smj podcast

No two school brand narratives are exactly the same but almost all of them fall within a handful of frameworks. In this first of two parts, we discuss what these look like and how you can get it right for your school.

Jay Goulart, founder of Big Philanthropy, speaks to us about how to solicit major gifts for your school by following a specific formula and the importance of getting comfortable with having these conversations as a Head. He takes us through “the art of the ask” and the three important components that every Head should know. Jay enlightens us with his model of not only creating a donor, but retaining a donor.

The world has been upended by the rise of social media and with it so has communication and marketing at your school. In this episode, we discuss ways in which you can empower your school marketing team to wrangle it well, including how to ensure accountability without smothering creativity.

“We serve our School by understanding what it is today and imagining what it might be tomorrow.” So states the communication for change manifesto penned by Dr David Willows and his team at The International School of Brussels. David joins us to talk about the why and how of ‘unlearning advancement’ and what place it has for your school.

Your current and prospective parents are not only changing how they research, review and buy a school for their children, but they are also changing what they value most. It is no longer just the ‘product’ … it is the experience. In this episode, we discuss what the experience economy is and why you can’t ignore it.

Why do intelligent people make irrational leaps in marketing and how can you lead your school towards rational marketing? In this interview, Steve Cuno — author, copywriter and self-professed ‘marketing know-it-all’ — highlights six irrational leaps you might be making and discusses how to avoid them.

It’s been said that enrolling new families is a numbers game, but the most successful schools would vigorously disagree. In this discussion, we look at how to focus your marketing efforts in areas where you have a clear advantage and pass on everything else.

Frustration. That’s the most common emotion imageseven sees when Heads try to describe the status of their marketing efforts. But you don’t have to stay frustrated. We discuss the five most common mistakes our analysis has revealed and give you the know-how to fix them.

What is a ‘Manager of Experience Design’ and what does it have to do with your school? Is it possible to reduce costs, increase conversion rates and improve parent satisfaction? Dr David Willows is the Director of Advancement at the International School of Brussels. In this interview with Brad, he discusses how he led his team in challenging the status quo to create a more productive, efficient and impactful model.

In our work with school marketers, we get to see and hear what they wish their school Head knew about communication and marketing at their school. In this episode, we discuss their top ten questions to help you understand where your team is looking to you for marketing leadership.