smj: school marketing journal

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Is print relevant anymore? Is digital really the ruler of the communication world? We debate the positives and negatives of both print, digital publications and a combination of both, to help you decide how you should best produce your school's publications.  Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe    The advertising market is evolving all the time and as a school Head you can often be left in the dark about the evolving landscape of media buying. This episode, we are joined by the founder of Mentor Marketing, Amanda Reid, as she shares her strategic insight into what school Heads need to know about the biggest changes in adv...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe   School's marketing efforts often struggle to close the strategy-execution gap. Why do so many implementation efforts fail? In this episode, we discuss strategies among school leaders and explore ways to create effective strategies. We also explore ways to encourage buy-in from all staff to a school Head's strategic direction in o...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe   When it comes to making decisions, we all feel like we can never have enough data. In this episode, we speak to Peter Buckingham, co-founder and Managing Director of Spectrum Analysis, about the data types that are most useful for school Heads. We talk through some examples of how we can use data to make better decisions and to g...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe One of the issues we frequently run into when working with schools looking to craft their messaging is clarity, or rather a lack of it. We discuss how you can become clear and authentic in your voice and leadership by delving into a few of the leadership theories researched in  The Leadership Challenge by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posne...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe  What lessons can K-12 school Heads draw from trends in the higher education market? We're joined by Bart Caylor, president of Caylor Solutions; a company with a mission of "advancing brands that advance education". Caylor first explains what makes an  effective brand and then delves into the five examples in his article Effective...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe What does it mean to have a strategy in place? On a broad level, a strategy is a plan to outperform your competitors (every school has them) and succeed in an area they may not. In this episode, we discuss how and why you should assert your school's unique strengths in the marketplace. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe How do you, as a Head, create distinction to attract and retain customers while standing out in a competitive marketplace? Globally recognised marketing authority and author Scott McKain joins us share key advice from his latest book The Ultimate Customer Experience: 5 Steps Everyone Must Know to Excite Your Customers, Engage Your...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Every school is looking for a competitive advantage … and if you aren't, then you should be! There are many sources of competitive advantage, yet Heads often fall short of using their expertise to stand out. In this episode, we discuss how you can distinguish yourself as a visible expert. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Suzanne Willcock, our Senior Consultant at imageseven, joins us to breakdown the who, what and why of parent, student and alumni personas, revealing the purpose and intensive quantitative and qualitative data used in the creation of these semi-fictional characters.    Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Every aspect of a school tour – from the confirmation email to the inside of the classroom – is an opportunity to build trust with parents, as well as exemplify how much you care about families. Brad and Andrew are joined by imageseven team members Mikayla Coombes and Cassandra Kirkpatrick who share their tips and tricks for leadin...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Sue Ellson, an independent LinkedIn Specialist and author who helps businesses and individuals maximise their presence on LinkedIn, reveals why you should have a separate LinkedIn page for yourself, as a school Head, and for your school. She also touches on how LinkedIn can be utilised to increase your digital presence and how to r...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Every Head has fallen into the trap of biting off more than they can chew at one point or another. The reality is, Heads are faced with endless marketing and communication options in today's landscape. But with limited budgets, how can you lead your school towards meeting marketing aspirations and effectively marketing your school...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe To provide the best experience for families at your school, you first need to understand the experiences they have with you. In this interview with David Willows and Suzette Parlevliet, from [YELLOW CAR], we discuss the questions they have developed to best measure families' experiences within your school at every stage of their sc...

In part 2 of the 'You're writing, but is anyone reading?' episode, we challenge you to inject your brand personality into your writing, as we discuss the difference between voice and tone and why they are important for your writing. We also focus on the need to provoke a response from your readers and how best to implement a Call to Action (CTA) into your work.    Get in touch at smj@imageseven.co...

Unlearn everything you've learnt about writing. That's the key message we elaborate on as we explore how school Heads can effectively write to capture and maintain their audience's attention. In this episode, we provide some tips and advice on how to best come across as your authentic self in your writing and communicate genuinely to your audience.   Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au  

Social researcher, trends analyst and Managing Director at McCrindle Research, Sophie Renton joins us to discuss her recent research push to understand the seven disruptors impacting the future of education and unveil what this means for the future of school Heads and school marketers. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au If you want to be part of McCrindle's virtual event on 11 May, sign up here...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe     Is the perception of your school's brand far too important to be left solely to school marketers? How exactly has our digital world shifted the role of school staff in marketing? In this episode, we discuss who really is responsible and how your school, as a whole, can become best equipped to operate like a media company.   Get...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe "The greatest delivery system for any idea is a story." Seems simple, right? Yet, before you can craft an effective narrative you must ask yourself three questions: Who is your story for? What is it for? How will you know if it's working? We cover the six types of stories – from personal anecdotes to the sceptics' story – that will...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe What is the best way to think of strategy for non-strategists? Is it possible to clearly distinguish strategy from tactical execution? In this episode, we're joined by CEO of Strategic Factors and Harvard Business Review author, Dr Graham Kenny, who knows what yields results and what doesn't when it comes to executing a strategy. G...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe   As you're aware – as a school Head – switching hats from managing teachers to managing your marketing team can be quite the juggling act. So how can you adjust your management style to reflect this? In this episode, we go over our seven-step guide so you can effectively communicate with (and inspire) your team to achieve your sch...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe McCrindle's Director of Advisory Ashley Fell summarises some surprising (and unsurprising) trends school Heads must be aware of leading into the year ahead, spanning from the virtuous needs of consumers (in this case, parents) to a shift in intergenerational connections in the workplace. Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe How do prospective parents determine value? And most importantly, how do you increase your school's perceived value? In this episode, we discuss what the perceived value theory is and how you can apply this theory to prospective parents as a Chief Value Proposition Officer.  Get in touch at smj@imageseven.com.au

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe Dr Christopher Duncan has 20 years' experience leading independent schools across Australia and is now the CEO of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA). He spoke with SMJ about the observed parallels between leadership, decisions made by the Board and marketing strategies – leading to his mission to i...

School Marketing Journal with Brad Entwistle and Andrew Sculthorpe How do you create enticing content to get your prospective parent to know, like, and then, ultimately, trust you? And most importantly, how do you leverage that trust into an opportunity? In this episode, we discuss how you can reach the seven key stages of the life cycle of your prospective parent's journey, resulting in the prosp...