How to Answer to the Tough Marketing Questions With One Voice

At InspirED, we talk a lot about making everyone in your private school community brand ambassadors, because we know that word-of-mouth is your most powerful marketing tool.

So what happens when a prospective family engages member of your community (current parent, faculty, board member, etc.) in conversation at the grocery store, at a party, or church?

Rather than assume (or hope) that your brand ambassadors will say the right things about the school, give them the answers to the questions or comments they’re most likely to hear. If the entire community speaks with one voice, the messages will be louder and clearer.

Get ‘Em The Facts, Ma’am

We want you marketing folks to write down the school’s response to these comments and questions and formulate the answers in a concise, clear way, backing as many of them up with a statistic or proof point as possible. Enlist the help of the admissions office and ask them what questions they’re asked most frequently and what admitted families who don’t matriculate cite as reasons they didn’t enroll.

When you’ve got the Q&As locked down, put some or all of them up on the website as FAQs and get them into the hands of your board of trustees, parent association, faculty, and parent influencers in your community. They may be written one way for the web and another way for your internal audience.

Myths and Truths

The goal of this exercise is to address myths and truths that discourage families from considering your private school as well as to boost the school’s brand for external audiences.

Here’s a list of comments and questions your brand ambassadors are likely to hear. What would you add to the list for your school?

  • Private school is for rich, white kids.

  • I want my child to be part of a diverse environment. (Similar to the comment above.)

  • Your tuition is so high, I’m not even going to look at your school.

  • I hear your faculty are uncertified.

  • You don’t have a football team.

  • The local public school is good enough.

  • I have to have bus service.

  • My child won’t fit in.

  • Why would I pay for my child’s schooling when I can get it for free?

You know the answers to these questions. Now share them with your community so that they do, too.

 

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