What I learned at the 2017 LMAIS spring meeting

Last week, I grinned when LinkedIn reminded me that I started as the Communications Associate at North Shore Country Day School (NSCDS) one year ago. Days after my work anniversary, I accompanied my colleague, the Director of Marketing at NSCDS, at the Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools (LMAIS) general spring meeting. These meetings are a great opportunity for professionals new and old to share experiences, resources, failures and successes for maintaining a strong independent school presence in the Midwest.

North Shore was just one school represented among many in the Chicago area that gathered at Chiaravalle Montessori for the event. Heads of School, Admissions Directors and Staff, Communications and Marketing Staff, Business and Finance Directors and Staff, Human Resources Personnel and World Language Teachers attended. After scribbling down my ideas and wish list in the Communications and Marketing discussion group, these were my favorite LMAIS meeting takeaways.

1. Social media is the new water cooler

This clever remark came from Lauren Hensel, Director of Admissions at Morgan Park Academy (MPA). The analogy is simple – social media is where parents go to share about their children's school, activities, accomplishments and extracurriculars. Though this is something we've noticed in our marketing department just by observation, it creates a snag in the story of our school's online presence: our social media guidelines. Even if when to post or not to post seems obvious for school content, there's a lot of gray area when it comes to monitoring others' posts that directly associate with the school. NSCDS is currently experiencing a year of record enrollment, and it's no secret that an increase in environment welcomes an increase in attention. I immediately moved the goal of having precise, enforceable guidelines to the top of my list.

2. Refinery meets honesty

This concept came up in the beginning of the conversation and floated around the room as a reminder for the entirety of it. NSCDS values its 21st century learning, which is why the entire school embraces its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative and Live and Serve motto. And social media storytelling is as 21st century as it gets! But there is a lot to manage at once – a necessary balance for telling our stories, but in concise posts, without glossing over the impactful meaning, 3-5 times a day and over multiple channels.

3. The website is not for current families

I think this is something I already knew in the back of my mind, but I wasn't truly aware of it until I heard it out loud. In the Communications discussion group were a handful of school web developers, and they all agreed that current parents don't realize the external site is not for them – it is for those who may be them in the future. This had me considering how to prioritize web pages and content. The website is built for prospective families. The menu tabs, welcome message and "quick links" all serve purposes for someone who has never stepped foot on campus before. In a very specific illustration, MPA launched a virtual open house on their site.

4. Print media will not die

Print vs. digital is one of the hottest topics in these discussions, perhaps because there are so many overlapping components. The room always seems to be split evenly. I see value in both physical materials and online-exclusives, but the common argument is how print materials are obsolete, with factors like cost, updates and design, distribution and in-house or outsource printing. Yet there are still families who request copy after copy of the handbook, the annual report and the curriculum guide all year long. I've had this conversation hundreds of times, but what stood out to me during the LMAIS version of it was when someone called their handbooks "objects with a story." I know an admin professional would not give a handbook such a heavy title if it wasn't beloved among the school community by faculty, parents and students. It would require a handful of time and revision, but I began picturing a better future for our little summer handbook project. There could be a way to turn this standard, black and white, staple-bound guide into a keepsake. Since I'm already giving our social media that kind of dedication, it might not hurt to give our print materials a makeover too.

5. The goal is to have goals

Among the independent school staff in the group was a former business consultant. She spoke up when we got to the struggle of organization. Her advice reminded me of opening up a blank excel spreadsheet – not in an intimidating way, but in a refreshing way that makes you think you too can be a successful, organized individual and inspire the rest of your team. And that was the motivation I needed. Her content strategy comes from, at the bare minimum, setting 5 solid goals. Not surface-level, lofty ideas of what we want, but what each accomplishment will tangibly look like regarding press or event planning or a social media campaign. Our centennial is coming up, which is a perfect opportunity to try this method.