How schools are embracing stakeholder engagement

One of, if not the, most important parts of marketing is getting to know your audience.

This means knowing the parents, the students and the teachers and what your school represents. So when it comes to your marketing campaigns, it’s vital that you get to know your audience beforehand. Otherwise, how do you know that your message is going to reach the right people? And more importantly, how do you know that it’s going to resonate?

Understanding the bigger picture

Recently we partnered with an Education Trust to execute a full rebrand. The goal was to reposition the organisation’s strategy to maintain their reputation in the sector. Initially, we were approached to provide Digital Marketing, SEO and Social Media support, but when we analysed their current situation, we realised that what they needed went much deeper.

What does your audience think?

In order to understand the Trust’s audience better, we needed to do what some Schools, Trust’s and Academies don’t consider. We engaged with the people who matter to them; staff, parents, students, alumni and decision makers. Our process included creating dedicated focus groups, one to ones, written feedback and participation for all stakeholder groups within each of the Schools.

We looked to ensure each session was held in a comfortable environment and each person was offered time to air their views and opinions in a constructive way. The feedback was then presented to the Board of Trustees with a detailed report, highlighting several outcomes from the research. With the results in mind, we created a marketing and communications strategy in which we created a new, clear brand for the Trust. Many participants felt this was a positive start to the progression of the Education Trust to reinforce their market position.

The Outcome

As part of the research recommendations, the Trust has identified four key values that enable the Schools to thrive in their sector. These will be developed into key messages to outline the benefits of selecting their Schools as a place to learn. Furthermore, the board of Trustees have acted on the feedback and the new marketing collateral (including signage, prospectus design, website development and digital marketing) is currently being prepared for the 2019 intake. Are looking to understand your audience, progress your School’s marketing plans or even to increase engagement? If so, we would be happy to discuss and help assess your needs. Get in touch on 01282 858200 or [email protected]