9 Things to Keep Your School Volunteers Happy

YSM-twitter-image-volunteers

I admit that my possibly offensive title probably sounds like I think volunteers are a nuisance.  Actually, the point of this article is to help you find practical ways to involve school volunteers who are always asking, “how can I help?”

First of all, while volunteers are a blessing, they come with conditions.  It cannot be denied that volunteers on your marketing team operate differently than paid staff or outsourced consultants.  Administrative officials and hired contractors work for results which are often tied to how much money they make or how long they keep their job.  It’s one reason to consider NOT assigning critical, timely marketing tasks to volunteers.  While they may indicate a willingness and eagerness to help, they MAY not operate with the same sense of urgency you have.  Nor may they offer the same level of excellence you would demand of an employee or contractor.  You want to have the freedom to dislike their work without feeling like you are going to offend them and run them off from volunteering ever again (or worse, writing a bad review about your school . . . uh, see #7 below).  You want to be able to “fire” them if they do not perform.  But how do you fire a non-paid volunteer?

So what jobs can you create for your eager beavers?  Here are 7 ideas your school volunteers can do from any computer or mobile device: (more…)

Did you miss these marketing opportunities at your recent graduation?

Missed marketing opportunities at your private / Christian school graduation

Graduation is one of your school’s best marketing events. Tears of joy, cheers of pride, and years of experiences tell powerful stories of your school’s ability to produce top graduates who are ready to change the world!

However, like many campus events only witnessed by insiders (current families), many marketing opportunities are missed. When prospective families, your ideal target audiences and investigating students want to learn about your school, you need evidence to prove every claim you make on your website. Families are too sophisticated (and appropriately suspicious) of “marketing speak” they see on your brochures or website. They want validation. Highly emotional moments in the life of your school offer numerous opportunities for evidence.

In my recent guest article on EdSocialMedia.com, I mention some marketing opportunities you may have overlooked at your recent graduation event.

**UPDATE**
– in the commencement program, have a full page dedicated to the cumulative amount of scholarship money awarded to the graduating class and from what universities such money came. This is powerful evidence of the type of scholar produced by your school!

Click to read:  “Marketing Fail: 7 Opportunities You Missed at Graduation”

Learn more about our Enrollment Marketing Roadmap PLUS+ to get your enrollment strategy back on track!

Winning Over Families: Part 2 of 2

Winning Over Families for Your Private School

In a previous post about winning over prospective families for your school, we looked at 4 popular marketing tools that private schools use in showcasing themselves, including your school’s website, the printed marketing collateral, your high-priced overview video and recruiting events.

But let’s be honest:  while these are likely necessary elements in your overall marketing mix, there are many prospective families who are not yet ready to commit.  One of their most obvious questions is:  “does everyone really look that nice?”  While some families are easily convinced, others shout out for proof:  “Sure, you’re a great school, but show me the evidence!

Here are 3 ways to showcase this evidence: (more…)

Winning Over Families: Part 1 of 2

Private School Marketing: Making First Impressions

If you are like most schools, you spend alot of time (and money, too) seeking to impress families, showcase your very best, and eventually convert students into full-pay families for not just one year, but until they graduate!

Typically, I see 4 main areas where schools spend alot of resources: (more…)

School marketing podcast #34: John Jantsch Pt 1 of 2 – guest interview with @ducttape #ducttapeselling

School marketing podcast #34: John Jantsch Pt 1 of 2 - guest interview with @ducttape #ducttapeselling

I’m so excited to finally have the opportunity to interview John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing!  John has been a marketing mentor of mine since I was invited to join the global network of Duct Tape Marketing consultants in 2007. At the time of this episode (May 2014), John is launching his 4th book, “Duct Tape Selling: Think Like a Marketer, Sell Like a Superstar“.  When I heard John was going to be launching this book, I reached out to him and asked if he would join me for this podcast and he graciously accepted.

I know that many in the Admissions community may not enjoy thinking of themselves as “selling”.  I do not pretend to equate what you do with that of a traditional salesman, I do think there is a similar function inside the organization. One premise of John’s book is that any disconnect or tension that has previously existed between sales and marketing, should no longer keep a business, nonprofit or school from adopting a new look at marketing and sales. In many schools, you may wear every single hat of communication, online presence, admissions and PR. But in many schools, the marketing arm is run by board members, the web/IT folks, a group of volunteers or a conglomerate of all of these players (where everyone considers their job as “marketing” yet no one is talking to the other!)

BUY JOHN’S BOOK – DUCT TAPE SELLING

My interview was so good that I decided to split this interview into a 2-part series so we could continue our unique 14-minute/29-second podcast format.  In this first episode, I ask John a few simple questions about:

  • How do admission personnel serve both as marketers and salespeople?
  • What are the key elements of selling and how has this changed over the years?
  • How does this impact our relationship building with prospective families?
  • What is the role of social media in relationship building with current and prospective students and families
  • What has replaced the traditional pitching and promoting our “billboard and brochure” mentality?
  • What roles does storytelling play in this new way of marketing and selling in the school environment?
  • How do schools incorporate content marketing, SEO and social media into local search?
  • What kind of content should a school produce to effectively reach our ideal prospective family?

See our shownotes at the conclusion of this post for details, links, and other resources that we may have mentioned in this episode.

SHOWNOTES: (more…)