Seabury Consulting LLC

I’m honored to again be presenting ?????? at the 2025 Small School Leaders Conference! This virtual conference will occur February 4-7 and feature 33+ sessions delving into the specific challenges small private schools face—including marketing, admission, development, and leadership. I’m excited to talk about how you can whip your ??? website’s content into shape for a seamless redesign or summer refresh ?. Through Dec. 19, tickets are 25% off. ?? Use code LEADERS25 at checkout. Register now and take your school to the next level ?? https://lnkd.in/gDBMm6EV I look forward to seeing you there! ?? https://lnkd.in/gt5VYfvW #SmallSchoolsConference2025 #SchoolSupport #SmallSchoolSolutions #MarketingHelp #EducationConsulting #smallschools #privateschools #independentschools #schoolmarketing #professionaldevelopment #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications

Do you look at marketing as a cost…or a growth driver? In 2022, Enrollment Management Association, National Association of Independent Schools, and NBOA: Business Leadership for Independent Schools released the Independent School Cost-Per-Enrollment Study. It brings together research, data ??, and best practices to help schools make more informed decisions around funding and support for enrollment efforts. For an industry that has struggled with bad data, and with roughly 50% of independent schools in the US apparently being under their enrollment goals, it’s critical that schools understand that tuition ?? represents, on average, 70% of their revenue. For schools not meeting their enrollment goals, the Cost-Per-Enrollment Study is prescriptive: you need to spend money ?? to make money ??. And the ROI on marketing efforts would make the private sector green with envy: on average, $7 in tuition is generated by every dollar spent to enroll a new student. School leadership can’t fall into the trap ?? of simply controlling expenditures. Schools need to spend strategically, i.e., spend in the right places to hit enrollment goals, feed operating revenue, and keep the institution healthy. Thank you to Kevin MacNeil of Metric Marketing for geeking out on this topic and providing countless insights ?? on the Cost-Per-Enrollment Study on InspirED School Marketers SparkCast’s most recent podcast episode. Kevin’s final 2 final takeaways for private schools: 1?? Understand your software costs and get the most out of these expenditures as possible, including getting help on implementation to ensure utilization is strategic 2?? Increase your marketing and advertising budgets (separate from communications) since the data show that most schools don’t spend enough and therefore risk not meeting their enrollment goals #datadrivenmarketing #datadrivendecisions #schoolmarketing #independentschools #independentschool #schoolcommunications #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #privateschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications

Is marketing to prospective employees part of your work? It should be. According to recent research ??, in the fall of 2023, 15.5% of independent schools were reporting unfilled teaching positions at the start of the school year. In fact, schools around the country have been experiencing faculty hiring and retention challenges ?? for several years. While the causes are complex, one thing is clear ??: the teacher pipeline is narrowing. Surveys show common reasons for high school and college students not pursuing teaching as a career include: ?? Low pay ?? Lack of opportunity for career growth ?? Lack of respect for teachers ?? Too little flexibility for teaching styles Certainly, MarCom team members can’t singlehandedly solve this complex issue ??, but we can absolutely move the needle. For starters, is your marketing messaging dynamically highlighting the financial benefits, opportunities for growth and individuality, and teacher-elevating culture at your school? Try enhancing ? your careers/employment webpage, and move on from there! #teachershortage #employeemarketing #schoolmarketing #independentschools #independentschool #schoolcommunications #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #privateschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications

What keeps you going in your work? For me, it’s working with students ??. I find interacting beyond the surface level with students invigorating, fun, and endlessly fascinating ??. When I worked at an independent school, I was an Upper School advisor for roughly a decade, having the privilege of walking alongside a small group of students and their families during their high school years. I’m honored to keep in touch with several of them. Now that I’m a consultant, I get my student fix by doing limited work with an admission counseling firm that works with applicants to independent K-12s ?? and colleges. These student interactions powerfully remind me of the transformative effect ?? of a best-fit school. It’s college app season, and with early deadlines looming, I’ve got admission essays ?? on my mind. Just like in previous years, the tremendous variety of essay topics—appropriate for the authentic singularity of each student—didn’t disappoint. Topics ranged from learning to talk to strangers to a dream of starting a marine biology camp for kids with special needs. (Side note: these kids are WAY more interesting and inspired than I was at their age ??!) How do you reinvigorate your sense of professional purpose? #purposedriven #whatsyourwhy #schoolmarketing #independentschools #independentschool #schoolcommunications #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #privateschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications

Do in-person connections energize you? As soon as I left a bustling 1,100+ student independent school ?? and started my own business, I discovered that I do my best creative work in solitude and silence. As far as deep thinking and content creation go, remote work is my sweet spot ??. This surprised me ??—and many who know me well!—given my extroverted tendencies, interest in people, and appreciation for being in community. While I achieve professional “flow” ?? in my quiet home office far more often than in a busy marketing and communications office, gathering with colleagues in person now takes on a higher purpose: it buoys my sense of purpose and sparks joy ? for weeks. As a result, professional meet-ups and masterminds are regular occurrences on my calendar ??. But, given the geographic reach that remote work facilitates, meeting in person with clients has become a rare treat. Last week, I had the pleasure of such a client gathering ??? with Heather Burchfield, Jennifer Cleary, and Melissa Webber. We celebrated projects completed—including an award-winning ?? new website and their latest magazine issue, discussed ways to improve our process, and encouraged each other in the face of industry challenges. And there wasn’t a screen in sight ??. I returned to my solo office reinvigorated. In your work, what’s the ideal balance between focused solitude and social connection? #deepwork #inpersonconnection #schoolmarketing #independentschools #independentschool #schoolcommunications #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #privateschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications

What’s the easiest way to identify and partner with a consultant or specialist to get a big project done? When I was a Director of Marketing and Communications at a K-12, the process of identifying high-quality and well-matched external partners was intimidating and time-consuming ??. That’s why I’m pleased and honored to have joined School Partner Connect? ?. It’s a network of school consultants, freelancers, firms, and experts curated by LeadTeam Partners, the only firm ?? built for school leaders to easily engage external school partners. Simply put, this is how independent schools can easily engage external school partners and ensure that the big projects get done ?. School leaders can now submit ?? their challenges and projects in the following areas and easily connect ?? with experienced professionals within each area of expertise: ?? Advancement ?? Business office ?? Coaching & mentoring ?? Culture & community ?? Enrollment management ?? Governance ?? Innovation & strategy ?? Leadership search ?? Marketing & communications ?? Professional development? ?? Strategic planning ?? Tech, Data & AI ?? Other Access the form to start the streamlined process ??: https://lnkd.in/eWwRqpyp #leadteampartners #schoolpartnerconnect #schoolpartnersearch #schoolmarketing #independentschools #independentschool #schoolcommunications #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #privateschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications

Does your marketing truly differentiate you from your competition? It’s a question worth considering because…confused customers don’t buy ??. This old business adage has come to mind recently when I’ve been talking with families applying to independent schools (it’s fall ??, y’all, which means it's application season). Often, neither kids nor their parents are clear on what makes one school ?? meaningfully different from the next ??????. This lack of clarity would concern Brené Brown, who has popularized the aphorism “clear is kind.” It also sells ??. In a sea of institutions ?????? offering challenging academics, low student-to-teacher ratios, plentiful extracurriculars, and impressive college acceptances, are you being clear about what sets your institution apart? Are you stuck on the hamster wheel of trying to be all things to all people? Assuming you’re with Brené ?? on clear being kind…exactly how do we get clear on what sets us apart? Listen ??. Listen long and listen well—to the experiences and priorities of your current community, as well as the observations and desires of prospective families. There just isn’t any substitute for listening. What you hear ?? might just be the kindest clarity your customers need. #strategiclistening #distinctivecompetence #cleariskind #schoolmarketing #independentschools #independentschool #schoolcommunications #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #privateschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications

How do you stay abreast of industry trends? For me, a combination of attending conferences ?, participating in networking events ?, listening to podcasts ?, reading articles ?, and regularly reviewing social media ? is a must. Thanks to Chris Pryor at LeadTeam Partners (what a treat to receive snail mail, Chris!), I’m adding a hard copy of the 2024-2025 National Association of Independent Schools Trendbook ?? to my list of resources. Here’s to looking ahead ?? and planning for the future to better serve schools in transforming ?? lives. #educationtrends #futureofeducation #schoolmarketing #independentschools #independentschool #schoolcommunications #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #privateschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications

Is your school’s tuition page one of the strongest on the website? It should be, since it’s one of the most visited pages ?? of any school’s site, and the one that every prospective family will visit at some point. Don’t lose your potential customers to sticker shock ?? before they understand the value your school offers. In the most recent episode of the Mindful School Marketing Podcast ???, I share specific ways to enhance your school’s tuition page to make it better support your enrollment goals. If it’s not possible to partner with a consultant for this project, don’t despair! All of these tips and strategies ?? can be implemented in-house, without any special design work. Thanks for having me Aubrey Bursch and Tara Claeys—you made it an enjoyable experience ??! Enjoy the episode ???: https://bit.ly/4daMu54 #marketingtips #marketingpodcast #schoolmarketing #independentschools #independentschool #schoolcommunications #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #privateschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications

Are you close to crashing? Or perhaps it feels more like meltdown, overwhelm…utter exhaustion ????? No matter its name or when it hits, we all have times when we feel stretched entirely too thin. Chris Ducker, author of Virtual Freedom, coined a phrase that might explain a significant reason for overwhelm: Superhero Syndrome ??. What is Superhero Syndrome? It’s heroically doing all the work until you crash. When I was a manager, I was sometimes guilty of this approach, despite working alongside terrific team members ????♀?. Systems and efficiency expert Jenny Blake recommends a delegation strategy to address Superhero Syndrome. To be able to focus on your most strategic actions, Blake recommends offloading tasks characterized by the 5?? Ts: 1?? Tiny: so small they seem inconsequential, but they add up 2?? Tedious: relatively simple, but not the best use of your time 3?? Time-consuming: although they may be important and even somewhat complex, they require too much time; you could step in when the task is 80% complete to give approval or direction on next steps 4?? Terrible at: areas where you are ill-equipped, you take far longer than people skilled in the area, and you would produce a subpar result 5?? Time-sensitive: need to be done right away but compete with other priorities and can’t all be done at once Whether you have a sizeable team to delegate to or you are a team of 1?? who needs to delegate via software solutions, look to offload one of the 5?? Ts today…and kiss ?? Superhero Syndrome goodbye! #delegation #productivity #efficiency #schoolmarketing #independentschools #independentschool #schoolcommunications #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #educationmarketing #indieschools #privateschools #schoolcommunication #strategiccommunications