winter marketing tune-up presentation - winter... · - look at the staffing models sheet for ideas...
TRANSCRIPT
Winter Marketing Tune-Up
• Kurt Lewis,
Director of Enrollment Marketing
• Noreen Walton-Valle,
Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Vicariates 1 and 2
• Juana Graber, Associate Director for Hispanic Outreach
Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Vicariates 4 and 5
• Maura Daly,
Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Vicariates 3 and 6
• Felicia Horton
Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Turnaround Schools
Meet Your…
Enrollment Marketing Team
Send us your newsworthy stories:
• Anne Maselli: Director, [email protected]
• Yasmin Quiroz: Marketing Assistant, [email protected]
Meet Your…
Communications and Marketing Team
Enrollment Marketing Services
The OCS Enrollment Marketing Team is happy to provide the following
services to your school:
Comprehensive Enrollment Management Diagnostic
Development of Enrollment Marketing Management Plan
Ongoing support for your Enrollment Management/Marketing Team
Consultations or presentations on Enrollment Management topics:
Training and support for Parent Ambassadors
Customer Service training and support for your Faculty and Staff
Strategies to improve Retention
NEW Enrollment Management Framework
Recruit
Retain
Refer
Repeat
NEW Enrollment Management Framework
Example: St. Anonymous School
• St. Anonymous has 230 students this year.
• 30 students are graduating, leaving 200 to be retained.
• If the school retains 90%, that is 180 students coming back.
• They will need 50 students to repeat this year’s enrollment.
• 20 students will fill their Pre-K program, leaving 30 to find.
• If just 10% of their roughly 130 families refer a student, they
will have found 13 more students.
• Only 17 more students will have to be recruited.
The OCS Resource Portal: bit.ly/OCSResourcePortal
Keeping you up to date on:
• Current topics
• Helpful hints
• Spotlight on
success stories
• Reminders
• Tips from fellow marketers
Enrollment Management Newsletter
Subscribe to the monthly
newsletter to stay in the loop:
bit.ly/EM-Newsletter
Keys to Success
Remember your marketing PITCH
- Pride
- Constantly remind people – including yourself – what an amazing place this is.
- Intentionality
- Move from “All Are Welcome” to “All Are Invited”
- Teamwork
- Delegation is the only way to make your plan happen.
- Creativity
- Just like students, every parent is different.
- Honesty
- Talk about what a blessing this role is for you. Your enthusiasm is infectious!
Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Four Critical Sources of Prospective Students
• Incumbent families who qualify for the scholarship
• Any family who has left your school for financial reasons
• Any family who showed interest in your school but did not register
• Religious Education/CCD families
Find any way you can to reach out to these four groups!
• Conduct TCS marketing in tandem with your marketing plan
• Do not soften your admissions standards
• Parent referral incentives are more important than ever
Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Preparing for Registration
Schools should be prepared to begin registering students on January 1st
Remember: A student is not “Registered” until forms are completed and registration fee is paid.
Mind Your Ps and Fs• Payment
• Paperwork
• Forms
• Fees
• Financial Aid…which has its own Fs
Preparing for Registration
Payment and Fees
• Setting Tuition and Fees
• Contact your SFM to begin the tuition setting process
• Update your tuition sheets
• Update your website with the new tuition and fees
• Consider drafting language that supports your tuition and
explains the value of the education you provide
Fall Administrative Tasks
Paperwork and Forms
• Update all registration forms
and admissions paperwork
• Update the website as needed
with the latest forms
• Ensure that your school has an
online interest form
Fall Administrative Tasks
The Four F’s of Financial Aid• FACTS
• Any family applying for aid should be entered into FACTS
• Floor
• Ensure that you have set a minimum amount that every family will pay
• Financial Aid Committee
• Typically a group of three to five including the principal and pastor but no school parents
• Financial Aid Reward
• Offer appropriate financial aid but ensure that norms such as a tuition contract are followed
Fall Administrative Tasks
Hiring a Marketer
Hiring a Marketer
The OCS considers hiring a Marketing Manager to be best practice
- Look at the Staffing Models sheet for ideas on filling this role
- Look at the sample position descriptions for full-time and part-
time marketing professionals
- Contact your MEM for assistance in posting and hiring for the
position
- MEMs can help train and mentor on-site marketers
Developing Your Marketing Plan
Completing the Marketing Diagnostic
Download the Marketing Diagnostic from the OCS Resource Portal
- The diagnostic provides a clear look at your marketing practices
- Focus on the areas with the lowest scores
- Use the diagnostic to guide your Marketing Plan
Creating a Value Proposition
Download the Value Proposition Template from the OCS Resource Portal
- It is best to complete this process with a variety of stakeholders
- Parents have the greatest insights into the real value of your school
- Ask, “What is the change you have seen in your student since they have been at
this school?”
- Values = Value
- What we do is so much more than just an excellent education
- What kind of student do you want graduating from your school?
View the Branding Presentation
Setting Your Recruitment Goal
Determining the number of students you need to recruit to reach your goal:
- Start with the number of students currently enrolled
- Subtract the number who will be graduating from 8th grade
- The resulting number is your potential pool of students to retain
- Subtract 10% from that number to adjust for the families who may move or leave
- The resulting number is your Adjusted Potential Retention (APR)
- Subtract your APR from your enrollment goal
- The resulting number is the number of students you need to recruit
From here you can look at the number of Pre-K seats available and figure out roughly how many students you would need to recruit in K-8.
The Marketing Plan Template
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Key Components:
1. Enrollment trend data
2. Owner
3. Deadline
4. Status
5. Categories
Category 1: Retention
Marketing Plan Template: http://bit.ly/2lOkJGv
Marketing Plan Template with Goals: http://bit.ly/2lOsEU8
Category 2: Parent Ambassadors and Referrals
Marketing Plan Template: http://bit.ly/2lOkJGv
Marketing Plan Template with Goals: http://bit.ly/2lOsEU8
Category 3: Website and Social Media
Marketing Plan Template: http://bit.ly/2lOkJGv
Marketing Plan Template with Goals: http://bit.ly/2lOsEU8
Category 4: Parish Outreach
Marketing Plan Template: http://bit.ly/2lOkJGv
Marketing Plan Template with Goals: http://bit.ly/2lOsEU8
Category 5: Communications, Customer
Service, and Follow-up
Marketing Plan Template: http://bit.ly/2lOkJGv
Marketing Plan Template with Goals: http://bit.ly/2lOsEU8
Category 6: Community Outreach
Marketing Plan Template: http://bit.ly/2lOkJGv
Marketing Plan Template with Goals: http://bit.ly/2lOsEU8
Planning for Retention
Planning for Retention
View the Developing a Retention Plan webinar
- It is best to complete this process with a variety of stakeholders
- Parents have the greatest insights into the real value of your school
- Ask, “What is the change you have seen in your student since they have been at
this school?”
- Values = Value
- What we do is so much more than just an excellent education
- What kind of student do you want graduating from your school?
Most common reasons families site for leaving• Moving out of city/state
• Could no longer afford tuition
• Academic offerings not strong enough
• Extracurricular offerings not strong enough
• Conflict with faculty or staff member
• Conflict with another student or family
• Transferring to a magnet or charter school (lottery)
• Felt they were not getting value for their tuition
How many of these can be remedied by more proactive communication?
Why Do Families Leave?
Most common reasons families site for leaving• Moving out of city/state
• Could no longer afford tuition
• Academic offerings not strong enough
• Extracurricular offerings not strong enough
• Conflict with faculty or staff member
• Conflict with another student or family
• Transferring to a magnet or charter school (lottery)
• Felt they were not getting value for their tuition
Communicating with families early and often will make it easy for them to decide to stay if at all possible.
Why Do Families Leave?
TO-DO ITEM: Ask them!• Make sure you are conducting Exit Interviews
• Also ask office staff, teachers, and other trusted parents
• Try to figure out how you can answer these objections
• Does the parent have a point? Does the school need to make a change?
• Did we give the parent enough information to want to choose our school?
Stay in touch with families who have left your school. Consider writing a
note saying that you hope they are off to a great start this school year.
Invite them to the Fall concert. Remind them that they are missed and
will always have a home at your school.
Why Do Families Leave?
Most common reasons families site for staying• Student achievement
• Quality faculty and staff
• Strong academic offerings
• Strong extracurricular offerings
• Caring, loving, family environment
• Opportunity to volunteer or take ownership
• School pride
• Good value for their tuition
These are things that are happening at all of our schools.
Do all parents know this?
Why Do Families Stay?
TO-DO ITEM: Ask them!
- Ask families who have been enrolled at your school for more than a year, “What keeps you coming back?”
- Try to get a variety of grades and durations (families who have been here two years or ten years)
- Look for common answers
- Figure out how to tell prospective families about these answers
Why Do Families Stay?
As often as possible, share with parents the success their students are having
• Send a welcome letter sharing last year’s successes and exciting things that are coming this year
• Send home personal notes and emails
• Call parents to check in and thank them for choosing your school
• Share compliments at pick-up and drop-off
• Post as often as possible on social media and keep your website updated
Validating Parents’ Decision to Enroll
These parents are reassured by the physical presence of the principal, teachers, and other staff members
• Try to be present at pick-up and drop-off as often as possible
• If you are the marketer, make sure to get out of the office and get to know parents
• Shake hands and share compliments (particularly about their student)
• Make invitations face-to-face
• Solve problems in person rather than over the phone or by email
• Host meet and greet events, coffees
Physical Presence
Some considerate gifts that can go a long way:
• Bumper stickers or car magnets: www.cdi-corp.com, carstickers.com
• Yard signs and posters: signsonthecheap.com, vistaprint.com
• School uniforms or gym shirts
• “Class of…” shirts
“Receiving Gifts” can also mean giving gifts because this type of person puts a lot of value into the act of exchanging items
• A donation drive (like the Soup-er Stadium Challenge!) can engage this parent
• This type of parent is also helpful with fundraising events
Receiving Gifts
Families are looking for ways to spend quality time together
• Family nights like family game night, bingo, dances, literacy night, movie night, STEM night, etc.
• Open house for current parents to highlight what is happening in each grade, encourage families to visit other grades
• Ensure families know that the time their children spend in school is quality
• Highlight curriculum and achievementon your website
• Share exciting classroom activities andprojects on social media
Quality Time
How can we best serve parents? Make their experience easier!
• Make sure your website is up-to-date and easily navigable
• Communicate in a variety of ways such as eNewsletter, SchoolMessenger, text
messages, etc.
• Consider offering a phone app: digitalreadynow.org, educationalnetworks.net
• Stream school events on Facebook Live
• Frequently remind parents about before and after school programs
These parents also want to serve!
• Offer creative volunteer opportunities (and don’t forget Soup-er Stadium!)
• Strengthen the Parent Ambassador program
Acts of Service
Parent Ambassadors
This is the ONE strategy that is working across the Archdiocese!
• Visit the Parent Ambassador page and download the Guidebook
• Watch the Parent Ambassadors webinar recording
• Create a Parent Ambassador Plan
Parent Ambassadors
Website and Social Media
98% of parents who tour schools have already seen the website
• Follow the Website Best Practices guide
• View the Next Level Web Strategies presentation
Websites
Social media is your most important retention tool
• Read the Facebook Advertising and Tips presentation
• Create a Social Media Editorial Calendar
• Top posts: teacher birthdays, technology, faith, community
• Every Thursday is Throwback Thursday!
• Consider a door decorating contest
Encourage parents to leave reviews on Greatschools.org,
PrivateSchoolReveiw.com, Yelp.com, Facebook, and Google Places
Social Media and Online Reviews
Social Media is a vital retention tool
Social Media
FIVE Ways to Increase
Your Facebook Audience
TODAY!
Click Bait
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1. Newsletter Links
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Every newsletter must have at least one Facebook link.
If you have an e-newsletter, add in as many links as you can that lead back to your Facebook page. “Click here for pictures of our JV Football Championship!”
If you have a physical newsletter, you can still entice parents to go to the page. “Go to our Facebook page to see the adorable pictures of the Pre-K kids dressed as their favorite saints!”
2. Enlist Your Parents
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Invite your parents to post OFTEN.
Be intentional and honest. Tell them straight out, “if you love this school, we need to hear about it on Facebook!” Ask them to post their feelings and tag their friends. Pictures are even better!
3a. “Sharing” Contest: Faith
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Encourage your audience to share.
These pictures tell our story and spread the faith. Remind them:
Every Share is a Prayer!
3b. “Sharing” Contest: Fun
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Consider a door decorating contest.
The classroom door that gets the most shares wins a pizza party!
4. Throwback Thursday
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Your alumni will find you.
Post some old photos, tag your current Legacy (alumni) parents, and encourage them to tag their friends. Sit back and watch the new audience members pour in!
5. Teacher Birthdays
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This is a great way to generate meaningful comments.Ask your users to post their favorite memories of this teacher and to share this post with any friends who might remember him.
• Pose a question• Ask fans to make a choice• Post when your fans are online• Share relevant images• Engage with other brands• Crowdsource feedback• Include a call to action• Boost your best posts• Share industry news and hot
topics• Adjust your post frequency• Give people a giggle• Rethink hashtag use
• Respond to everyone• Solicit fan content – share photos,
information, etc.• Share content from other
channels• Go behind the scenes with live
video• Make an emotional connection• Provide value• Tap into trending topics• Recycle high value posts• Celebrate holidays• Share valuable curated content• Post a quiz or poll• Host contests and giveaways
More Top Tips for Social Media Engagement
Don’t forget to tag the OCS.
Your students are our mission.
We love to share the great things
happening inside our schools.
We want to help!
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Parent Referrals
• A Referral Incentive is the best way to encourage incumbent families to spread
the word about your school.
• Launch or revamp the Referral Program by announcing it via email, website,
social media, and phone messenger.
• Make it clear that the new family must stay until January for the referring family
to earn the credit.
• Make sure that families have the tools they need in order to refer their contacts
to your school.
Turning Retained Families into Referring Families
• Canva.com is a fantastic site for creating simple infographics that also make
great posters, flyers, and brochures.
Turning Retained Families into Referring Families
Example of a Referral Incentive launch:
• We are excited to announce that we are revamping our Referral Incentive
Program, which is an fantastic opportunity to share our wonderful school with
new families! When you refer a new, full-time family that stays the entire
school year, you will receive a $500 tuition credit! This one full month of
tuition. Referrals help keep our school healthy and strong and bring even more
students into our St. Anonymous family. So please spread the word about our
amazing school and community! Ask your friends, family, neighbors, and
coworkers to contact our school to set up a tour. Remind them to mention your
name!
Turning Retained Families into Referring Families
Families need a lot of reminders to get their registration in early!
• NUT Cards
• Hallway display
• Classroom competition
• First to 100% response gets an ice cream party!
• Schoolwide competition
• If the entire school hits 90% response by April 1st, the principal gets a pie in the
face!
Early Enrollment Incentives
• Pew cards are an incredibly effective way
to gather contact information from
parishioners.
• Choose a high-traffic weekend
(particularly around the holidays) and line
up parent or student speakers for all
masses.
• As they speak, ask ushers to distribute
pew cards and pencils to all parishioners.
• You can download customizable pew
cards in English, Spanish, and Polish.
Outreach to Parishioners
• Kurt Lewis,
Director of Enrollment Marketing
• Noreen Walton-Valle,
Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Vicariates 1 and 2
• Juana Graber, Associate Director for Hispanic Outreach
Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Vicariates 4 and 5
• Maura Daly,
Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Vicariates 3 and 6
• Felicia Horton
Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Turnaround Schools
Thank you!