Hi there, 

A big question I've been hearing amongst small & independent schools lately is should we continue to use print advertising? 

There's no doubt of the power of digital advertising—it's relatively simple to create ads, publish, and track results. Does this mean print advertising is dead?

The answer is unfortunately not as straightforward as 'yes' or 'no.' The effectiveness of print advertising depends on your school. 

The key to determining if your print...

Hey there, 

Today we're diving into the exciting world of retention!

This is the time to focus on those retention efforts because, at the beginning of the school year, you're making first impressions for those new families, as well as maintaining relationships with returning families. 

I'm going to urge you to practice the 4 keys of retention. These 4 strategies are so crucial because I've seen them result in a 99% retention rate when they're executed properly. 

Hi there!

Let's talk about your not-so-new parents. You know what I'm talking about—those families who joined your school in 2020.

They're not necessarily new, but they have not yet gotten the true experience of your school. They might be familiar with some aspects of your school, but chances are they are feeling a bit disconnected. 

These families are the ones, in addition to your new families, that need some TLC at the beginning of this year. Introduce them to the community,...

Hi friends, 

Are you getting ready to hire for a new marketing position at your school? If so, this is for you! 

I've seen a lot of small and independent schools posting their job descriptions and responsibilities for marketing positions. If you're currently in this process, I want to urge you to really think both strategically and holistically. 

What do I mean by this? Marketing's role at your school is becoming increasingly important and holistic as it is involved in so...

Hey there, 

Today we're diving into 5 common new family mistakes. It's so important right now to be engaging your new families, providing extra support, and paying extra attention to all your new families, but you may be making a few of these key mistakes...

1. Assuming you haven't made a mistake. I guarantee that in the first, hectic few weeks of school there may be something, no matter how small, that was a negative experience for that new family. It takes 5 positive interactions to...

Hey there, 

As a part of our back-to-school series, today I'm addressing the importance of soft touches. What is a soft touch? I define it as anything that doesn't have a hidden agenda. It's the pieces that connect your families with your mission. 

They're important because when a family feels more connected to the school, when they feel they are seen and heard, they are more likely to be engaged, and to stay at your school! 

This is even more crucial now at the beginning of...

Hello!

Today I'm giving you some helpful productivity hacks, because I know you're going to need these as you head back to school!

1. Set aside time on your calendar each week for tasks like database entry, retention, pulling data reports, etc. or other routine tasks that need to happen but sometimes get overlooked

2. Batch content, whether it's social media or annual fund communications, it's more efficient and effective to work on it all at once rather than in smaller chunks because...

Hi friends, 

This is the time of year that it's so important to make sure you are setting expectations for your families. This is especially significant as safety protocols change and new families come in!

The biggest mistake that I see schools make is assuming that everyone knows what is going on. However, what happens when we assume? Parents model the behavior of other parents, whether it's the right or wrong thing to do.

So, we need to communicate our expectations to parents, whether...

Hey there, 

Happy back-to-school! Today we're addressing how you can make this transition back into the school year with ease. 

This is arguably the busiest time of the year for all schools, but there are ways you can set yourself up for success without all that additional stress. 

• Give yourself grace these next few weeks because let's face it, many of those tasks or projects on your list are just going to have to wait. 
• Block off time on your calendar for relationship...

Hi there! 

When it comes to retention, communication is key. When you're communicating, what you're communicating, how often, and which channels you're using to communicate to families are all important details.

These are some communication mistakes I see in schools, (and being a parent myself I can understand how frustrating some of these can be!) 

You're not connecting your parents to their child's everyday experience (i.e., your value proposition!)

Your emails...