“I had never worked in a school before, only the restaurant and hospital industry. The Daily Jolt and InspirED Facebook community have been an awesome resource for me. When I find myself outside my comfort zone, I look at these for guidance/inspiration. Thank you for what you do! It IS appreciated!”

— Peg Aschwege, Director, Marketing and Communications, Lincoln Lutheran Middle and High School, Lincoln, NE

Congrats on Your New Position!

Around July 1 each year, many of you are taking a new position. Whether you’re getting promoted within your school, moving to a different school, or coming from the for-profit sector, congrats!

You're going to need to acclimate quickly so that you can hit the ground running with a firm grasp of the who, what, when, where, and why of your environment — even if you’re moving up within the same school (treat it like you’re brand new). You've probably taken this position not only because you're a skilled marketer seeking a new challenge, but also because the idea of working with young people does your heart good.

We have a few suggestions to fast-track your learning curve and help get your new experience off to a great start.

Take a Deep Dive with One Person at a Time

Take advantage of this unique opportunity meet your colleagues one-on-one and learn about the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the school. You'll never have an opportunity to do this once you're in the day-to-day. Go for it now. Schedule 30-60 minute meetings with key administrators and faculty. Yes, this process will take a couple of days, but it will pay off in too many ways to count.

Consider these meetings individual focus groups and have a set of questions to ask them all, but allow the conversation to flow when and where it needs to. You might be tempted to ask to tape these conversations for later reference, but we suggest you don't. Building trust should be a top priority. Instead, take copious notes and assure your colleagues that you will not share what you learn from others at the school. (And then don't.)

Take all that info and breathe it in. You'll need it.

Get the Answers to These Questions

Be sure to ask open-ended questions and listen more than you speak. You'll learn more that way. Here are some questions to get the ball rolling:

What's your title, what do you do, how long have you been here and where were you before this?
Do you have children at the school?
What kind of student thrives here?
What does the school do best?
What's changed in the last 5 years?
What surprises you about the school?
How is your life different because you work here?
Where do you see the school in 5 years?
How can the school improve its MarCom?
How can I help you do your job better and make your life easier?

Gather Info About Your Department

To determine where the strengths and weaknesses are in your department, find out the following from anyone who has institutional knowledge.

When was the last time formal brand development took place?
Does the school have a formal brand statement, message, and tagline?
Does the school have a formal style guide for graphic identity and editorial preferences?
Who has the final say in marketing and communications projects related to admissions and development?
Where does MarCom cross over with other admins and where are the gaps?
How well does the internal and external community know the school's brand (particularly faculty and admin)?
What's the level of knowledge faculty and admins have of MarCom terms, practices, and effectiveness?
Are faculty and students directly involved in marketing? Who and to what extent?
Is there a Board of Trustees Marketing Committee? Are they entrusted with policy only? If not, what else?
Is there a formal social media policy? Photo release? Crisis management plan?
Is there a formal retention committee or individual? What are their responsibilities and how do they work with MarCom?
Who are our trusted designers, printers, writers, and marketing consultants? When was the last time we checked their pricing?
When was the last strategy and redesign for the website, viewbook, annual fund, capital campaign, and community relations initiatives? Who was involved in each?
How is MarCom involved in retention, if at all?

Follow the Experts

These specialists will keep you abreast of trends and solutions to your marketing challenges. You'll probably hear their names a lot when private school MarCom folks gather. Please let me know your favs and I'll add them to the list.

KEY TO INSPIRED CONNECTIONS
* InspirED Podcast Guest
^ InspirED Senior Partner

Organizations

InspirED School Marketers: Yeah. Us. ;-) We are a free professional development resource and community for private school admins who have marketing and/or communications responsibilities. Check out our blog, podcasts, Brilliance Awards competition, and valuable MarCom Survey and Report, to name a few. We make your private school marketing job easier. Sign up for our DAILY JOLT newsletter. Join our Facebook group where your peers are your best source of info.
NBOA: Why would you want to follow the independent school National Business Officers' Association? Because their president believes in marketing, wants your business officer on board, and will help you advocate for it. *
NAIS: The National Association of Independent Schools is the source for all things private schools including blogs on numerous topics relevant to your job. Check out their free NAIS Facts at a Glance.
TABS: The Association of Boarding Schools has insights that can benefit all private schools. They also have a fabulous annual conference.
CASE: The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education focuses primarily on higher ed, but oftentimes their marketing initiatives can influence ours. They sponsor a large awards competition, The Circle of Excellence Awards, each year where your school has to be a member to enter. (Or enter the InspirED Brilliance Awards which is open to all private schools!)
The Enrollment Marketing Association: Formerly SSATB, advocates for and supports enrollment management for PK-12 schools. (Be sure to listen to this podcast “Advice for New Admission and Enrollment Directors”…a lot applies to you.) *

Consultants With Boatloads of Free Advice

You’re off to a Great Start

While these recommendations are by no means all-inclusive, we hope they give you some guidance for the brilliant work we’re sure you’ll do.

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Liza Fisher Norman

Master Electrician, InspirED School Marketers

Master Electrician isn’t just a fun title for me. It’s how I feel about sparking school marketers to do their best work, connecting them to one another, and helping to make their jobs easier. After working with close to 100 schools in the firm I founded — Turnaround Marketing Communications — I realized that school marketers needed a place where they can find brilliant ideas and brain food to make their job easier and feel supported. InspirED School Marketers was born in 2013 to fill that void and with the help of my fabulous Best Boy, Rob, we are on a quest to make InspirED a resource you can't live without.

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