smj podcast

As Heads start to think strategically about their 2024 marketing and communication plans, we take this opportunity to share what we see as some of the key pitfalls and challenges likely to affect school Heads in the next 12 months. We have an in depth discussion on how a lack of differentiation, ineffective communication, neglect of storytelling and oversight across the digital landscape are some of the major challenges facing your School in 2024.

Today we chat with Bart Caylor, President of Caylor Solutions, about the incredibly rapid rise of AI, what it means and some of the incredible things it allows us to do. Fresh off recently hosting the HigherEd Marketing AI Summit, Bart shares his knowledge with us on how to leverage AI in school marketing, emerging AI trends and everything Heads need to know to navigate this fast-evolving landscape.

This episode we are joined by Stuart Meade. Reflecting on his career – which included 21 years as a school Head at Hale School, Perth and Mathew Flinders Anglican College, Sunshine Coast – we discuss how marketing and communications in schools has evolved over the years. He shares priceless advice for school Heads, as well as what he wishes he had known when he started his career.

At the very essence of every decision you make as a school Head is your school community. As a Head, your ability to listen to the community’s voice goes a long way to contributing to the success of a project. This episode, we discuss why it is important to listen, relate to and understand your community so that you can speak on their behalf and make decisions in their best interests.

To understand what your school brand is, you need to first understand what a ‘brand’ is. In this episode we discuss some of the misconceptions on what a brand is, and how these misunderstandings can affect the way school Heads manage their brand. We also discuss how your school’s success is influenced by the level of trust customers have in your brand, and how to create trust with your brand design.

Having recently returned from the AHISA Biannual Convention, we recap some of the conversations we had with school Heads while there. We go through the some of the recurring themes we encountered, from the difficulty of hiring and professional development of staff, to mental health, community engagement, how to differentiate in the competitive landscape of education, and how schools can effectively communicate fee increases.

How can you improve (or start) the alumni program at your school? We talk to Alastair Lee, Managing Director of AlumGrow Consultancy, to find out the benefits of building strong alumni relations and how to acquire the most value out of your school’s alumni program to achieve your long-term strategic goals.

Is print relevant anymore? Is digital really the ruler of the communication world? We debate the positives and negatives of both print, digital publications and a combination of both, to help you decide how you should best produce your school’s publications. 

The advertising market is evolving all the time and as a school Head you can often be left in the dark about the evolving landscape of media buying. This episode, we are we are joined by the founder of Mentor Marketing, Amanda Reid, as she shares her strategic insight into what school Heads need to know about the biggest changes in advertising in the education sector.

School’s marketing efforts often struggle to close the strategy-execution gap. Why do so many implementation efforts fail? In this episode, we discuss strategies among school leaders and explore ways to create effective strategies. We also explore ways to encourage buy-in from all staff to a school Head’s strategic direction in order to enhance your chance of success.