Hey there,

As you prepare for the new school year, I'm going to challenge you to take a look at every single item on your marketing, admissions, and development calendars and ask yourself:

Are we seeing a return on investment? 

This means not just calculating the hard numbers, but also considering the amount of staff time, stress, and effort for one event or initiative. What's the main goal? Are your parents attending this event? Can this event stay...

Hey there, 

I know I've been talking a lot about systematizing and workflow lately. That's because I can't stress enough how crucial they are to the acceleration of your schools' teams! 

Today I want to address an issue I'm seeing in independent schools, large or small, that frequently gets overlooked. Here are some questions to consider: 

Do you or members of your team wear many hats?
Do your schools' teams have the systems in place for a smooth transition, should someone...

Hello today! 

Are your marketing, development, and admissions teams working together? Or, do they look a little more like three siloed teams?

Collectively, these are your advancement teams, as they are absolutely vital to moving your school forward. 

Why collaboration, and why now? 

Now, more than ever, the future of your school depends on strategically using your resources by taking a collaborative, streamlined approach to your advancement teams. 

Do you frequently...

Hey there, 

Today we're diving into 8 of my favorite apps & tech tools! I recommend trying these out, as a lot of them can be really helpful for your school, your team, and your productivity. 

Here they are, in no particular order:

Voxer — This app is what you get when you cross a walkie-talkie with texting. I use this all the time with my team and mastermind groups for sending back and forth voice messages. It's perfect for when what you have to say is too long for an...

Hey there!

I'm so excited to be joined today by Tara Claeys of Design TLC to talk about WordPress for building your school's website. 

Tara specializes in building WordPress sites for small and medium-sized schools, and she's also my co-host of the Mindful School Marketing Podcast  coming April 2021! 

So, what is WordPress, and why should you use it for your school's website? 

WordPress is one of the most popular free and open-source content management systems.

It...

Hello today!

Are you a part of a small school marketing team? These are some of the most common mistakes I see that are costing you time and money!

1. You're copying the big schools. They have different resources and a different community! What works for one school may not work for another. 

2. You haven't built your marketing foundations. Look at what you already have and optimize it, rather than going for the fancy, expensive marketing strategies right away. 

3. You're...

Hey there,

Today, as a part of our Community Builder series, I'm joined by MJ Zafis-Garcia and Sabrina Colaianni from St. Raphael School in Rockville, MD to chat about the ways that they build community in their school amidst COVID-19!

Sabrina summed it up nicely, "For us, community starts with ideas and ends with people." When it comes to the limits of virtual and socially-distanced events, the most important questions are, what can't we do? What's the...

Hi there!

Today we're going to be talking about something that is key to your success: foundational marketing.

Now, what is foundational marketing?

Let me start by telling you what it's not:

• Shiny object syndrome
• Jumping on the next big marketing trend
• In-depth studies, Facebook & Google Ads
• Being on 15 social media platforms

Sure, some of these marketing tactics can be important later on. But does your school have a solid marketing foundation?

This is what...

Hello today! 

I want to bring up the difference between healthy and toxic school competition.

I see this all the time! While it's important to monitor your competition, it's not a good idea to model the other school simply because you want to jump on a new trend, or adapt what looks like a flashy marketing tactic. 

Whatever it might be, here are three reasons to avoid this:

  You don't know that what other school is doing is even successful. (The grass is always...

Hi there!

Today I want to talk about the importance of collaboration between independent schools. 

Through COVID, I have noticed a lot of heads of schools come together through professional development and support each other during this time. However, I think we can be taking this even further!

Not only can you help support other schools, but you can be seeking out opportunities for collaboration that disrupt your market and mutually benefit. 

There are so many unknowns right now in...