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199: Why Heads must own marketing

In this episode, Brad and Scully discuss why school Heads must take ownership of their school marketing. They investigate the three main roles of marketing in schools, highlight where leadership is essential and examine the leadership mindset required to balance strategy and promotion with the goal of helping Heads recognise their influence and maximise their marketing impact.

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198: How AI can help school Heads with strategy – interview with Graham Kenny

In this special interview episode, Brad is joined by Graham Kenny, an expert in strategy and performance measurement, who has helped leaders across business, government and education navigate complex challenges, as well as being Australia’s only regular author to the Harvard Business Review. This episode, Graham reveals some lessons he has learnt about strategy and discusses his research into how AI can help school Heads with strategy going forward.

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197: Don’t be the best. Be their favourite.

Choosing a school is an emotional decision for families. Whether it’s about finding the right academic fit, culture or values, each family has unique criteria. Your school competes with dozens of other schools, all vying for a place on prospective families’ shortlists. To truly stand out and secure your spot, you don’t need to be the biggest or the best. You just need to be their favourite.

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Font psychology and how to write a brief like Charli XCX [podcast #226]

In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by imageseven Senior Designer Imogen Smith. In the Making News section, the team discuss the future of TikTok as the world watches on to see what the American Government’s next move will mean for the app. Imogen takes us through a Deep Dive into the psychology behind fonts and how they make you feel. Finally, the team raves about the viral marketing phenomenon that is Charlie XCX’s brand BRAT, and how to create a marketing brief like Charlie XCX.

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196: How communication drives thriving school communities – Interview with Ashley Fell

In this special interview episode, we are joined by Ashley Fell, the Director of Advisory at McCrindle, to discuss the tool they have developed, the Thriving Schools Index. This tool delves into understanding the school experience from a range of stakeholder perspectives, to give a score across a number of areas. She also shares how school Heads can use communication as a tool to move the needle on these indicators, to ensure your school is perceived as positively as possible.

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Managing your digital reputation, an AI Granbot and that Jaguar ad [225]

In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by imageseven Account Manager James Tindall, to discuss the impact of reviews on consumers’ purchasing decisions. In an extended Rants and Raves, Jaguar’s controversial new rebrand is put under the microscope as the team share their thoughts. Finally, the team rave about ‘Daisy’, an AI ‘Granbot’ designed to combat scammers by mimicking the conversational style of a grandmother, wasting their time and resources.

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195: Reimagine the school business model – interview with Peter Baron

In this special interview episode, we are joined by Peter Baron, who served as the Chief Member Relations Officer for the US Enrollment Management Association, directing their marketing and communications, member recruitment and retention, leadership training programs, and research. He introduces us to his new business, MoonshotOS, which is designed to help education leaders to reimagine the independent school business model. We also discuss the findings of a survey Peter conducted on school leaders, including eight business competencies that directly affect school leaders.

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194: From challenge to clarity: Enrolment insights

Managing enrolments is about more than just filling seats. It’s about building a secure and sustainable future for your school, and that takes an approach that goes beyond surface level fixes. Introducing imageseven’s newest offering: the Enrolments Practice. In this episode, we are joined by imageseven’s Belinda McCubbin and Pauline Shuttleworth, to take you through the rationale behind the Enrolments Practice, why now is the right time for this service, and how it can help Heads confidently move from challenge to clarity.

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193: Keep your brand promise

In this episode, we discuss the importance of delivering on your brand promise. Prompted by a case study of a school in America, we explore how moving away from your brand promise as a school, risks losing its distinctiveness in this increasingly competitive market. We also share some tips to help you get on the front foot to ensure that what you are communicating as your promise, matches your school’s offering.

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192: Discovering your differentiators – Interview with Clayton Johnston

In this special interview, we dive into a case study of how one school has successfully differentiated itself from the competition. Clayton Johnson, Director of Admissions at Brentwood College in British Columbia, Canada, shares the College’s journey of developing 11 differentiators which align with the College’s values, enabling Brentwood to clearly define who they are and what they stand for.

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