12 pieces of advice for new school marketers

Like many of us who’ve found ourselves working in schools, I stumbled blindly into my first school marketing role, not really knowing what to expect.

I still remember vividly sitting in the Principal’s office a few weeks in asking, “Is it always like this?”

If I could go back in time, this is the advice that I would give myself as I commenced working at my first school.

To all the new people working in school marketing, I really hope it helps you find your way.

1.??????You need to be agile

I’m not talking about physical agility (although that will come in handy for those Staff versus Students netball games).

In schools, you need to be able to switch gears instantly, often several times a day.

That whole “pivot” thing during Covid? Most of us in school marketing didn’t know what all the fuss was about – pivot is a natural state of being when you work in our world.

2.??????Know how to prioritise

You will always have several conflicting priorities at any given time.

The trick is knowing where to focus your attention and how much time you can allocate to each task.

Think of it as having 16 balls in the air – how do you keep them all moving without letting one fall?

Pro tip: Sometimes you do have to let one fall in order to keep the more important balls safe. The real trick is figuring out which one...

3.??????You must be a marketing generalist

How many hats do we wear in a day? Let me count the ways…

Let’s see, we can be a social media manager, comms manager, event coordinator, web developer, email marketer, tour guide, customer service advisor, publisher, editor, PR manager, marketing strategist, PowerPoint extraordinaire and video editor…

If we go back to the netball analogy, you’re going to need to be every player on the court. Plus the coach, the manager and the person who brought along the cut up oranges.

And you know what? That’s all part of the fun!

4.??????Be patient

Families take years to choose which school they will enrol their children at (the data indicates between two to five years).

The work you do now won’t pay dividends for at least 18 months, but will really set in at about the three year mark.

School enrolments are a cruise ship, not a speed boat – you can’t just turn one of those big boats around straight away.

It’s the same with enrolments.

5.??????Understand different stakeholders

Be savvy with the various stakeholders you are managing – you might be focusing your efforts on prospective parents, but you also need to consider existing parents, students, teachers, alumni, P&F Association and the College Council.

Making sure all those groups feel happy and well-informed is going to keep you on your toes, my friend.

6.??????Have a servant heart

You are here to serve your school’s community.

Focus on providing world class customer service – your customers, i.e. parents, are making a huge investment in your school.

I’m not just talking about the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars they will spend either – choosing a school is also a long term commitment and huge emotional investment.

Treat them with the respect and appreciation they deserve.

7.??????You need to like kids

This is a no-brainer, but it still needs to be said. To be successful in any job, you need to believe in what you do.

And while we’re not in the classroom, you will have frequent interactions with the students in your role and it’s important that you can relate to them well.

I was in my late 20s when I started working in schools and had nothing to do with children or teenagers since I had been one myself.

Do you know what I learned?

Kids are brilliant! Working with them is a gift and you can be a positive role model in your school community. Never forget that.

8.??????Think strategically

It’s all too easy to get caught up in doing all the things, but you need to make time to stop and think strategically.

If you don’t, you will constantly be busy but you won’t be achieving the same outcomes as you would if you make time for strategy.

Need some help? Check out my Strategic School Marketing Framework – it has a full suite of strategic worksheets designed specifically for school marketers.

9.??????The first 12 months are the toughest

After 12 years in school marketing, I will tell you that the first 12 months of working in schools will be one of the most challenging experiences you’ll have in your career.

Stick with it for a year and I promise it will get easier.

It will never by easy, but it definitely gets easier.

10.??Learn how to say no – fast!

Someone once joked that my role should really be called, “Director of S*** Nobody Wants to Do”.

That’s because marketing is often misunderstood and can become a catch all for those jobs that reside in No-man’s-land.

Your to-do list is already big enough without taking on jobs that fall outside the area of marketing.

You do need to say yes to some things that wouldn’t fly in the corporate world, but the trick is knowing what you can politely, but firmly, say no to.

11.??Never stop learning

We are blessed to work in a field that is constantly evolving.

Think of what marketing looked like 10 years ago - who knows what it will look like in 10 years’ time!

It is both a gift and a curse that the more you know about marketing, the more you realise you don’t know (this is why people who have no idea like to tell marketers how to do our jobs).

Be proactive about learning new things – you are, after all, working in a place where learning is celebrated.

12.??Enjoy the ride

Yes, schools are intense places to work, but they are also super fun!

When I look back over the past 12 years, I have so many fond memories ranging from travelling overseas to competing in Staff versus Students tug-of-war.

I wouldn’t trade it for the world and feel very blessed to work in this field.

Schools are fun places to work – don’t let the everyday pressures cause you to forget that.

Final word

School marketing is incredibly challenging, but it is also the most fulfilling, enjoyable and rewarding field I’ve worked in.

If you can find that joy amid the chaos, like I have, then you’ll be a convert for life.

If you’re new to school marketing, I’d love to hear which points resonated with you most. Please feel welcome to reach out to me and others who have been doing this for some time.

For those of you who have also been doing this for a while, please share your top tips for new school marketers. I'm sure there's plenty more!

Bianca Coleborn is the Director of Marketing at Faith Lutheran College in Plainland. She is also the Founder of School Marketing Manifesto, home of the Strategic School Marketing Framework that is designed to help time-poor school marketers create a marketing plan that drives enrolments through optimising the parent experience.