smj podcast

Parents will choose your school based on what makes you different from other schools. Can you articulate what that difference is? Scott McKain, author and globally recognised authority on how organisations create distinction to attract and retain customers, reveals why playing it safe is the riskiest thing you can do. He also discusses his four cornerstones of distinction along with why and how to apply them to your school.

A rebrand can create real, lasting value when it’s done for the right reasons. What are those reasons? What do you need to consider before even uttering the word ‘rebrand’? We talk through the why and when, the missteps to avoid and provide some simple tips. To find out more about the strategy behind it, grab a copy of Bold School Brand.

What is lead nurturing and why is it so important to your school’s enrolment pipeline? Is email really dying or could it be your secret weapon? In this interview, Brendan Schneider gives some practical tips while discussing how to increase your contact touchpoints and ultimately improve your conversion rate … without increasing your advertising spend or staffing.

One of the biggest challenges for any school is figuring out how to be different. How do you stand out as a unique offering in the marketplace? How do you look and sound different from your competition? With the market already disrupted, now is the perfect time to ask the hard questions about what your school stands for and we give you the tools to answer them. To delve deeper, pick up a copy of ‘Bold School Brand’.

In the face of physical distancing, what does your enrolment funnel look like without the previously unquestioned fixtures of open days, site visits and face-to-face interviews? Is it enough to make these experiences ‘virtual’ or is there a better way? Brad discusses these and other questions with Greg Campitelli, Director of Enquiry Tracker, who also shares his insights into how to conduct live-streaming virtual tours.

Is your school’s marketing strategy ready for the coming recession? We share five guiding principles that you can apply now to adjust your school’s marketing posture for when we emerge from the health crisis and enter the recession.

As the COVID-19 health crisis turns into an economic crisis, the risk of student attrition comes to the fore. With years of research into retention, Jill Goodman intimately understands parent thinking and behaviours. She shares her insights in this interview and discusses six experiences your parents need to not just stay the course, but to become great advocates for your school.

How do you attract and retain donors? Is direct mail dead? How often can you ask for donations without driving donors away? According to The New York Times, Tom Ahern is one of America’s most sought-after creators of fundraising messages. Also the author of ‘If Only You’d Known’ … ‘You Would Have Raised So Much More’, Tom answers these questions and more as he discusses with Brad the things school Heads need to know for their school to raise funds well.

As the impacts of COVID-19 roll on, Beth Blackwood, CEO of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), shares her insights to help arm you and your school at this pivotal time. What are other Heads doing? What are the key short and long-term communication and marketing challenges, and what’s the best way to handle them?

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, how you handle the next few months will matter. Your communication will become your reputation. In this ever-changing landscape, we discuss ways you can face some of those changes head on and answer key questions about how to continue to communicate well and strengthen your brand in the months ahead.