Watching the Pennies

There has never been a more important time to review your marketing plans and assess how to spend every penny wisely. Suzie Oweiss provides a checklist of the most effective ways to market your school on a shoestring

Before executing any new strategy, examine previous activity and assess successes and failures.

The first point of call is pupil statistics. Which year groups are low in number? Where have the current pupils come from? Why do they choose you? Those who leave: why do they and where do they go? What data does the school have to support the findings? Have surveys been carried out? If so, what are the patterns?

Review previous spending. Does the school keep a record of all marketing spending? What has the budget been spent on? Where has advertising been directed? How many current parents chose the school because of the adverts? Has the school examined the circulation data? Could money have been saved? What is the return on investment? Paid advertising should be a bonus; an added extra and not a priority spending.

What next?Once the data has been gathered, consider the current outreach material. How are the school website, prospectus and signage? Are they up-to-date? These are likely to be the most costly part of any marketing plan. However, they should be a one-off cost. Find a reliable company dedicated to helping you rather than lining their pockets.

Ensure they set up an effective content management system so you can be in control of your website without being at their mercy. One-off investments in inset-day training on the importance of marketing, or getting an external consultant to carry out a study of your current activities, can be valuable.

Once strengths and weaknesses have been identified, consider the threats. Who are your competitors? What do they offer that your school does not? More importantly, what makes your school unique?

Action planOnce the outreach material is updated, you should be able to scale down on other expenses by concentrating on your PR rather than marketing:
• make sure you have a detailed data system in place for prospective, current and past parents and pupils;
• review the school diary. Plan at least two terms ahead. Set up a press release system with perfectly written copy. Develop a relationship with the media. Does the school have a designated photographer at school? Give the reporters what they want: pieces ready for publication with photos. Would local businesses recommend the school? Word of mouth costs nothing and speaks volumes. If you must advertise, negotiate rates and try to get editorial coverage;
• review the relationships with your peers: pre-schools, playgroups, feeder schools: could you help each other?
• use your alumni and parent associations to spread the word by keeping them informed of successes;
• how presentable are your pupils? How dedicated are they to the school community? They can be your most impressive spokespeople;
• on open days, make your visitors feel that you are genuinely happy to see them. Answer all their questions directly and honestly;
• online marketing is virtually free. Do you use Twitter and Facebook? Used responsibly, they can be a great tool. Is your search engine optimisation in place? Will a parent find you easily online? Are all your directory entries correct and updated regularly? and
• are staff aware of their role in marketing the school? Ensure they appreciate that everyone plays a valuable role in this regard.

Effective marketing is not just about selling places. It is about identifying the nature of what your catchment requires and ensuring that your school gives priority to supplying and maintaining a matching service.