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Interview guest: Caitlyn Garzi, Associate Director of Digital Marketing and Communications, Cheshire Academy (@cayg118)
Email marketing is an oft-overlooked tool to guide prospects to enrollment. Caitlyn Garzi uses email marketing consistently to grow the applicant pool and to lead them toward inquiry and ultimately to applicant and enrollment. Cheshire Academy is a private boarding school in Connecticut.
Click below (or click “MORE”) for all the links and action steps from this episode!
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Interview guest: Coach Jeff Walrich, Director of Athletics for Gilmour Academy (@CoachWalrich and @GALancerAD)
Marketing the athletic program is a passion of Coach Jeff Walrich, Director of Atheletics at Gilmour Academy, an independent, Roman Catholic, coeducational, college-preparatory school in the Cleveland suburb of Gates Mills, Ohio.
In this episode, we discuss:
- the role of social media and athletics
- how to “stop the scrolling”
- how Coach Walrich is using graphics on social media to bring recognition to student-athletes
- how parents and grandparents react to the recognition their student-athlete receives
- how to give parents a site where they can download graphics for their child’s scrapbook
- how students are asking Coach Walrich how they can be featured on one of the graphics
- how to manage multiple social media accounts
- the book most recommended by Coach Walrich (and Randy, too) in understanding what to post on social media
- how Coach Walrich is using an APP to increase attendance at all of their athletic events (and other events around campus) and the students love it!
Click below (or click “MORE”) for all the links and action steps from this episode!
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During this podcast, we will explore how schools should create intentional “stepping stones” that prospective families would take to ultimately enroll in your school.
As mentioned in Alice in Wonderland, “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”
That’s not what you want parents to do.
Instead, guide them to the steps to know, like and trust you so that you can ultimately (and intentional) lead them to where you want them to go.
This is one of the critical steps in our 1-on-1 coaching program (click here for more information)!
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Interview guest: Kevin Jordan, Founder of Redpoint Marketing Consultants and a Certified Consultant with Duct Tape Marketing (Randy is also a Certified Consultant in the same network of global marketing consultants).
Kevin & Randy have served as Duct Tape Marketing Certified Consultants for a number of years, helping businesses, nonprofits and schools to grow through simple, effective and affordable marketing.
During this podcast, we explore specific ways to attract new families to your school through such tactics as:
- FAQs & SAQs (“Should Ask Questions”)
- Testimonials
- Event marketing (private school fairs)
- Email marketing
- Sponsorships
- Strategic partnerships (i.e., BNI)
- Direct mail
- SEO
- Social
- …and more!
Kevin, along with multiple co-authors, has released a great resource called, “Small Business Owner’s Guide To Local Lead Generation: Proven Strategies & Tips To Grow Your Business!” which can also work well for independent schools (who are more like a business than a public school would be).
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Interview guest: Jaclyn Day, Director of Marketing and Communications at RenWeb School Management Software.
When it comes to social media, you definitely have to think about working SMARTER, not harder! There is so much to manage and get posted in a timely manner. If you are in communications, enrollment management, advancement or admissions and you are feeling overwhelmed by social media at your school, this episode will help!
Jaclyn Day, Director of Marketing and Communications at RenWeb School Management Software, answers these 5 questions:
- What tools can schools use to manage their social media profiles more easily?
- Where should schools focus their energy first?
- How can schools generate content for social media accounts if just one person at the school is responsible for updating and monitoring all of them?
- What are some ways to make social media and inbound marketing actually pay off for a school?
- How can schools get ahead of their competitors by using social media accounts or creating a content strategy for them?
As well, Jaclyn speaks of the RenWeb PowerConference coming up in July 2015. At this time, there is a waiting list, so those wanting to attend are encouraged to register in the event there is a last-minute cancellation. I (Randy) am speaking at this year’s PowerConference in San Antonio in 3 classes about social media.
JACLYN’S BIO:
Jaclyn Day is the Director of Marketing and Communications for RenWeb School Management Software. She oversees the brand’s editorial and visual strategy, coordinates all internal and external communications, and oversees digital/social content and engagement. Prior to joining RenWeb in 2009, she worked in Washington, DC, focusing on public relations that specialized in public affairs, digital strategy and corporate messaging. Jaclyn is passionate about social media and inbound marketing and how they relate to corporate communication in the digital age. After Jaclyn joined RenWeb, she developed a successful social media strategy from scratch and revamped internal and external marketing communications. Jaclyn received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Communication with a concentration in Public Relations from Washington Adventist University. She still lives and works in the Washington, DC area.
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Interview guests: Dr. Nancy Dettra (Superintendent) and Ingrid Hall (Assistant to the Superintendent) at Merritt Island Christian School (a private school for Brevard County Florida).
I talk a lot about the 3 Rs of School Marketing: recruitment, retention and referrals. We have several articles about this topic on our site (click here to see all of them). In addition, there is a FREE REPORT that outlines how important is that every school focus on the 3Rs of School Marketing (download our FREE REPORT).
In an online conversation with MICS’s Ingrid Hall, she mentioned that one of the most important things you have learned is that “the RETENTION of our students should come FIRST.” In this episode, I ask them how they came to that realization and what has been their prior experience in marketing their school.
In addition, there are 3 specific things that MICS has done to intentionally work on retention. One of the areas involving students from their School Leadership Academy.
Another marketing tool they have employed is the traditional hand written note. I think you will enjoy the story Dr. Dettra shares about the power and impact of that simple hand written note.
Finally, Dr. Dettra and Ms. Hall discuss improving retention through social media.
I think you are going to love this episode!
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