smj podcast

In this episode, we discuss the importance of delivering on your brand promise. Prompted by a case study of a school in America, we explore how moving away from your brand promise as a school, risks losing its distinctiveness in this increasingly competitive market. We also share some tips to help you get on the front foot to ensure that what you are communicating as your promise, matches your school’s offering.

In this special interview, we dive into a case study of how one school has successfully differentiated itself from the competition. Clayton Johnson, Director of Admissions at Brentwood College in British Columbia, Canada, shares the College’s journey of developing 11 differentiators which align with the College’s values, enabling Brentwood to clearly define who they are and what they stand for.

Heads of independent schools confront a conundrum: how do you introduce change and innovation while preserving the traditional values that resonate with their community? How can you strike a perfect communications balance between progress and maintaining a reassuring sense of stability? In this episode, we discuss the MAYA (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable) principle and how it applies to school communications, offering a framework to help Heads craft communications that cut through day-to-day school life.

Heads of independent schools confront a conundrum: how do you introduce change and innovation while preserving the traditional values that resonate with their community? How can you strike a perfect communications balance between progress and maintaining a reassuring sense of stability? In this episode, we discuss the MAYA (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable) principle and how it applies to school communications, offering a framework to help Heads craft communications that cut through day-to-day school life.

School communication and marketing is changing, and whether you like it or not, this means your school marketing will need to change. However, the most significant barrier to your school’s adaptation to this new landscape is not the customers nor the technology, it’s managing the change required. This episode, we discuss how we believe you can lead your school through change effectively, and share some common reasons why school marketing change initiatives falter.

To do great school communication and marketing, some of the most impactful levers you can pull don’t depend on the size of your budget. This episode, we discuss six things you can do that won’t put any strain on your school financially. But we warn you, it’s not going to be easy. Through our experience of working with hundreds of school Heads, we know these ideas can be difficult to action … but not impossible.

There is a problem that is deeply ingrained into the structural fabric of Australia’s independent school sector. Schools need high-level marketing support, but only a few of the largest schools can access this type of talent. A concept borrowed from the commercial world might be the answer. This episode, we discuss the role of the ‘Fractional’ Director of Marketing, how they operate and why this role might be right for your school.

For generations, we’ve been told that logic dictates our decision making. However, a growing body of research suggests that it’s our emotions that drive our decisions, especially when it comes to complex purchase decisions. This episode, we discuss how you can lead your communication and marketing team to limit the logical and elevate the emotional in your quest for increased enrolment enquiries.

In this episode, we dive into the topic of AI and how it can be used in your school marketing. We discuss a Hubspot article surveying over 1,000 marketing professionals to discover trends in AI usage. We share our thoughts on how your school marketing team can use AI to become more efficient and be able to free up your team to focus on the parts of the job they love.

In this special interview episode, we are joined by Tom Olverson, a veteran school head of 27 years across the United States and is now a specialist search consultant, as well as mentoring school Heads. He is also the author of “Leading through strategy – how business principles can help independent schools thrive”. He talks us through strategy and what ‘winning’ looks like for schools, as well as sharing some of the principles from the for-profit world that Heads often overlook, which can help their school thrive.