Today’s world of education is competitive. Families can be choosy when selecting a school district to live in or even choose another public, private or charter school for their children. It’s never been more critical for schools to have a clear, consistent and positive brand to help them stand out from the crowd – in a good way!
Some leaders assume that the way they view their organization is the same as their community. However, all too often the two views do not match. All schools have a brand, the question is what is that brand and is it what you want?
The best way to think of your brand is to ask yourself, if people know only one thing about my organization what should that one thing be? When they hear my organization name, how should they feel? Then ask yourself, do your actions, communications and initiatives reflect that goal? Are you constantly telling, showing and making people feel the type of brand you want to reflect?
One of the strongest brands today is Apple. Many people know that they started out as a computer company. However today’s product line-up includes many other devices, services and options that go far beyond a desktop. Apple’s goal is to integrate into your daily tasks and make your life easier. Everything about their packaging, products, services and advertising is about how their options make you feel and make your life easier.
Schools can use the same kind of options to build a better brand. Here are a few tips to help build and sustain a positive brand for your school:
- Interaction – Think of the different ways that parents, community members and students currently interact with your school. From registration through graduation, how can you make the experience more friendly and positive?
- Messaging – Regular communication is important in sustaining a high-quality brand. Experts predict that it takes at least 10 times 10 different ways for a single message to not only be heard but turned into action. So sharing information on a regular basis helps to build brand consistency
- Research – Community attitude research lets you know how your specific populations (parents versus residents for example) feel about your organization. Once you know how they feel, you can better understand how to adjust your approach and build the type of brand you want.
- Plan – Building a good plan for communications and marketing is a lot like a good strategic plan for academics or daily operations. You need to map out your goals and dedicate time and tasks to meeting those goals. A good communications plan will keep you on track and ensure that the daily surprises that pop up in your schedule don’t take you off track of building a good brand.
- Consistency – Schools have many different staff members and levels to their organization. Ensuring that all staff understand the branding goals and are actively supporting these efforts is critical to ensuring your customers have the type of quality experience you want across the entire organization.