just because you built it, doesn’t mean that they …...• changing racial demographics of...

Copyright Bright Minds Marketing, 20191


JUST BECAUSE YOU BUILT IT,

DOESN’T MEAN THAT THEY WILL COME

Improving Student Recruitment in a Competitive Environment


OUR WEBINAR SERIES

Date Topic10/16/18 @ 12:00 Introduction: Understanding the foundations of enrollment marketing11/13/18 @12:00 Operations: Utilizing Data to Shape and Inform your Enrollment Marketing12/11/18 @ 12:00 Operations: Your environment and your customer1/8/19 @ 12:00 Marketing: Inbound marketing and building your culture of marketing2/12/19 @ 12:00 Marketing: Lead nurturing and social media3/12/19 @ 12:00 Recruitment: The school tour4/9/19 @ 12:00 Retention: From first to last day5/14/19 @ 12:00 Retention: Surveys and communication at your school


YOUR RESOURCEShttps://www.doe.in.gov/grants/school-marketing-and-webinars

https://www.doe.in.gov/grants/school-marketing-and-webinars


ABOUT BRIGHT MINDS MARKETINGBoutique school marketing firm


• Legacy Traditional Charter Schools (14) (AZ)

• Options Charter Schools (2) (IN)

• Mays Community Academy (IN)

• Pikes Peak Prep (CO)

• Geo Prep (LA)

• Anderson Prep (2) (IN)

• Inspire Academy (IN)

• Global Preparatory Academy (IN)

• Herron High School (IN)

• Riverside High School (IN)

• Purdue High School (IN) (2)

• Vanguard Collegiate (IN)

• Allegiant Preparatory Academy (IN)

• St. Francis De Sales (IL)

• St. Luke (IN)

• St. Thomas Aquinas (IN)

• St. Pius X (IN)

• Christ the King (IN)

• St. Matthew (IN)

• Bishop Chatard Hight School (IN)

• Diocese of Gary (IN) (8)

• Washington Catholic Elementary (IN)

• Washington Catholic Middle / Sr. High School (IN)

• Central Catholic Middle / High School (IN)

• St. Mary (IN)

• St. Lawrence (IN)

• St. Boniface (IN)

• Mason Preparatory Academy (SC)

• The Crossing (IN) (11)• Grace College (IN)

CUSTOMERS

Charter Schools Catholic Schools Private / Independent Schools


OUR AUDIENCE TODAY


POP QUIZ: WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY A CHARTER SCHOOL FAILS?

A. Academic results

B. Failure to comply with their accrediting body

C. Behavioral scandal / Breaking the law

D. Finances related to lower student enrollment


WHY CHARTER SCHOOLS FAIL64% of causes can be attributed to financial and managerial issues

42%

24%

19%

6%5% 4%Reasons why charter schools fail

FinancialManagementAcademicAuthorizer decisionFacilitiesOther

Center for Educational Reform, The State of Charter Schools, 2011


THE IMPACT OF POOR ENROLLMENT ON CHARTER SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY


PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE NOT IMMUNE TO THIS DYNAMIC

• Indianapolis Public Schoolso Broadripple High School, Arlington High School, Northwest High School,

John Marshall Middle School, Forest Manor

• Muncie Community Schoolso Mitchel Elementary, Storer Elementary, Sutton Elementary

• Gary Community Schoolso 21 schools closed due to declining enrollment


• Founded in 1889

• Ranked as a “Best Midwestern College” by Princeton Review

• 1,100 students were enrolled at time of closure

A CAUTIONARY TALE: ST. JOSEPH COLLEGE

St. Joseph College


WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK ABOUT MARKETING


WHAT IS MARKETING

• Marketing is not just advertising• Marketing is not just selling

• Marketing is understanding who will buy your product or service (Target customer / Your parents)

• Marketing is creating a story that makes people want to buy your product or service ( Marketing Message / Your story )

• Marketing is about telling your story in the proper places (Channel / Where you promote)• Marketing is about making sure the buying experience is smooth (Purchase experience /

Recruitment experience)• Marketing is making sure that people like your product and buy again (Repurchase

/Retention)


MARKETING REQUIRES A CONSCIOUS AND SUSTAINED EFFORT


WHY IS MARKETING IMPORTANT TO YOUR SCHOOL?

• Your operating budget is based upon the number of students you enrollo State support (tied to student count) is the largest source of a school’s

revenue

• Attracting and retaining students must become a focus for your school

• No money, No mission


ICE BREAKER

Your name

Your school

What you want to get out of today


AGENDA

1. The national educational environment 2. The Indiana educational environment

Break 3. Understanding your environment4. Understanding your school

Lunch break5. Understanding your customer6. Building your plan


HOUSEKEEPING

• Please turn your cell phones to silent

• We will have bathroom and phone breaks

• Wifi: Indiana Government Center – No Password


THE CHANGING NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT


Demographics: Impact of the 2008 Recession on Birth Rates

Source: US Census BureauCopywrite 2018 The Kensington Group & Bright Minds Marketing 15


DEMOGRAPHICS: THE SHRINKING FAMILY SIZE

3.673.58

3.293.23

3.17 3.19 3.17 3.13 3.16 3.14 3.13 3.14

1960 1970 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2016 2017

Average family size

Source: US Census BureauCopywrite 2018 The Kensington Group & Bright Minds Marketing 16


DEMOGRAPHICS: BIRTH RATE BY INCOME & RACE

Source: US Census BureauCopywrite 2018 The Kensington Group & Bright Minds Marketing


OUR CUSTOMER HAS CHANGED


THE CHANGING LOOK OF AMERICAN FAMILIES

• Changing racial demographics of Americano In 2018: 60% of households define themselves as Caucasian, 18.3% Hispanic, 12.5%

Black, 5.7% Asian, 3.8% Multi-racialo In 2020, whites under 18 will be a minority

• Changing structure of our familieso 61% of households have two working parents o 30% of households are headed up by a single parent or a guardian of some sort

• In 2019, there will be more Millennials than Baby Boomerso Millennials are your target population but are different than the generations before

them


OUR DIFFERENT GENERATIONS

27Copywrite 2018 The Kensington Group & Bright Minds Marketing


• Strongly independent, self-reliant, individualistic• Need constant confirmation that product/service is

exceptional• Lack automatic respect for authority• Work to live• Hands-on parenting• Raised with TV, radio, cell phone, personal computer• Email communication• Directly felt the economic impact of 2008 recession • 1986 Challenger disaster unifying event

GENERATION X

9


• Most racially diverse generation (43% non-white)• Highest level of education in US history • Less often married

• Boomer: 48% / Gen X: 36% / Millennial: 26%• Most confident in their parenting skills• Convenience is king!• Least likely to trust authority – but trust the wisdom of the

crowd• Support brands that reflect their social or political

viewpoints (worldview)• They spend more than 17 hours a week on social media

• 97% of Millennials find social media helpful in regards to parenting guidance

THE MILLENNIALS

Copywrite 2018 The Kensington Group & Bright Minds Marketing 10


SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES

• Lower birth rates mean that the total “pie” of available students is shrinking

• Smaller families means that you need to work harder to enroll more students

• The families of today look different from only a few years ago and may need a different approach

• The millennial generation often wants different things and relates to you differently


INDIANA


INDIANA IS ESTIMATED TO GROW ITS’ SCHOOL AGED POPULATION

595

-111

75

25

77

-200 -100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

65+

45 - 64

25 - 44

15 - 24

0 - 14

Indiana Population Growth Estimates, 2010 - 2030

Population Change (thousands)

Indiana Business Research Center


BUT STUDENT GROWTH IS NOT EVEN AROUND THE STATEMost of the population growth is around the major metro areas

• Growth in the school aged population is centered around the more urbanized areas (46 counties) of the state

Source: Indiana Business Research Center


INDIANAPOLIS SCHOOL AGED POPULATION ESTIMATESIndianapolis Population Projections - Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area

Year 0-4 5 - 9 10-14 15-192010 135,781 137,048 136,146 131,2282015 142,050 141,236 141,247 135,4052020 149,379 146,698 144,805 139,9902025 155,569 153,636 149,854 143,2112030 159,174 159,633 156,638 148,1292035 161,862 163,090 162,600 154,8692040 164,532 165,651 166,041 160,7702045 167,898 168,216 168,579 164,0532050 171,718 171,572 171,128 166,542

This region includes the following counties: Boone County, IN; Brown County, IN; Hamilton County, IN; Hancock County, IN; Hendricks County, IN; Johnson County, IN; Madison County, IN; Marion County, IN; Morgan County, IN; Putnam County, IN; Shelby County, IN

Source: Stats Indiana

http://www.stats.indiana.edu/pop_proj/


THE GARY REGION WILL SEE A POPULATION DECLINE IN SCHOOL AGED CHILDRENGary / Region Population Projections - Total

Year 0-4 5 - 192015 42,127 142,9122020 41,725 134,4982025 45,163 132,0532030 44,459 134,7742035 43,534 139,2392040 42,210 141,3022045 41,932 138,2812050 42,532 135,640

Source: Stats Indiana

http://www.stats.indiana.edu/pop_proj/

This region includes the following counties: Jasper County, IN; Lake County, IN; Newton County, IN; Porter County, IN


WHERE DO STUDENTS GO TO SCHOOL?1,141,130 students in the state of Indiana

Traditional Public Schools: 1,003,647 (~87.9%)

Public Charter Schools: 48.465 (~4.25%)

Private Schools*: 85,539 (~7.5%)

*Private schools only represents those schools that report data to the DOE


CHARTER SCHOOLS


• 103 Charter Schools operate in the state of Indiana

• 77 “Traditional”• 17 Adult Drop Out Recovery• 6 Virtual schools• 3 Specialized (Hope Academy,

Marion Academy, DamarAcademy)

INDIANA CHARTER SCHOOLS2018 – 2019 Operating Charter Schools

Source: Indiana Department of Education


INDIANA CHARTER SCHOOL GROWTH PATTERNS

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

02 - 03 03 - 04 04 - 05 05 - 06 06 - 07 07 - 08 08 - 09 09 - 10 10 - 11 11 - 12 12 - 13 13 - 14 14 - 15 15 - 16 26 - 17 17 - 18 18 - 19

Charter Schools Opened in Indiana



INDIANA CHARTER SCHOOL ENROLLMENTThe sector is fairly healthy with the majority of schools increasing enrollment

Type of School Number of schools

Increasing Enrollment (over

3 years)

Stable Enrollment

(over 3 years)

Decreasing Enrollment

(over 3 years)

Not enough data

Traditional brick and mortar

77 27 25 10 15

Specialized 3 2 1 0 0Adult High School 17 3 7 2 5Virtual 6 3 0 1 2Total 103 35 33 13 22


KEY CHALLENGES FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS IN INDIANA

• Fundingo Funding remains at 86% of traditional public schoolso Average per pupil funding: “Like traditional Public School: $8,746” vs. “Brick and

Mortar Charter School: $7,543” o No ability to raise money through public referendum

• Count dayo Move to a single count day for 2017-2018 school year

• Growth of voucher program provides more alternatives to the traditional public schoolo 3.38% growth over 2016-2017

• Are certain areas reaching a saturation point?


TOP 10 DISTRICTS WITH CHARTER ENROLLMENTIndiana has 2 districts in the top 10 of charter penetration

School District State % of EnrollmentNew Orleans Public School System LA 93%School District of the City of Flint MI 55%Detroit Public Schools Community District MI 53%Queen Creek Unified District AZ 48%Gary Community School Corporation IN 46%District of Columbia Public Schools DC 46%Kansas City School District MO 43%Camden City School District NJ 38%Natomas Unified School District CA 33%Indianapolis Public Schools IN 33%

Source: National Alliance of Public Charter Schools


CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE HEADLINES


PRIVATE SCHOOLS


PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN THE HEADLINES


FEWER STUDENTS NATIONALLY ARE PICKING PRIVATE SCHOOLSNCES projects a decrease in private school attendance (Nationwide) from 5.4M in 2014 to 5.1M in 2025-2026

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgc.asp


CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OVERALL ARE DECLINING IN NUMBERLower Catholic School enrollment is contributing to the decline in private schools

2,363,2201,915,836

1,726,7731,337,630

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

Catholic School Enrollment

Total Enrollment Elementary Enrollment

United States Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools 2015-2016:The Annual Statistical Report on Schools, Enrollment and Staffing


MORE AMERICANS ARE IDENTIFYING THEMSELVES AS SPIRITUAL RATHER THAN RELIGIOUS

20%

30%

23%

32%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

2012 2017

Growth in identifying as spiritual

18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ ` HS or less Some college College Graduate

Source: Pew Research, 2017


32,686

34,299

35,458

31000

32000

33000

34000

35000

36000

Students

Growth in “choice” students

2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Top districts impacted by choice scholarships• Fort Wayne – (C) 4,711• Indianapolis Public Schools (D) – 3,584• South Bend – (C) 2,630• Evansville-Vanderburgh (C) – 1,569• East Allen Schools (B) – 1,011• Hammond – (C) 928• Perry Township (B) – 923• MSD Lawrence – (C) 734• Anderson Community Schools (C) – 716

GROWTH IN THE CHOICE PROGRAM2017-2018 School year


INDIANA’S PRIVATE SCHOOL SECTORPrivate Schools

• Indiana’s private school sector is fairly stable

• Choice Scholarship program has benefited private schoolso Approximately 42% of private school students in Indiana received a

voucher in 2016

• Voucher program being questioned due to issues around discriminatory behavior (The Roncalli effect)


PUBLIC SCHOOLS


TRANSFER PATTERNS FROM TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

59,077, 41%

4,114, 3%45,107, 31%

36,321, 25%

Transfer Patterns

Other traditional public school:Parent ChoiceOther traditional public school:Other ReasonPublic Charter School

Choice Scholarship

Source: IDOE Fall 2018-2019 Public Corporation Transfer Report

https://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/accountability/fall-2018-2019-public-corporation-transfer-report.xlsx


HOW ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS RESPONDING

• Public schools are responding to this changing marketo Increasing their own marketing

• Partnering with charter management companies (IPS)o There are now 16 innovation schools within IPS representing 23% of their schools and

20% of their students.*o Most new charter schools in Indianapolis are opting for this partnershipo Other districts can do this if they want

• Launching their own charter schoolso Signature School in Evansville – rated the top high school in the state of Indiana

• Becoming a charter school authorizero Daleville public school district authorizes Indiana Virtual School and Indiana Virtual

Pathways Academy*INDIANAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS FACTS & FIGURES SY 2017–18: INNOVATION Aleesia Johnson, Innovation Officer October 26, 2017


THE CHALLENGE FOR US TODAY

Though most of Indiana has a sizable student population. . .

. . . the market is changing. Our customers are changing, have more options and increasingly are shopping for different school choices.

Strategic question:How will you as a school leader address this challenge?


BREAK


POP QUIZ


POP QUIZ: WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO START MARKETING?

A. When things finally slow down!

B. When we get a volunteer to help us.

C. When our enrollment is down

D. Yesterday


We must always tend our marketing garden

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now”

-Chinese proverb


DIAGNOSE THE CORRECT PROBLEM YOU ARE TRYING TO SOLVE

• “In medicine, the most challenging part of treating the patient is arriving at the correct diagnosis. We have therapies that can treat most conditions, but knowing the true problem is the most important component to success.”

Dr. Timothy GarnettChief Medical Officer, Eli Lilly


PARENTS “BUYING JOURNEY”

Awareness Consideration Engagement Enrollment Retention

Parents are aware of your

school and believe that

they can attend your

school

The attributes of your school (your story) are

compelling and the

parent feels that it is a

good match for their student

When a parent engages with you, they are

convinced that this is the right place for their student

The student enrolls and

shows up the first day

The parent and student

remain convinced

that this is the best school for

their family


IDENTIFY THE CORRECT PROBLEM THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SOLVE

• Client is a large charter school in Indianapolis.

• It has exemplary academics and a number of strong extra-curricular activities.

• Recently it has seen a decrease in its incoming class.

• Its’ closure rate (enrolled families / families that attend an open house) has remained constant but fewer new potential students are entering it’s funnel.

Awareness

Consideration

Engagement

Enrollment

Retention



• Client is medium sized public school district in a southern Indiana county.

• Though it has strong academics, the public doesn’t know that and families are enrolling in the local charter school and private schools because they believe those schools will give a better experience

• It is enrolling fewer students as a result

Awareness

Consideration

Engagement

Enrollment

Retention



• Client is medium sized charter school in a northern Indiana town.

• Though it consistently enrolls its’ goal of students, 30% of the students don’t show up the first day and it also maintains a 65% retention rate.

• It is constantly recruiting new students as a result

Awareness

Consideration

Engagement

Enrollment

Retention


• Toyota in the early 1980so Foreign company going up

against entrenched US car industry

o US cars had a reputation of poor quality

• Manufacturing excellenceo The use of 6 Sigma and the

power of the 5 Whys

THE POWER OF THE 5 WHYSWhat can Toyota teach us about school marketing


DIAGNOSING A ENROLLMENT PROBLEM USING THE 5 WHYSK-8 Catholic School in Indianapolis

• Question 1: Why is overall enrollment down?

o Retention had stayed constant at 95% over 5 years

o Still attracting the same number of 1-7th graders that they had in the past.

o Incoming kindergarten numbers were almost 50% of what they had been 3 years ago.


CLIENT X: ENROLLMENT BY GRADE

2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016New Enrollment (K-8) 60 50 41New Enrollment (K only) 44 34 25New Enrollment (Other Grades) 16 16 16

010203040506070

Historical Enrollment: Client XK-8 Students

New Enrollment (K-8)

New Enrollment (K only)

New Enrollment (Other Grades)



• Question 2: Why are kindergarten numbers down?

o The school traditionally pulled from their parish to fill their kindergarten seats, but the parish was beginning to shrink in size, decreasing the “available pool” of parish kids.

o 4 preschools represented 85% of their kindergarteners.


DIAGNOSING A ENROLLMENT PROBLEM USING THE 5 WHYS100 Preschools within a 5-mile radius

Source: Greatschools.org

Client X



• Question 3: Why are we not a choice for kindergarten with more of the nearby preschools?

o Discussions with some of the preschools around the client showed that they didn’t even know about the school or consider the client when parents asked for a recommendation.



• Question 4: Why don’t parents at these nearby preschools know about or consider our school?

o The school had never conducted any sort of outreach to these preschools. They had just done their typical approach to marketing which had been primarily parish outreach.



• Question 5: Why are we not actively engaging with these preschools to tell them about our school?

Because we have never done it before!


WHERE DO I START, AND WHAT DO I DO?


YOU NEED A PLAN


THE PLANNING PROCESS IS CRITICAL

“It is not the plan that is important, it’s the planning.” Dr. Graeme Edwards

“In God we trust, everyone else brings data.”Edward Deming

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”George S. Patton


THE 4 COMPONENTS TO A STRONG ENROLLMENT SYSTEM

Operations: Know your environment, your competition, yourself and your customer. Create messages that resonate with your customer and deliver that message to her.

1. Attracting prospects

2. Identifying those prospects

3. Nurturing those prospects

Come to a recruiting event

Marketing

1. Positive experience at every recruitment event

2. Closing the deal / enroll

3. Create a positive onboarding experience

Show up first day

Recruitment

1. Listening to your constituents

2. Measuring your constituent’s satisfaction

3. Improving based upon their feedback

Retaining students

Retention


STEP 1 IS KNOWING


OPERATIONS:YOUR ENVIRONMENT


ENVIRONMENT

• What is your area and what are the population trends?

• Who are your competitors?

• How do you compare?

• What makes you different and/or unique?

• Who are potential partners or feeders?


MACRO POPULATION ANALYSIS

• For schools in a large metro area – this is less important

• For schools in rural areas or areas of declining population, it is critical to understand your population shifts and what areas have the most potential students.

• “To be a successful fisherman, the first step is to know where the fish are” – Alan Donaldson


EXAMPLE: CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN THE NORTH CHICAGO SUBURBS

School district map: Client X

Palatine Wheeling

Hawthorn


UNDERSTANDING TRUE POPULATION NUMBERS ALLOWED THEM TO SHIFT THEIR MARKETING TO GROWING DISTRICTS

% of Students # of Students 2011 2015Change in District Student

Enrollment 2011-2015

Lake Zurich 60% 225 6,124 5,738 -386 -6%

Fremont SD 79 16% 60 2,256 2,193 -63 -3%

Wauconda CUSD 118 10% 38 4,481 4,688 207 5%

Kildeer CCSD 96 5% 18 3,183 3,140 -43 -1%

Barrington CUSD 220 5% 18 9,043 8,910 -133 -1%

Mundelein Elementary SD 75 2% 7 1,783 1,679 -104 -6%

Diamond Lake SD 76 1% 4 1,192 1,078 -114 -10%Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15 1% 2 12,498 12,745 247 2%Wheeling Consolidated SD 21 0% 0 6,813 6,899 86 1%

Hawthorne Consolidated SD 73 0% 0 3,942 4,083 141 4%

www.illinoisreportcard.com


CENSUS DATA CAN PROVIDE YOU GOOD MACRO POPULATION TRENDS

• www.census.gov/quickfacts


ENVIRONMENT







DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENTThis client had 83 schools within a 5-mile radius that served a K-8 population

Catholic Private

CharterPublic

Client


EXERCISE #1: COMPETITIVE MAPPING


EXERCISE

1. Open up your laptop and go to www.greatschools.org

2. Type in your school address

3. On your worksheet – write down the number of competitive schools (similar grade levels) within a 5-mile radius of your school.

o Separate charter, public and private schoolso Identify who in that set do you consider your top three competitors

http://www.greatschools.org/


FEEDBACK

• Was your environment more or less competitive than you thought?

• Were there any schools on that list that surprised you?


School Status Grades served

Impact to client

Carpe Diem

Closing 9-12 High – 2% of students came from Carpe

Diem

Nexus Academy

Closing 9-12 High

Indiana College

Prep

Closing K-8 Low

Hoosier Academy

Virtual

Closing K-12 High – 3% of students came from Virtual

schools

TindleyMiddle Schools

Consolidating 6-8 Low

School Status Grades Served

Impact to client

Vanguard Collegiate Opening fall of 2018

5 – 8 High – Could be a feeder opportunity

Urban Act (Washington Irving #14)

Restart K-8 Medium – no students come from this school – but could

become a feeder

Northwest High School Becoming a dedicated jr.

high

7-8 High – could be a strong feeder opportunity

Arlington High School Becoming a dedicated jr.

high

7-8 High – could be a strong feeder opportunity

Purdue PT 2nd campus Approved to start

9-12 High

Paramount Community Heights

Opening fall of 2018

K-4 Low

Matchbox learning (Wendell Philips #63)

Restart K-2 Low

Allegiant Prep Opening fall of 2018

K-1 Low

CHANGING COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENTWhat changes are happening in your environment?

Schools closing or consolidating Schools opening, restarting or changing


ENVIRONMENT







UNDERSTANDING HOW YOUR ACADEMIC QUALITY COMPARES

• All public, charter and private schools in Indiana (that accept vouchers) receive a state grade and are required to take similar standardized tests.

• This allows an easy comparison of schools by the lay public.

• Academic results are a (the) key buying criteria when parents are evaluating a schoolo But not the only one!


HOW DO YOU DEMONSTRATE ACADEMIC QUALITY

• Quantitative measureso NWEA, ACT, SAT, Graduation rates, AP passage, scholarship dollars

• Qualitative measureso Customer Reviews, High School counselor reviews, college admission

officer feedback, examples of work

• Experientiallyo Examples of academic experiences that create a wow!


COMPARE YOUR ACADEMIC RESULTS AGAINST YOUR COMPETITION

85.4% 84.4%62.1%

0.0%

50.0%

100.0%

% passing ISTEP 2012-2013 % passing ISTEP 2013-2014 % passing ISTEP 2014-2015

Public School Academic Rates

Client Center For Inquiry School 84

Merle Sidener Academy for High Ability Students John Strange Elementary School

Robert Lee Frost School 106 Rousseau McClellan School 91

Eliza A. Blaker School 55 Brook Park Elementary School

Joyce Kilmer School 69 Harrison Hill Elementary School

Mary E Nicholson Performing Arts Academy at School 79 Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanitities

Eastwood Middle School State Average


CAN YOU CREATE A STORY ON AN ACADEMIC MEASURE?


25.40%6.00% 14.00%

36.50%12.90% 22.90% 12.20%

24.80% 27.10%44.10% 35.90% 25.20%

48.30% 48.00% 37.20%21.50%

41.50% 35.00% 37.90%

0.00%

25.00%

50.00%

75.00%

100.00%

AndersonHigh

School

AndersonPrep

LibertyChristian

StateAverage

AndersonHigh

School

AndersonPrep

LibertyChristian

StateAverage

AndersonHigh

School

AndersonPrep

LibertyChristian

StateAverage

2013-2014 Diplomas 2014-2015 Diplomas 2015-2016 Diplomas

Types of Diplomas Awarded

% General % Core 40 % Honors


DEMONSTRATION THROUGH AN EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISECastle Garden Primary School in Newtownards, England

• Staged a fake meteorite strike• Different grades approached the

event differentlyo Journalistso Scientistso Astronomerso Engineerso Historians


ENVIRONMENT







SPOT THE DIFFERENCE


WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE?

• “Brands have four strategic choices: they can be better, different, cheaper or not around for very long.”

Graham RobertsonMarketing professor University of Chicago


MORE SCHOOLS ARE STARTING TO DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES

• More and more schools are beginning to “specialize” and create innovative school models


Private1. Park Tudor2. Brebeuf Jesuit4. International School6. University High School7. Guerin High School9. Cathedral High School12. Heritage Christian School14. MTI School of Knowledge

Public3. Carmel High School5. Zionsville High School8. Hamilton Southeastern High School10. Fishers High School11. Brownsburg High School13. Westfield High School15. Center Grove High School

COMPETITIVE STEM SCHOOLS IN INDIANAPOLISNiche.com rankings of the “2019 Best STEM High Schools in Indianapolis”


WHAT SETS YOUR SCHOOL APART?


EXERCISE #2: DIFFERENTIATION


EXERCISE

1. On your worksheet, write down the single thing that you think is your point of unique differentiation

2. Identify the 3 schools that you think are your chief competitors

3. Why would a parent choose that school vs. your school?

4. What is your unique difference compared to these schools?


FEEDBACKDifferentiation

• Is your differentiation important to a prospective parent?

• Is it appealing to a large enough segment?

• Is it experiential or can you market it?

• If you asked a parent – would they say the same thing?

• If you asked a teacher or a student – would they agree with you?

• How do parents know about what makes you different?


ENVIRONMENT





• Who are your potential partners or feeders?


FEEDER RELATIONSHIPS

• It is critical that you understand sources of students or your potential feeder relationships

• These sources are other schools that have students that could attend your school

• These can also be other institutions like churches, YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Club sports, etc.


CLIENT EXAMPLE: 100 PRESCHOOLS WITHIN 5 MILES


CLIENT EXAMPLE: 38 POTENTIAL PARTNER OR “FEEDER” SCHOOLS


CHURCHES AND OTHER PARISHES CAN BE GREAT SOURCES OF STUDENTS


EXERCISE #3: FEEDER SCHOOLS


EXERCISE

1. Go back to Greatschools.org

2. On your worksheet, identify the number of potential feeder schools in your area1. For High Schools – use 6th - 8th grade schools2. For K-8 – use preschools

3. Bonus points: 1. How many reviews on Great Schools do you have? When was the most recent

review?


FEEDBACK

• Were you surprised by the number of preschools or potential feeder schools?

• Are your feeders growing or shrinking?

• Have you set consistent goals around each potential feeder?o Do you approach each school slightly different?o Do you monitor the % of students from each school yearly and adjust?


RANKING THE “QUALITY” OF THESE FEEDERS

• Understand the relative quality of your potential feeders

• For K-12 schools use the IDOE Compass system

• For Pre-Ks, use the PTQ ranking


RANKING “QUALITY” OF K-12 SCHOOLS


RANKING “QUALITY” OF PRESCHOOLS


LISTING OF PREK IN ZIP 46205 BY PTQ RANKING


K-8 school working with preschools• Kindergarten readiness check• Support for graduation parties• Reading parties from your 8th

graders• Extending your curriculum to their

school• Professional development of their

faculty

High School working with K-8 schools• Free admittance to sporting events• Hosting specific performances for

their kids• Buddy programs• Joint service projects• Summer camp opportunities• Sharing resources• Tutoring services by your students

HOW DO YOU ENGAGE OTHER SCHOOLS TO BECOME FEEDERS?Relationships are built on shared benefits


RANKING YOUR FEEDERSPre-school example

Name PTQ Ranking(1-4 pts.)

Type Distance(1-4 pts)

Relationship(1-4 pts.)

# of kids in 2017-2018

Score

Early Learning Center

4 Public 0.5 miles Strong 3 12

ABC Preschool

3 Private 2 miles Medium 2 8

Happy kids' daycare

2 Church 1.0 miles Weak 2 6

Susie’s in-home day care

1 Private 3.0 miles None 0 3


UNDERSTANDING YOUR ENVIRONMENT: COMPETITIVE MAPPINGTools for competitive mapping

• School Addresseso www.greatschools.orgo Lists all the competitive schools based upon geography (distances from your school)

• Department of Education / PTQo https://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspxo www.childcareindiana.org

• Authorizer websiteso ICSB - https://www.in.gov/icsb/2375.htmo Mayor’s office - http://oei.indy.gov/charter-applicants/o BSU - https://www.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/teachers-college/centers-schools-and-

offices/charter-schools/start-a-charter-school

• Mapping softwareo https://www.google.com/mymapso www.mapline.com

http://www.greatschools.org/

https://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspx

http://www.childcareindiana.org/

https://www.in.gov/icsb/2375.htm

http://oei.indy.gov/charter-applicants/

https://www.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/teachers-college/centers-schools-and-offices/charter-schools/start-a-charter-school

https://www.google.com/mymaps

http://www.mapline.com/


A COUPLE OF WATCH OUTS IN INTERNET DATA

• Great Schools has a history of being sloppy with their data

• These tools are good for establishing a master list, but you need to scrub and verify


OPERATIONS:YOUR SCHOOL


WHY IS UNDERSTANDING YOUR DATA IMPORTANT?

1. Data allows you to base decision on fact not intuition or hunches

2. If you can measure it, you can manage it

3. Data will answer most of your questions if you ask it the right way.

4. Having strong data eventually becomes a business asset


WHAT BENEFITS DOES GOOD DATA PROVIDE TO YOUR SCHOOL

1. It makes your enrollment marketing more effectiveo More efficient spend of your marketing dollars

• The ability to say no to certain opportunitieso More effective time spent

• Focus on what is important and what will generate more new students

2. It provides clarity and an ability to prioritize retention activitieso Improving areas that most parents have identified rather than just the

ones from the loudest voices


• Garbage in = garbage outo Clean, updated, constant focus on ito Registrar / school secretary must

understand the importance

• Don’t just gather data / analyze ito What do you want the data to do?o Are you gathering the right data?

• Use a systemo CRM, SIS, Google sheets

PRINCIPALS OF GOOD DATA MANAGEMENT


EXAMPLE OF USING DATA TO IMPROVE YOUR ENROLLMENT

• Charter school X had poor engagement on their websiteo Average session was under 1 minute and poor click through rates on

scheduling their open houseo Analyzed their Google analyticso Discovered that 72% of traffic was via a mobile device but their site was

not optimized for mobile

• Redesigned their website to be mobile optimizedo Improved time on the site, click rates and customer experience


TWO TYPES OF DATA

• Trend datao How does the data evolve over time?

• Enrollment over 5 years • Retention rates across the school over the past 5 years• Customer satisfaction rates

• Snapshot datao How did a single event do

• A specific email open rate• Clicks to a certain video

Strategic

Tactical


A DATA DASHBOARD IS A POWERFUL TOOLAllows you to understand your true enrollment numbers and spot leading indicators

• Enrollmento Total enrollmento Enrollment by grade levelo Where your students are coming fromo Replacement number

• Parental satisfactiono What do parents think about your school? How satisfied

are they?

• The effectiveness of your marketing programso Which one is working?


YOUR SCHOOL’S DATA

• Your data needs

• Your school’s enrollment trends

• What parents think about you

• Your marketing programs


CRAFTING YOUR DATA STRATEGY: USING IWIKS

• List out all the things that “I Wish I Knew”

• How do you gather this information?

• Would knowing the answer improve your efforts?

• Living document

• Helps to shape your whole data strategy


IWIKS (I WISH I KNEW)Topic Question Source

General Enrollment • What is our 5-year average of new students?• Is there a difference based for grade level?• What is the 5-year average of our class sizes• What is our true replacement number?

• Analysis of enrollment trends

New Student Information • What channel was successful in recruiting students?• Why did they choose our schools?• What school did they previously attend?• Who referred them / what channel closed the deal?

• Admissions questionnaire

Overall Satisfaction • How do parents feel about the schools?• What are areas that the school needs to improve to keep students?• How do they feel about our teachers and administrators?• How satisfied is our staff?

• Annual parent satisfaction survey

• Annual staff satisfaction survey

Retention • What is our average retention rate?• Are there specific grade levels at risk?• Why are they leaving our school?• What school are they going to?• Why are they leaving

• Core enrollment data• Exit interview

Academic Effectiveness • How are our graduates perceived at their colleges?• How valuable was the experience of our schools in the minds of

graduates

• Follow up with admissions directors at colleges

• Alumni follow up interviews / surveyChannel Effectiveness • What is our acquisition cost per channel?

• What is our closure rate by channel?• What is our open house closure rate / shadow day closure rate?

• Comparison of newly enrolled students with marketing channel against channel cost

• Closure rate at open houses


EXERCISE #4: IWIKS


CREATING YOUR IWIKS

• Take your IWIK worksheet

• Identify five points of data that you think would help improve your marketing

• Identify if you currently have that data, or how you would go about gathering and analyzing that data



• Your data needs





YOUR CORE DATA (QUANTITATIVE)

• Enrollment1. Total enrollment for the school over time.2. How many new students joined our school each year?3. What is the grade level distribution for new students?

• Retention1. Retention percentages for the school.2. Do certain grade levels lose more students than others?


TOTAL ENROLLMENT TRENDS: EXAMPLE SCHOOL

379 375354 340 328

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Total

Total Enrollment Trends

2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018


NEW STUDENTS PER YEAR: EXAMPLE SCHOOL

61

52

41 4449

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

5 Year New Enrollment

Total


NEW ENROLLMENT BY GRADE LEVEL: EXAMPLE SCHOOLFocus on your entry grade

6152

41 44 494535

25 29 31

16 17 16 15 18

0

20

40

60

80

2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

New Enrollment by grade level

New Enrollment New Enrollment K New Enrollment Other


RETENTION DATA

• This can vary depending upon how you want to look at retention:o Number of students enrolled in year 1 that re-enroll in year 2o Number of students enrolled in year 1 (first day) that are still enrolled in

year 1 (last day)

• Key Metrics1. Total school retention rates2. Retention rates by grade level


TOTAL RETENTION TRENDS: EXAMPLE SCHOOL

80% 82% 84% 87% 89%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Average Retention Trends (All Grades)


CHARTING OUT YOUR RETENTION RATES: EXAMPLE SCHOOL

Retention 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Retention full school 80% 82% 84% 87% 89%

Kindergarten 55% 62% 60% 58% 65%1st Grade 78% 85% 82% 93% 100%

2nd Grade 90% 85% 95% 100% 96%3rd Grade 85% 90% 84% 90% 92%

4th Grade 84% 82% 90% 91% 96%

5th Grade 92% 85% 91% 88% 78%

6th Grade 62% 55% 64% 68% 71%

7th Grade 78% 90% 89% 96% 100%

8th Grade 95% 100% 100% 96% 100%


HIGH ISSUE GRADES VERSUS SCHOOL AVERAGE: EXAMPLE SCHOOL

80% 82% 84% 87% 89%

55% 62% 60% 58% 65%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

High issue grades against the school average

School average K 6


WHAT DID WE LEARN – WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPSExample school

• The school is facing declining enrollmento Non-K grades are attracting around 17 students and is stableo Kindergarten enrollment is down 30% over 5 yearso Focus on kindergarten enrollment!

• The school is improving its’ retention rateo But, kindergarten and 6th grades are significantly below all school

averageo Understand why those grades are at risk.o Start creating retention programs for the kindergarten to 1st grade

transition and 6th to 7th grade transition years.


KEY TAKE AWAYS FROM ENROLLMENT AND RETENTION CHARTING

• Charting your enrollment and retention are critical to allow you to understand your core trends rather than what happened last year

• Cutting the data allows you to isolate and focus your efforts

• For retention, you can use first day of school, count day, or other day, just be consistent and use the same one every time



• Your data needs





YOUR PARENTS

“The customer’s perception is your reality.”

~ Kate Zabriskie, Customer Experience Consultant


THE NUMBERS TELL YOU WHAT – SURVEYS TELL YOU WHY

• Parents have choices of where to send their children.

• Staff have choices of where they want to work

• If you are not asking them how you are doing, you are missing out on the best source of information for how to be a better marketer and/or improve the operations of your school

• “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning”– Bill Gates


IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR PARENTS FEEL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOLPerceptions of Academic Quality

3.2 3.412.98 3.16

3.664.14

3.59 3.65

0

1

2

3

4

5

Math Dual language instruction Science/STEM Academics overall

Q3. Perceptions of Academic Quality

All Staff Wt Average All Parents Wt. Average


2.623

3.4 3.383.10

3.44 3.62 3.48

0

1

2

3

4

5

Student – teacher ratio Computer/technology Quality and cleanliness ofbuildings and grounds

Safety of the school/schoolsecurity

Q6. Non-Academic


PERCEPTIONS OF NON-ACADEMIC AREASQ6. How would you rate the following non-academic areas


PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNICATIONQ7. How would you rate the following school related communications?

3.023.57 3.28 2.912.98

3.52 3.23 2.90

0

1

2

3

4

5

School wide communications Emergency communications(snow day, bussing issue,

etc.)

Frequency of informationbeing communicated

Timeliness of informationbeing communicated

Q7. Communications



THE ONE QUESTION THAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS ASK: NET PROMOTER SCORE

• “On a scale of 0 – 10, how likely are you to recommend X School to a friend or colleague?”


COMPARISON AGAINST OTHER SCHOOLS


SURVEY BEST PRACTICES

• You will generally have a survey as part of your accreditation process

• Don’t fall into the trap of only doing a survey once every 5 years

• The data must be analyzed and acted upon

• Don’t do a survey unless you are willing to disclose the data and your plan to address your opportunities



• Your data needs





UNDERSTANDING YOUR MARKETING PROGRAMS

Key things to identify:

1. How did they hear about you and what their shopping pattern was

2. What is your “closure rate” on tours or open houses


TRACKING HOW PARENTS HEARD ABOUT YOU IS CRITICALClient example

85%

70%

34%22%

14%6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Marketing sources for open house participants

Website Word of Mouth Community event Direct Mailer Facebook Ad Radio


YOUR RECRUITMENT EFFECTIVENESS (QUANTITATIVE DATA)

• How many students toured your school / attended a shadow day?

• How many students enrolled?

• What is your closure rate?


RECRUITMENT EFFECTIVENESSClient Example

100110

94

65

98

6152

4134

49

61%

47% 44%52% 50%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Recruitment effectiveness

Tour / Open House Shadow Enrollment Closure %


WHAT DID WE LEARN – WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS

• Closure rate is averaging around 50%

• To enroll more students;1. Increase the number of families who tour the school / engage in a shadow day2. Improve the closure rates of families who enroll after they take a tour

• Follow on question for the data or the school:o Why is our closure rate so low?o Why don’t parents enroll after engaging with our school?o Is there a difference in rates from open house only, open houseshadow, shadow

only?


GATHERING DATA TO UNDERSTAND YOUR SCHOOL’S OPERATION

• You most likely have this data – you just need to analyze it

• To identify the marketing channel – start asking parents now!

• Customer surveys can be done by yourself (careful), or by third party marketing firms.


WHAT DO WE LEARN BY AN ANALYSIS OF OUR DATA

•A true picture of our enrollment trends.• Is our challenge attraction or retention?•Is our challenge attracting or closing the deal?School

•What our customers think of our school•Customer loyalty metrics•How they found our schoolCustomer


LUNCH BREAK


YOUR CUSTOMERS


YOUR CUSTOMER


CUSTOMER PERSONA CREATION

• Customer personas represent a fictional potential customer

• They are designed to allow the organization to tailor their marketing to the appropriate “Target Segment”

• Customers share demographics, beliefs and motivations. By identifying these commonalities – we are able to better market against our target customer’s needs

• You should strive for between 3 – 4 customer segments


Demographic • Age range• Zip code• Race• Education• Household income

Attitudinal / Behavioral• What are their most important

criteria in selecting a school?• What do they want for their

children (goals and aspirations)?• Where do they seek information?• Who or what influences them

about school choices?

TWO TYPES OF CUSTOMER DATA


CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION EXAMPLE: CIALIS

Lost it Emasculated Man

Hunter Balanced Man

The balanced man wants a life like he had before ED


CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BALANCED MAN

• Healthiest• Most likely to seek treatment• Most likely to continue treatment• Generally the wealthiest (to afford out of pocket treatment)

• Values the health of his relationship with his spouse


HOW WAS THIS EXPRESSED IN MARKETING: VIAGRA (HUNTER)


HOW WAS THIS EXPRESSED IN MARKETING: CIALIS (BALANCED MAN)


PERSONAS ALLOW YOU TO TAILOR MARKETING AND UNDERSTAND IF YOUR MARKETING RESONATES

Messaging that appeals to the Balanced Man

Messaging that appeals to the Hunter


CUSTOMER PERSONA: STUDENT - SOCIAL SALLY

• Sally is a 14 year old freshman at Hamilton Southeastern. She is “different”. She likes to dye her hair pink and she would rather read French philosophy than Twilight.

• Sally has recently been bullied by a group of girls at school. This has extended from the classroom into cyberspace and she just wants to be left alone.

• Her mother has recently noticed some self harming behavior and she doesn’t know how to help her daughter. She wants her to feel comfortable with whom she is, but she also recognizes that kids are cruel and this is a difficult time in Sally’s life

• She has offered to go to the principal about how Sally is being treated, but Sally has begged her not to in the fear that it will just get worse.

• Key needs:o An environment where she can be an individual and focus on completing her school

worko A social environment where she is not bullied and feels respected


CUSTOMER PERSONA: PARENT -TECHNOLOGY TERRYWants the STEM exposure to ensure success for her child in the 21st century

• Backgroundo Terry is a single working mom who is employed as an accountant. She is a college graduate and lives close

to the border of Lawrence and IPS school system. She is in her early 40’s and has 3 children. Her son attends Harshman Middle School. She makes $72,000 a year

o Her son has excelled at Harshman because they structure learning in a hands-on approach

• Goals for her childo A high-quality education that will set her child up for success in college and beyond by focusing on STEM-

oriented subjects that are most important in today’s environmento An environment that is tailored to her child’s individual needs and learning styleo A diverse environment, but one that is safe and welcoming.

• Her challengeso She likes the programs offered at Arsenal Tech, but worries about the safety of her child in a large and

somewhat disruptive environmento She fears that she is going to have to make trade offs of safety vs. course offeringso She is busy and has a hard time keeping up with schedules for her 3 kids and lacks the time to research

schools


CUSTOMER PERSONA: PARENT -TECHNOLOGY TERRY

• Where does she get her information: o She networks with the other parents at Harshman. She tends to trust recommendations from her peerso She loves the guidance counselor at Harshman and relies on her for information about high schoolo She spends more time than she should on Facebook

• Her barriers to selecting our schoolo She is not aware of the new campus – she liked what she knows of our school but can’t swing the drop off

to downtowno She doesn’t understand how the educational approach works at our school. She likes the STEM focus but

doesn’t understand the approach to core subject matter

• Steps to appeal to Terryo Make her aware of both campuses through her go-to channels; online, other parents and guidance

counselorso Reinforce the immersive nature of the STEM focus while assuring her the core subject matter is taught

through this immersive fashiono Engaging in multiple touch points because of her busy scheduleo Explain the benefits of a tech-oriented high school experience for success in college and beyond

Wants the STEM exposure to ensure success for her child in the 21st century


ESTABLISH COMMONALITIES ACROSS YOUR PERSONAS

•An environment where she can be an individual and focus on completing her school work

•A social environment where she is not bullied and feels respected

Social Sally

•Individualizedacademic environment

•A personalized relationship with a teacher to reinforce the progress that she is capable of making

Academic Amy

•Individualizedacademic attention to allow Mike to leverage his strengths and address his weaknesses

•An environment where he is not singled out or made to feel inferior due to his medical issue

Medical Mike

•Flexible academic environment but with more structure than an online only environment

•A supportive peer group of students like her

Life Lisa

•An individualizededucational environment that is more intimate than the larger public high schools

•More structure and accountable than online systems

Alternative Andy


HOW DO YOU DEVELOP A CUSTOMER PERSONA

• Demographic data (zip code information)

• Customer surveys

• Individual parent interviews, focus groups

• Anecdotal knowledge


• Though this school pulls from 28 zip codes, most students reside close to the Binford corridor

• 5 zip codes make up 87.7% of all students:o 46220: 31.7% o 46256: 25.4% o 46250: 10.4% o 46236: 10.4% o 46226: 9.8%

• Zip codes 46220, 46256o 30% associates degree / 42% college

degreeo HH income: 75K – 125Ko 30% white / 40% Hispanic / 30% African

American

STUDENT LOCATIONSMapping out your student locations

Example map


Goals and needs1. Education?

1. That results in X

2. Activities?1. That allow for y

3. Environment?1. That provides what benefit

Barriers to choosing your school1. Awareness?

2. Transportation / Distance?

3. Mistaken belief about your school?

IDENTIFY THEIR GOALS AND NEEDS (WHAT YOU PROVIDE) AND WHAT ARE THEIR BARRIERS (REASONS WHY THEY AREN’T CHOOSING YOU)


Communication channels1. Traditional media2. Online information3. Radio4. Community groups5. Etc.

Influencers1. Guidance counselor at

current school2. Pastor3. Friends and other family

members4. Etc.

IDENTIFY HOW TO COMMUNICATE TO HER AND INFLUENCE HER


EXERCISE #5: CREATE YOUR OWN CUSTOMER PERSONA


BUILDING A CUSTOMER PERSONA

1. Name2. Demographics

1. Age, Race, Education, zip code, HH income

3. Goals and needs1. What is she looking for?

4. Barriers to choosing your school5. How to reach her?6. Are there ways to influence her?7. Day in the life


LET’S SHARE

• Who wants to give their persona?


DISENGAGED DAVE (STUDENT)

Demographics

• Age 15 – 19• Behind on credits• Has attendance or behavior issues at his high

school• Does not show an interest in a typical HS

curriculum / environment

Goals / Needs

• An educational experience that is more tailored and individual to what he finds interesting and engaging.

• To escape a bad situation at previous school• To satisfy parental desire / court ordered /

societal expectation• Complete HS requirements• Learn skills for the future / Job training

Barriers to choosing The Crossing

• Doesn’t want to continue to attend school / Wants to drop out

• Doesn’t want to change schools• Doesn’t know about The Crossing• Transportation to local campus• Faith based education

How to reach him

• Current school system (Primary)• Digital advertising• Traditional advertising• Social / Affinity groups• Current Crossing Students• Former Crossing Students

Influencers

• Parent• Current school system• Social / Affinity groups• Court system• Current Crossing Students• Former Crossing Students

Goals

1. He is aware of The Crossing

2. He believes that the Crossing will provide him the opportunity to accomplish his goals

3. He believes that the Crossing is a better fit for him and embraces the approach of the school


A DAY IN THE LIFE FOR DAVE

• Dave doesn’t enjoy school. Most days he will cut a class or two. Dave doesn’t believe that the teachers get him and most of what they teach, he doesn’t care about. “Who cares about a bunch of old dead guys? How is knowing Shakespeare going to get me a job?”

• Dave likes playing video games and uploading videos onto YouTube. He has recently started to upload a few videos of him fixing things online. Not much, but he feels like he is building an online following.

• He is worried about his meeting with his counselor next week. He knows she is going to tell him he doesn’t have the grades to graduate. He is dreading what his parents are going to do to him once they know.


WHAT DO WE LEARN IN CUSTOMER PERSONA CREATION

• What is the educational level of your customer?o Are you speaking down to her?

• Where does she live?o Is your marketing directed to that area?

• Where does she get her information?o Are you present there?

• What is she looking for in a school?o Are you telling her that?

• What are her barriers to attending your school?o Are you addressing those?


A FEW KEY CUSTOMER DEMOGRAPHICS TO BE AWARE OF AS YOU MAKE PERSONAS:

• Demographicso The majority of America reads at a 6th grade level

• Channelso More web traffic is on a mobile device than a desk top computero Direct mail by itself has a 3% hit rateo Women consume more social media than meno Facebook is the number one social media platform

• Goals:o Quality of education is not always the most important factor in selection of a school


YOUR PLAN


WHAT DO YOU KNOW NOW?

• Your environmental factorso Availability of students

• Your competitiono How do you stack up against themo What makes you unique

• Your customero What does she look likeo Where does she find information (and what channel has been successful)

• Where your challenge iso Attraction, Recruitment or Retention


THE 4 COMPONENTS TO A STRONG ENROLLMENT SYSTEM

Operations: Know your self, your environment, your competition, and your customer. Create messages that resonate with her and have ways to deliver those messages

1. Attracting prospects

2. Identifying those prospects

3. Nurturing those prospects

Come to a recruiting event

Marketing

1. Positive experience at every recruitment event

2. Closing the deal / enroll

3. Create a positive onboarding experience

Students show up first day

Recruitment

1. Listening to your constituents

2. Measuring your constituent’s satisfaction

3. Improving based upon their feedback

Retaining students

Retention


PARENTS “BUYING JOURNEY”

Awareness Consideration Engagement Enrollment Retention

Parents are aware of your

school and believe that

they can attend your

school

The attributes of your school (your story) are

compelling and the

parent feels that it is a

good match for their student

When a parent engages with you, they are

convinced that this is the right place for their student

The student enrolls and

shows up the first day

The parent and student

remain convinced

that this is the best school for

their family

Marketing Recruitment Retention


MARKETING PLAN6 steps to a strong marketing plan

1. Understand your potential customer• What does she look like?• What motivates her?• How do we reach her?

2. Establish your story• Ensure that it resonates against her

needs

3. Set your goals and organizational structure

• What are you going to do and who is going to do it?

• Write this down!

4. Tell your story• Use the channels that your

customer uses• Repeat your story multiple times

and in multiple places. Ensure that it is consistent across channels

• Drive engagement

5. Get her to “buy” you!• Wow her in her interactions with you• Follow up and close the deal

6. Keep her happy• She will tell her friends about you

Thinking / Planning Doing


DEVELOPING YOUR MARKETING PLAN

• Your marketing plan needs to be a written, living and changing document

• Do not fall into the trap of developing your plan without a good understanding of the data!


ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

• A single person needs to be accountable for student enrollment

• Others can share responsibilities but one person needs to “own” it

• Management by committee is a challenging approach and traditionally is not the best approach


• Almost half of charter schools ask the principal to manage enrollment in addition to all of their other tasks

• Less than 20% have a dedicated person

18%

47%

29%

6%Enrollment Responsibility

Dedicated Enrollment person PrincipalCommittee of staff members Office Manager

HOW DO CHARTER SCHOOLS IN INDIANA ADDRESS THEIR STUDENT ENROLLMENT?

Survey of Indiana charter school leaders 10/13/18


QUALIFICATIONS FOR YOUR RECRUITMENT PERSONThis doesn’t need to be an educator

• Sales & Marketing oriented o Recent college graduateo Interpersonal skillso Strong follow up and attention to detailo Comfortable with numbers o Digital skills

• Make sure that you provide training and clear expectations to this person


SETTING YOUR ENROLLMENT GOALS

• Write out your SMART enrollment goals:o Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Realistic, Time bound

• We will increase enrollment• We will increase enrollment by 10%• We will enroll 35 students in our kindergarten class• By June 30th of 2019, we will have enrolled 35 new kindergarten

students


UNDERSTAND HOW MANY TOUCHPOINTS IT WILL TAKE

Come to your website

Identify the lead but they never tour

Complete a tour but don’t enroll

Enrolled didn’t show up 1st day

Show up1st day

3%

35%

80%

97%

120

124

190

952

31,721


YOUR FUNNELWhere is the leak?

Awareness

Consideration

Engagement

Enrollment

Retention

Are you part of their consideration set?

• Website copy• Email newsletter• Direct mail copy• Brochure copy• Interaction at

community events• Videos• Facebook

• Are you addressing your customer needs?

Do they engage with you?

• Are you creating a way to capture their information?

• Attend an event• Shadow day

experience• Open house

experience

Do they enroll?

• Enrollment data• Closure rates• Attend first day

Do they stay and are they happy?

• Retention rates• Net Promoter

scores

Are they aware of your school?

• Website• Search Engine

Optimization• Social Media Advertising• Billboards• Direct mail• Door to door canvasing• Community events• School hosted events• Faith outreach• Feeder school outreach• Stakeholder awareness

programs• Word of mouth• Yard signs


ANALYZING YOUR ASSETSWhat assets or tactics do you have to help you in your recruitment?

Identifying and qualifying leads

• Current parents (Word of Mouth)• Siblings of current students• Parish / church relationships• School Pre-k program / Other Pre-K schools / Feeder schools• Advertising efforts both offline and online

• SEO & Lead Magnets• Direct mail

Telling your story• Website• Email marketing• Parish / Church outreach – your own or others

Recruiting and closing the deal

• Prospect database• Email marketing• Calling of customers• Open house / student tours / shadow days• Follow up!

Retaining your students • Surveys and school improvement plans


OUTBOUND VS. INBOUND MARKETING

Outbound marketing

Pushing your message out in the hopes of breaking through the clutter and

enticing your target customer to engage with you

Examples of outbound marketing

TV advertisingBillboards

RadioDirect Mail

Spam

Expensive and hard

Inbound marketing

Attract people who are actively seeking a solution by providing strong content

that resonates with them and fulfills their needs

Examples of inbound marketing

Search Engine optimizationTargeted digital advertising

School blogSocial media

Strong website

Easier and relatively less expensive


YOUR WEBSITEThis is the hub and the most important part of your marketing mix

• Targeted towards the prospective parent

• Mobile enabled

• Easily found through search engineso Key words, SEO, Updated content, backlinkso Local Search


THE IMPORTANCE OF SEO

• www.google.com / STEM Schools in Indianapolis

https://www.google.com/search?ei=PF4uXOjCNYrojgSCi5T4Cw&q=STEM+school+indianapolis&oq=STEM+school+indianapolis&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i30.16666.17609..18142...0.0..0.96.426.5......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i13j0i7i30j0i7i10i30j0i8i7i30.XcBGeRZ4xgk


YOUR WEBSITEDesign this to express your brand and most importantly, move them through the buying cycle

1. Designo Interactive elements (video, pictures, etc.)

2. Intuitive navigation that mimics their enrollment processo Learn, engage (visit, tour, shadow), enroll


EXAMPLE OF STRONG BRAND ELEMENTS AND ENROLLMENT CADENCE

www.globalprepindy.org

http://www.globalprepindy.org/



1. Designo Interactive elements (video, pictures, etc.)


3. Proof pointso Quantifiable academic factso Testimonials


ACADEMIC QUALITYKIPP Memphis


VIDEO TESTIMONIALS



1. Designo Interactive elements (video, pictures, etc.)o Do the elements represent what you want people to think about your school?


3. Proof pointso Quantifiable academic factso Testimonials

4. DOES IT CAPTURE LEADS?


CAPTURING CONTACT INFORMATION

• It is your job to ensure that parents move through the buying cycle

• Newlsetter forms, want more information, lead magnets, etc. – all allow you to capture information to allow you to nurture prospects


LEAD CAPTURESExample from KIPP Memphis


LEAD MAGNETExample from Sewickely Academy


PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

Mason Prep has proven to be the perfect school for our

daughter. Beyond the excellent academics, the school strives to

help develop well rounded, good citizens in a nurturing

environment. We couldn’t be more pleased with our experience at Mason

Prep- Laura and Brad Brisson, Mason

Prep Parents

Call to action

Lead magnet to capture contact

info


THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT SITE FOR INDIANAPOLIS CHARTER AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

• Enroll Indy• Make sure your site is updated and complete

o School descriptiono About your schoolo Event featureso Pictureso Favorite button

• Explain what the process of Enroll Indy entails to people outside of IPS


ENROLL INDY

www.globalprepindy.org

http://www.globalprepindy.org/


EXAMPLES OF ENROLL INDY WEBSITES

• https://find.enrollindy.org/schools/0013600000d2NunAAE#who-we-are

• https://find.enrollindy.org/schools/0013600001CJCe8AAH#who-we-are

https://find.enrollindy.org/schools/0013600000d2NunAAE#who-we-are

https://find.enrollindy.org/schools/0013600001CJCe8AAH#who-we-are


Longfellow STEM Magnet Program (IPS)

• No picture of campus or of students

• No link to social media• Programs and other ancillary

information is lacking• Logistical information is

incomplete

Purdue Polytechnic (Charter)

• Pictures that represent the brand

• Compelling academic in the description.

• Social media links• Comprehensive information

about the school

EXAMPLES ON ENROLL INDY


ONLINE REVIEW SITES

• Online review siteso 70% of consumers use online review sites (Social Media)o 84% of customers trust online review sites (Small business trends)o 93% of millennials use online reviews before making a decision (Ad Age)

• You need to be present and have positive reviewso Sites to prioritize: Greatschools, Google, Facebooko Secondary sites: Schooldigger, Noodle, Niche

• Solicit reviews from parents, faculty, even studentso Hold a few in reserve in case you get some bad reviews


GREAT SCHOOLS EXAMPLE OF CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL


GOOGLE REVIEW EXAMPLE


DIGITAL ADVERTISING

• Digital advertising1. Pay Per Click

2. Facebook Ads

3. Retargeting


PAY PER CLICK

• Advertising that is on the main Google page

• Targeted towards certain key words

• Very trackable• Best if you don’t

have good SEO• But don’t do it prior

to fixing your website


FACEBOOK ADS

• Allows for building of custom audiences

• Customizable • Trackable• Fairly inexpensive

• But don’t do it prior to fixing your website


RETARGETING ADS

• The most targeted – shows your ad to people who have visited your website before

• Only pay when somebody clicks on your ad

• But don’t do it prior to fixing your website


OFFLINE ACTIVITIES

• Signageo Are you leveraging your location?o Are you utilizing yard signs during recruitment season?

• Feeder schoolso Get contact information!

• Community eventso Where will your prospective parents be?

• Events at your schoolo Bring them to you!


EXERCISE #6: CREATE YOUR PLAN


GOAL VS. OBJECTIVE VS. STRATEGY VS. TACTICS

• Business nomenclature can be confusing, and many people define things differently

• UPS gives us a very easy to understand way of how these various terms can be uses


UPS EXAMPLE

TacticsStrategyObjectiveGoal

To increase profitability in FY2018 by 6%

Maximize time delivering packages

Optimize route schedule

Minimize left turns

Deliver packages both on outbound

and return trip

Avoid major streets during rush hourOther objective Other strategy


EXAMPLE OF A LIST OF GOALS TACTICS

Goal

By April 2018, we will Increase the

projected size of the

school by 60 students

Objective

Recruit 40 new kindergarten

students

Recruit 21 new other grade

students

Maintain a 96% retention rate

Strategies

Develop preschool feeder

program

Identify all incoming K

siblings

Tactics

By 1/31 create a list of focus preschools

By March 2017, conduct outreach

program to 8 top tier

preschools

Host 3 local kindergarten ready events


YOUR PLAN

• Set your goal of increasing enrollment (Make it SMART)

• What are your objectives?

• What are your strategies?

• What are your tactics?


EXAMPLE

Goal Objective Strategy Tactic


WHAT’S NEXT

Execution is the key

• "Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” —Peter Drucker


CALENDARWho does what and when?


WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

• How to evaluate your marketplace.

• The importance of understanding your data.

• Tools for understanding your customer

• Our customer’s shopping patterns

• How to begin to write a plan


QUESTIONS


CONTACT US FOLLOW US

THANK YOU!!!

Facebook.com/brightmindsmarketing

@brightmindsmktg

531 W. 83rd Place, Indy, IN [email protected]

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