Christian School Marketing Ain’t All Fluff, Manipulation & Obsessive Self-Promotion

More than I wish, I hear Christian pastors, church leaders, Christian school administrators and Board Members express an “uncomfortableness” with the term “marketing.”

I often ask what the definition of “marketing” is and get a surprising variety of negative answers:

• All fluff – flowery fund-raising campaigns, theoretical gobbledygook and sugar-coated promotion
• Manipulation – they don’t say it this way, but they express something they observe on TV and in stores where people are made to feel guilty about buying something
• Obsessive self-promotion – no one wants to be the “salesman” – the family who talks about their school all the time so much that their friends get weary and fatigued at their incessant one-topic communication.  Thus, families (and schools admins) shy away so as not to be “like that.”

There is a much better definition of marketing!

As you see on the right sidebar, I am the only Certified Duct Tape Marketing Consultant in all of North and West Texas.  In Duct Tape Marketing, we deliver marketing consulting based on a simple definition of marketing:

“Getting people with a specific need to know, like and trust you.”

That’s it.  Of course, the result from building a trusting relationship is creating loyal ambassadors (repeat business and motivated referrals!)

In the world of private Christian schools, this definition works so well – because it’s all about cultivating trust with families.  And when those families (the “people” part of the definition) have their pains/frustrations/fears alleviated (this is the “need” part), they become a long-term family for your school and they will certainly be your best ambassadors at their church, in the community and on Facebook!

– Randy