Have you done an honest assessment of the families who are enrolled in your school? I’m talking about an honest assessment.
Are they 100% mission-appropriate? Are they aligned with your mission?
Are they misfits who, according to the definition above, are students (and their families) “who fit badly” or are “poorly adapted”?
Regardless of the type of school you are (covenant or evangelical), you have to be selective in who sits in your seats. If you are a Christian school, there are some in your community will find that word “selective” as repugnant. They will equate your existence with that of the Lord’s church where we are to be loving, accepting, and welcoming to all. But as a school, you are a not-for-profit business that must think of the “product” you are providing. If families look at your school and do not perceive the fruit as being sweet, they will pass. If current families start to feel that “one bad apple spoils the bunch” (to stay on the fruit metaphor), they will leave before they are damaged.
There is not one algorithm or list of factors that you must use to ensure you are selecting mission-fit families. But here are a few of the most common and most important:
Do they agree with your school’s mission, vision, and core values?
Do they agree with your school’s approach to discipline from actions in or out of the classroom?
Do they agree with your school’s approach to monitoring and correcting behavior even at home?
Do they not only agree with but also consider themselves ambassadors for your school’s mission?
Do they help you market the school via word-of-mouth?
In a time when enrollments can trend downward (as the price tag increases and the value of private education is often debatable among your market), it is easily justifiable for a school to loosen the evaluation and accept anyone with interest and the bank account to afford the school. If you do not mandate mission appropriateness, you will find yourself pulling your hair out in the future.
You may have a much more detailed list of factors when determining whether a student is accepted or not (based on their academic assessment, behavioral history at other schools, letters of recommendations, etc.), but one of them has to be whether or not this student and their parent(s) are mission-fits with your school.
If you need help in ensuring your school has an effective marketing system to ensure you have the most mission-fit families, I want to help. Click the link below and let’s start a conversation.
When I work 1-on-1 with a Christian school (if you want more information about how, click here), one of the first things I ask them is about their sources of new families coming to their school. While some find you via searching Google and others may discover you from a magazine ad, the #1 source of new families is 99% indisputable . . .
. . . Word-of-Mouth!
So if families referring their friends is by and large the best way to get new families, I always follow up my question with this:
“So if this is your best way of getting new families, what specifically are you doing to generate these referrals?”
Crickets.
Silence.
The major problem is that while word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing is the most popular source of new leads, unfortunately, schools just operate by the mantra of “it just happens.” However, while marketing folks love organic, grassroots and unplanned attention, schools must be more intentional about creating a micro-system about referral marketing (or some may call it a “subset”). You need mirco-systems about recruiting, retention and referrals, what I call the “3 Rs of School Marketing.”
In the world of referrals, there are some realities of referrals. Understanding these 5 realities will help you jumpstart word-of-mouth marketing at your school:
People love to make referrals because we love to share what we love. It’s bred in us to talk about what excites us. When we experience a great burger, a wonderful hotel, a surprisingly honest mechanic, etc., then we tell our friends. This is advantageous for schools when parents, students, board members and alumni love to tell their stories about their experience at your school.
People don’t make referrals because they are too risky. While we want to share with our friends, sometimes we may hold back on telling the world about it. This is especially important when the investment is significant and emotional. If I tell you about a $3 carwash that ends up being a bad experience for you, then our relationship can withstand this variance of experience. However, if I tell you about my kids school (and therefore suggest they pay tens of thousands of dollars for it like I do), but they do not have a good experience, then there is a possibility that our relationship may hit a glitch from which we can’t recover.
People make referrals when they consistently benefit and see results. The key to overcoming #2 is consistency. When we have a great hotel experience one time, we might give them a 5-star review but likely we may want to wait and see if they have the same experience more than once. If you enjoy the new Italian restaurant, it is likely that you will tell your friends only after you visit the restaurant the second or third time.
People do not refer meaningless, mundane or mediocre. Seth Godin, marketing guru and author of books like “Purple Cow”, says it this way, ““if people aren’t talking about you, there’s a reason. You’re boring – your products are boring, your services are boring, your message is boring, your marketing is boring . . .” When it comes to private education, you must consistently show evidence that you are making an impact, you are equipping and preparing students for post-secondary success and that a parent’s investment is more than worth it.
Schools cannot rely strictly on a passive approach to referral marketing. As I mentioned above, the “it just happens” approach to referral marketing will you a few referrals, but an intentional and systematic approach will generate a steady stream of ideal families who will then bring in new families as well.
Referrals are critical to your school’s word-of-mouth marketing efforts. But the question is is whether you are passive about it or intentional about helping current families send you more ideal families.
In my 1-on-1 consulting engagement, I can help you install a customized marketing system for your school.
A tongue-in-cheek look at “TeachingCenter” (compare to ESPN’s “SportsCenter”) – what if we recognized our teachers like we athletes? It’s #teacherappreciationweek so look forward to show your teachers how much you appreciate them!
If there’s one topic that ignites our email signup list or our Facebook page engagement, it is word-of-mouth marketing! In this post, I wanted to share with you 23 easy-to-implement word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing ideas that any private Christian school can work on starting today:
Stories are WOM fuel – curate them and create them and showcase them!
Treat families like kings and queens – they will tell their friends about it.
Engage your fans – especially on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
Give families reasons to talk – take queues from bigger brands who offer memorable customer service.
Empower them to share – put videos on YouTube or Vimeo, post them on Facebook and invite families to share.
Explain how families can refer – map out a system and exactly the procedure for referring (and outline any incentives)
Educate families about any perks or bonuses – referral incentives should be simple to understand, not so complex no one does it. (more…)
I recently spoke to a Christian school about marketing and social media. During the full-day marketing clinic, I got to spend 90 minutes listening and facilitating a discussions with this dynamic group of front-line soldiers. They had some great ideas on developing, capturing and sharing content about the students they were with every day.
Your front-line soldiers are sometimes parents of current or former students, sometimes former students who have returned to your school to teach (that’s a story I would capture on video because that says a lot about how great your school is), and sometimes your teachers just love teaching in a Christian school environment.
Here are 3 ways to encourage your teachers so they will be a solid source of referrals for your school: (more…)
In order to significantly increase your retention rate, you have to cultivate “loyal ambassadors” in your school. In this podcast episode, we conclude a 2-part series (click here for Part I) on creating a culture throughout the year to ensure you have the highest retention rate as possible, and that your current families are enthusiastically spreading the word about your school.
In this episode of our school marketing podcast, we share some ideas on REFERRALS.
