smj podcast

Are you creating, endorsing and even promoting marketing strategies that don’t have a snowball’s chance of success? As you know, a strategy is worthless unless executed … in this episode of the podcast, we give you the right tools to turn your strategy into action

Have you ever looked at online reviews of your school and been dismayed, often disappointed and occasionally depressed? You’re not alone. Trevor Waddington, Principal of US digital marketing services firm Truth Tree Consulting, joins us to share his insights and unpack his article, The Ultimate Private  School Review.

How do you talk with current and prospective parents about your school fees and the value you deliver? How do you and your staff overcome the (natural) reluctance to talk about money? Garth Wynne, Executive Principal of Christ’s College in Christchurch, New Zealand, shares how he was able to increase fees mid-pandemic, complete with positive media coverage.

“Teachers are not merely the pastoral point of contact or a focal point of academic review; they represent the principle means by which parents judge school quality.” Dr Rob Loe, CEO of Relationships Foundation, shares his research insights into brand and relationships in schools, explaining how and why teachers are brand managers.

We love a good statistic at imageseven. In this podcast, we deconstruct the results of US-based InspirED’s survey of school marketing departments and extract the highlights, trends and expectations for independent schools in Australia.

How do you manage and lead fundraising in a school environment? Are schools any different from charities? Tom Ahern joins us again, explaining why fundraising is a noble pursuit and how you can make it part of your school culture. You can also listen to Tom’s previous interview with SMJ here.

What’s a T-shaped school marketer and what does it mean to you? In this episode, we discuss why T-shapes trump specialists in education marketing, how to recruit for what you need and how to grow the skills of the team you have. You can also download 12 reasons why school marketing is different, an excerpt from our book, Bold School Brand.

Kevin Lynch, Director of Marketing and Communications at Shanghai American School, returns to the SMJ podcast with a storytelling masterclass. He reveals the elements that make a good story, the process for editing and distilling it, and how to select the right media to gain the most effective results. If you missed his first interview, have a listen to podcast 031.

“Do you do … ?” After presenting to a recent Heads of Independent Co-Educational Schools (HICES) NSW meeting, we were inspired by the number of “do you do” questions. In this episode we take a slight detour to explain why we do what we do and the various ways we help school Heads achieve their mission, from the conceptual to the practical.

All schools will experience enrolment challenges at some point in time. With over 38 years’ experience in independent schools (27 years as a Head), Tom Olverson of RG175 shares his framework for how to respond strategically for the long-term instead of falling back on short-term tactics.