Question

Topic: Branding

Need Help Branding Private School Family Oriented

Posted by Dorothea on 3/1/2009 at 7:42 PM ET 250 Points
I am the marketing consultant on the school board of a private school that recently decided to brand itself as "family friendly". It is a small private school that is trying to grow its enrollment. There are a number of other, larger private schools in the area that tout their academics as a draw, and while this school has a strong academic program, it has also helped the families of students in circumstances where other schools would not have or at least not to the extent this school has. Because of this, it has earned a reputation as a school that embraces the family, not just the student. The problem is that this reputation is only among the current enrollment and close friends.

My background is not in school marketing, so I need help in figuring out how to market this idea of "We embrace the whole family, not just the student" philosophy in a way that resonates with the community and specifically with parents looking for education options. Can you help me with ideas / message points to use for advertising/brochures/etc. I'm truly at a loss with this one. Thanks!
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  • Posted by wnelson on 3/1/2009 at 8:47 PM Member
    Hi, Dororthea,

    Don't worry so much about not having experience marketing private schools. If you have the "craft" down where you can reach the target customers and communicate how the "supplier" meets the needs better than the competition and in a manner that reaches the target customers (words and images) - then you will be OK.

    I'm not sold that your school is the "family friendly" school. I would believe that every school would tout family friendly. It's so easy to claim. And more to the point, you aren't going to find any school that claims NOT being family friendly. You won't find a school that brags that it caters to the student at the expense of the true decision-maker - the parents! This claim is a lot like an ice cream manufacturer's product comes frozen.

    If, however, the school is smaller - you might be able to position it as being able to give more individual attention - to both the student and the parents. Even this is a stretch because versus public schools, most private schools are smaller and give individual attention.

    The key to positioning this school versus its competitors is to make sure that the differentiation is really different, believable, demonstrable, and communicable. developing this with present enrollees is great, but gathering input from non-clients is important. Finding out what prospects want and what the competitors offer is important. An important point to this "independent thought" is that you don't have to present to the school that "family friendly" isn't all that unique and probably won't be all that effective - you can let their prospects do this for you.

    I hope this helps.

    Wayde
  • Posted by Dorothea on 3/1/2009 at 8:57 PM Author
    Wayde, I understand what you're saying completely, but here's where the "embracing the whole family" branding idea came in. Several familes experienced various hardships last year and early this school year, not the least of which was an entire family - grandparents, father, 2 kids and 1 parent killed in a car accident. Only one parent and 1 child survived. The school stepped up and canceled the tuition for this child, coordinated the funeral arrangements with other surviving familes, raised money for the funerals, cooked and cleaned for the surviving family and many other things. This is the most dramatic example, but it's typical of what the students and faculty do for this school. I realize other schools wouldn't say they care for the whole family as well, but to this extent I'm not sure.

    That's my conundrum. The school thinks it's a viable branding differentiator, but I don't know how to sell it.
  • Posted by wnelson on 3/1/2009 at 9:30 PM Accepted
    Dorothea,

    That truely is a dramatic example. However, are you sure no other school would do this? Possibly they haven't - but then, how often does an occurrance like that happen.

    I understand your dilemma. Your client thinks their baby is the most beautiful. However, they are pretty close to the situation - not much room for objectivity. As marketers, we work on data and information, not subjectivity. I am not saying that the "family friendly" isn't true or wouldn't work. I can't. I have no data. I'm not in your area, I don't know your school or the competitors. I'm suggesting that you gather some data - beyond the present families of students. After all, you have their money. Talk with prospects and families with students who go to other schools. Prove your claim.

    The "family friendly" is pretty easy to copy also. It's just a claim. If I was working for your school's competitors and you came out with "family friendly" and even included the dramatic example as proof, I'd advise the competition to create a policy that covers these kind of situations - a Family Emergency Policy. I'd include that in their marketing and also include that they are bigger so they can afford to offer a broader educational experience - No Child Left Behind - Really! We're committed to children's success, not our profits, and we'll provide whatever it takes - because we have the financial strength to back this claim! Then, we care about the family - sure. But we also can provide the student with the best. A good differentiator is one that can't be copied easily.

    The school thinks it's a branding differentiator - but they aren't marketing professionals and they aren't objective. Maybe they are right. Prove it before you go on.

    Wayde
  • Posted by L. Duggan on 3/1/2009 at 11:38 PM Member
    I assume that many of your students come from referrals (i.e., word of mouth). You indicated that the schools "reputation is only among the current enrollment and close friends". But is it really? Find out what your top referrers are telling prospects about you and ask new and or recent enrollees how they found out about you. You may find that family friendly is not what they are saying about you, or at least not in those words. Your current clients can tell you what you're consistently delivering on and what things you miss the mark on. New prospects can give you insights on what's being said about you in the marketplace and how you come across relative to your competitors. Doing special things for customers and clients are the types of things that people will tend to spread in a viral sort of way. Consider developing a word of mouth marketing campaign and start by giving current enrollment and close friends plenty to talk about.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 3/3/2009 at 12:13 AM Accepted
    In many ways, family friendly is assumed. While you're teaching the students, you are interacting with their guardians and the community at large.

    If you're wed to the idea of "family friendly" as a key differentiator (which your stories illustrate), here are some taglines to play with:
    * The Soul Of A Good Education
    * Join Our School Family
    * Not Just An Education. Your Community Support.
  • Posted by Dorothea on 3/4/2009 at 11:24 AM Author
    Thanks to all of you for your advice and insight. It really helped me communicate to the school leaders what I was feeling - that this might not be the way to go. I appreciate all of you and look forward to working with you again.
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