smj podcast

With experience leading large independent schools, Dr Paul Teys now helps schools leverage their strengths by mentoring leadership teams and managing executive recruitment. In this interview, Paul discusses what it means for Heads to perform as CEOs, focusing on the intersection of leading the school and leading school marketing.

What are your school’s key messages and why is it important to define and articulate them? We walk you through our framework and give you the tools to apply it in your own context, so that you can maximise your communication and marketing impact.

The University of Newcastle’s Chief Marketing Officer, Tracy Chalk, has deep experience across higher education and government in both marketing and brand management. In this interview, Tracy discusses why storytelling is so important for today’s education marketing, what her own storytelling ecosystem looks like and how school Heads can start the necessary conversation with their marketers.

How do you stand out from the crowd? What does it mean to be remarkable? In this episode, we delve into the highlights of Seth Godin’s Purple Cow, discussing those things that can make all the difference to your school marketing and, ultimately, your enrolments.

Even the most experienced of performers can be caught out when dealing with the media. In this interview, media and crisis communication expert John Le Cras discusses why even smooth operators would benefit from some training. Remember, “everything you say may be taken down and used in evidence against you.”

Is your school distinctive? Do you, your staff and your prospective parents know what sets you apart? In this episode we discuss the ‘3Rs’ criteria, a tool to help you evaluate whether what differentiates your school from your competitors is strategically meaningful.

As the main driver of enquiries and enrolments, the importance of school marketing cannot be overemphasised. However, we’ve found that school Heads struggle to find great school marketers. In this interview, Brendan Schneider highlights 18 traits of successful school marketers, providing an invaluable resource as you search for marcom team talent.

“Do you understand me? Can I trust you with my child? Will you keep your promise?” Articulating the answers to these questions is a strategic task that is your responsibility as the school Head. In this podcast, we discuss how you can give clarity and confidence to prospective parents.

No two school brand narratives are exactly the same. Following on from podcast SMJ064, we continue the discussion of the various frameworks you can use to successfully tell your school’s story. Which one best reflects your school? Do your leadership and marketing teams share your clarity?

With Generation Alpha starting to enter secondary education, McCrindle’s Ashley Fell joins us to discuss what makes them different to Generation Z and what that means for school Heads. Focusing on insights of direct relevance to you, she shares some of the findings of Generation Alpha; Understanding Our Children and Helping Them Thrive, a new book just released by Mark McCrindle and Ashley with Sam Buckerfield.