School marketing podcast #31: Part 2/3 – 9 Steps to Marketing Your Christian School

School marketing podcast #31: Part 2/3 – 9 Steps to Marketing Your Christian School

This is the 2nd of a 3-part series called “9 Steps to Marketing Your Christian School.”

Don’t forget to register for our free webinar – “9 Steps to Marketing Your School”

In this episode of this series, we will address the CONTENT component of the 9 steps, which includes steps #5 and #6. You will learn:

  • Content must build trust and content can educate prospective families (and existing families, too)
  • Where to engage online – how to “be everywhere” but also doing it well!

See our shownotes at the conclusion of this post for details, links, and other resources that we may have mentioned in this episode.

SHOWNOTES: (more…)

As March Madness begins, this is a great time to talk up COLLEGE

As March Madness begins, this is a great time for your Christian school to talk up COLLEGE

In Texas, we have 4 different seasons. Winter, Summer, Friday Night Football and March Madness!

In August, Friday Night Lights sweeps over our schools with incredible enthusiasm [RELATED ARTICLE: “Friday Night Football – A Modern Mobile Marketing Marvel”]. As many people talk this week of NCAA’s college basketball March Madness brackets, this is a prime time to talk about your school and COLLEGE. Here are 3 ways to tie in your school marketing to what will likely be a trending (more…)

School marketing podcast #30: Part 1/3 – 9 Steps to Marketing Your Christian School

School marketing podcast #30: Part 1/3 - 9 Steps to Marketing Your Christian School

This is the first of a 3-part series called “9 Steps to Marketing Your Christian School.”  Over the next several months, we will roll out blog posts, free webinar, and a free e-book around these 9 steps.  In this first episode of this series, we will address the communication component of the 9 steps, which includes steps #1-4.  You will learn:

  • the importance of your school’s marketing and communication team agreeing on a definition of marketing,
  • the critical role of differentiation in your communication strategy,
  • the integration of recruiting, retention and referrals (the 3 Rs of school marketing)
  • the necessary assessment of your visual brand and how your brand communicates to your ideal families

SHOWNOTES: (more…)

3 things I learned about school marketing from the half-marathon I ran over the weekend

3 things I learned about school marketing from the half-marathon I ran over the weekend

  1. STRATEGY IS CRITICAL – I knew the 13.1 mile course, had my rehydration/refuel gear, and my audio encouragement planned out before I started. I slept well the night before and fueled up before the race so I would be ready. Is your marketing “shoot-from-the-hip” or a systematic and strategic effort?  Do you have a plan in place?
  2. TRAIN FOR THE MIDDLE – in the Fort Worth Cowtown Half Marathon, the hardest part is between miles 6-10.  Physically, you are feeling the “burn” and while parts of it is scenic, much of it is not.  And to make it worse, you are going through a part of town known for its street tacos!  So either the smell can make you nauseous or it can make you wish you were already at the finish line.  Not a lot of folks are at mile 8 cheering you on (it is a serious incline for 1 whole mile).  Most of the cheering fans are at the beginning and the end.  The middle is the grind that will test you physically and mentally.  We had a lot of snow/ice days in the past 2 months and that limited my training.  And because of that, this year’s half marathon was the hardest I remember.  So train for the middle!
  3. MEDALS (and food) ARE YOUR REWARD – the last 2 miles, even after the hard middle, were the easiest because the cheering fans were louder and you could see the finish line. My wife and I finished at the exact same time and were immediately adorned with our medals for finishing.  Then we got to chow down on some really good food afterward.  While the middle may be hard, once you finish the race, it is worth it!  Do not get discouraged if you are in the “middle” of a hard marketing season.  Press on.  Look to the finish.  And get ready for that medal you deserve!