughter enjoy the competitive nature of sports.
PERFORM – in some larger schools, the competition in the arts is so fierce that Travis’ love for band wanes until he drops out. Or consider the scenario where Shelly has dreamt her whole life of high school theater only to not make the cut because the theater director can only select a couple of lead roles out of hundreds who audition. In the end, students want to perform but some school situations do not allow it. Mom and Dad are disappointed as well.
PARTICIPATE – while the number of clubs and organizations at larger schools sometimes dwarfs the opportunities at smaller institutions, the same thing is happening in areas where students can participate in student leadership roles. The sheer number of candidates or potential officers (plus the increased likelihood of playground politics in a larger school) makes it near impossible for a parent’s child, gifted in leadership and administration, to participate. Or a student looks at his StuCo and decide it’s more of a popularity contest than actual government, so he doesn’t even bother. But what if the smaller Christian school nearby provides the perfect opportunity and size to allow Stephen to exercise and develop his leadership gifts? What if he actually learns how to lead and serve the student body and the community around? Wouldn’t that look better to potential colleges than sitting out StuCo at the larger public school?

While no school should promise a parent “if you come to school here, she will be a starter”, it is OK to note the opportunities to play. You may want to cite evidence of other families who were at the same school as this Dad and note the similarities and what has changed since arriving at your school. Do you have a student-athlete that did not get to play at the large school and after transferring to your school, not only played but received a college scholarship? That may not be the norm, but it is important to note. Parents do not want to feel that they are “settling” for a lower-quality athletic program, so ensure that you properly point out the team successes and individual player successes over the years on the court or field. And certainly, feature the coach(es) and how your smaller school offers a chance for more of a coach/mentor relationship with his/her student-athletes. Make a video about your coach’s “philosophy of sports” and this will likely present a start contrast to other larger schools.

Testimonies from parents and student are crucial to making the compelling case that, while the number of offerings might be less, the quality and opportunities are better. Consistently display a body of evidence that shows that students play, perform and participate in a variety of character-building, leadership-developing and skill-enhancing activities.

Parents are examining the choices available for their promising kids – what evidence are you providing that your school is the best choice?