I\u2019ve heard some principals\u00a0and other educational leaders express concern that they \u201cneed to be creative\u201d in order to be a good marketer, or state that they \u201cjust can\u2019t do it.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s a lot of hooey.\u00a0 If you are a good teacher, you are a good marketer.\u00a0 Teachers are many times our best marketers, as they communicate with parents about their children; meet prospective parents, and through their meeting, convince parents (through their words and\/or actions in the classroom) that this school is where they want to place their children; communicate with members of the parish when they attend Mass or participate in a parish activity; and represent the school when they are in public (at a supermarket, home improvement center, restaurant or concert).\u00a0 A teacher\u2019s very actions are reflections of the school at which they minister to our children.<\/p>\n
Teachers \u201cmarket\u201d every day \u2013 they get children to be open to new ideas, and create lesson plans to help them do that.\u00a0 A good lesson plan will touch the four learning domains \u2013 cognitive, affective, kinesthetic and conative \u2013 in order that a learner will learn, it have an impact on his or her life, he or she will be able to demonstrate the learning, and will make the learner want to continue to learn.\u00a0 The same is true of marketing – marketing simply replaces the audience of children with adults.<\/p>\n
Since marketing is education, a good marketing plan must touch three (cognitive, affective and kinesthetic) of the four learning domains to be able to get to the fourth (conative).\u00a0 It is at this point that development efforts will start to take root.<\/p>\n
Marketing to the cognitive domain makes the appeal to logic.\u00a0 It is based on facts, figures, and begins the process of \u201cthinking\u201d about changing.\u00a0 Appealing to the cognitive domain will prompt the parent into making the phone call to get more \u201cinformation\u201d \u2013 more facts answer their queries and affirm their considerations – and schedule a tour.<\/p>\n
Marketing to the affective domain requires an appeal to the emotions.\u00a0 It is based on how someone feels when an action takes place.\u00a0 The impact of an appeal to the affective domain is evident when a parent tours the school, which is why the \u201cmood\u201d of the school is important.\u00a0 The mood is the \u201cnon-verbal\u201d that a parent experiences when they come to the experience the school that will solidify the decision, even though a parent may still need that last bit of \u201cexperience\u201d to \u201cseal the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is important to note that tuition has not even entered into the picture yet.\u00a0 Starting to talk about tuition at this point provides, for many families, an obstacle to becoming part of the school (or, more bluntly, provides a \u201cWe can\u2019t afford it\u201d excuse to parents, allowing them an \u201cout\u201d before becoming thoroughly attached to the school).\u00a0 Before sitting down with parents to review tuition policies, you need to market to their third learning domain.<\/p>\n
It should also be noted at this time that even mentioning what full cost tuition is, or saying \u201cMost of our parents pay an average of X, but we\u2019ll talk about that later,\u201d puts a number into a parent\u2019s mind even before they\u2019ve had the full experience.<\/p>\n
Marketing to the kinesthetic domain is an appeal to the physical.\u00a0 It is based on \u201cbeing\u201d\u2026 being a part of the school community, and working to accomplish a task or goal that will benefit the school.\u00a0 For instance, a parent could be invited to attend a \u201cGood Neighbor\u201d breakfast and act as part of the community (rather than simply \u201cfeeling\u201d they are a part of the community).\u00a0 Schools must be aware of what someone can \u201cdo\u201d for the school, and then ask the parent to do it \u2013 even though the parent might say \u201cno.\u201d\u00a0 It makes that parent \u201cthink\u201d and \u201cfeel\u201d that they will be an important part of the school community because of what they can \u201cdo\u201d for it.<\/p>\n
After contacting the parent to follow-up with how the parent liked the event, the parent can be invited back into the school to discuss the tuition policy.\u00a0 Bring them in \u2013 never have a financial discussion over the phone. The parent always has the ability to hang up.<\/p>\n
When all three domains are marketed to, and the child becomes part of the school community, the parent also becomes part of the school community, and begins to involve others because they become engaged about the possibilities and potentiality of the school, and how such dreams will benefit their child.\u00a0 This aspect is conation\u00a0\u2013 the desire (or want) to learn more, do more and become engaged in the mission of the school.\u00a0 Engagement can also lead to passion within the parent.\u00a0 We all know those parents who will do absolutely anything for the school \u2013 THEY have passion.\u00a0 Passion, interestingly, makes a parent open to opportunities which satisfy the wants and desires of the school.\u00a0 Such is the basis of relationship building.\u00a0 It is only after the other three steps that engagement occurs and begins the process of building a relationship.\u00a0 It is not coincidental that the step before marriage (a life-long relationship between two people) is called \u201cengagement.\u201d\u00a0 Both individuals want to become more involved in the life of the other.\u00a0 In fact, the goal of marriage is unity \u2013 for two to become one, as Jesus states, \u201cJust as the Father and He are One.\u201d\u00a0 Deepening that engagement to a level of passion can also be understood when we consider Christ.\u00a0 Every Lent, we commemorate the Passion of Our Lord.\u00a0 Many people define the Passion as the act of Christ\u2019s suffering and dying for us on the cross.\u00a0 While this is a correct definition, here is a more powerful one \u2013 the Passion of Our Lord is his willingness to do whatever must be done.\u00a0 Just as we define our parents that will do absolutely anything for the school because \u201cthey love the school so much\u201d as passionate, Christ\u2019s Passion is to do whatever needs to be done in order to secure our salvation \u2013 even offer himself to die so that we can all be saved, and live with the Father forever.<\/p>\n
The mindset change brought forth by marketing and enrollment process becomes the foundation of all development efforts.\u00a0 Developing relationships made with various constituencies will provide the stewardship necessary to sustain the school.\u00a0 One must remember that in order to get what you, as a school, want, you must be concerned with what others want. \u00a0 As St. Francis told us, centuries before Steven Covey said it again, \u201cSeek first to understand\u2026then be understood.\u201d\u00a0 Listen to what the parents want for their child \u2013 if your school can provide the type of learning atmosphere they are seeking, then and only then can you help them to understand your tuition structure.\u00a0 As they become more and more involved in your school, their engagement will turn into passion.\u00a0 In turn, these people become not only your best stewards of their time, talent and treasure, but they will bring others to your school, where you can start the marketing process all over again.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2007<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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