Managing an educational establishment like a school or a university brings with it a unique set of challenges. On the one hand, your primary role is to ensure the day-to-day operation of the school or university is problem-free, with your students receiving a well-rounded education.
However, a less obvious challenge attached to your role as an educational leader is to ensure the reputation of your establishment is strong and that it attracts a consistent flow of enthusiastic students.
While this reputation is defined somewhat by the results of previous students and educational surveys, you can do a lot to improve the brand image of your establishment in other areas.
After all, you could have a school full of bright students and engaging teachers, but if you can’t convey that to prospective parents and students, then you may not convince them to enroll at your school.
This is where your brand identity can make all the difference.
Whether you are creating smart prospectuses, owning any previous weaknesses, improving the appearance of your facilities, or better engaging with prospective students on a personal basis, there is a lot you can achieve with the right strategy in place.
Here are five ways to improve the brand identity of your educational establishment:
Work alongside a specialist
One of the best ways of promoting schools and universities is to enlist the assistance of an educational marketing specialist.
The reason why this is a strong solution is that if you are not properly versed in marketing strategy, you could make a misstep that is difficult to come back from.
At the end of the day, you provide an education, not a product, so any signs of sleazy sales tactics or misplaced messaging could destroy your establishment’s reputation.
This is where dedicated educational marketing specialists come in. They can help you to shape a strategy that works while assisting you with more specific tasks like designing the yearbook or improving your visual identity.
Focus on displaying your strengths
No school, college, or university is perfect, and nor should they be, for each has its own particular strengths. It is these strengths that prospective students (and their families) search for when they are choosing where to study.
Perhaps your educational establishment has a glittering sporting heritage or boasts a strong science department. Whatever your strengths, it is crucial that they are presented at the heart of your brand identity.
This is not to say that you can’t mention other areas of your school, only that by making your strengths clear, people can gain a better understanding of why they might want to choose your school or university over another.
Naturally, you may not attract everyone, but you are more likely to entice those whose ethos and talents match up well with the strengths of your educational establishment.
Acknowledge any previous shortcomings
On the flip side, it is also important to acknowledge any perceived weaknesses or previous reputational damage your organization may have sustained.
This might sound counterintuitive, but in reality, everyone who has researched your establishment will already know about these weaknesses, so it is better to own them than shy away from them.
It might simply be that a particular department is smaller than other establishments or that you suffered poor results in previous years. Whatever the issue, present a clear explanation and what you are doing to rectify the problem.
Remember who you are talking to
Marketing is chiefly about connecting with your audience, and the education sector is no different.
Focus on better understanding who you are trying to communicate with - whether it is students or their parents - in order to engage them on a personal level.
Most decisions in life are derived from a combination of head and heart, so if you can engage both, then you will drastically improve your brand identity.
Improve your presentation skills
Lastly, it is critical to improve your presentation skills.
As a leader of your organization, you are the first point of contact for many students and their families. They will therefore form a snap judgment about the proficiency of your establishment from the first impression you give them, so you need to make it a good one.
It is rare to be natural at people skills, so if you feel that you and your fellow members of senior staff are lacking in this area, then it could be worth training yourselves to improve.
This could mean practicing the art of speech-making, improving your body language and tone of voice, or giving your appearance an overhaul.
These seemingly small differences can add up to make a huge difference.