The Inbound Marketing Handbook for Independent Schools: Combining Strategy with Implementation

Transcription

1 The Inbound Marketing Handbook for Independent Schools: Combining Strategy with Implementation Presenters: Scott Allenby, Hans Mundahl, and Peter Baron

2 About us: Hans Mundahl Founder Hans Mundahl & Associates Inc. Scott Allenby Director of Communications & Marketing Proctor Academy Peter Baron Partner Development Manager Blackbaud

3 Learning Objectives 1. Understand the role inbound marketing plays in independent school communications and admissions offices. 2. Understand the steps necessary to develop a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy for your school. 3. Learn from case study examples of schools using different approaches to inbound marketing. 4. Understand the tactical steps you can take to implement an inbound marketing strategy at your school. 5. Objectively look at your own marketing strategy and website to determine opportunities for improvement.

4 Why an Inbound Marketing Strategy is Essential Inbound Marketing: It s great content. It s providing value for your audience. It s captivating stories told and brought to life with images and video. It s using data to glean insights. Developing an inbound marketing strategy does far more than simply augment your admissions pool; it solidifies your brand.

5 Inbound Marketing Meets Admissions Once you understand the steps of your Inbound Marketing Process, you need to overlay each stage of your Admissions process. Stage 1: Inquire Stage 2: Visit Stage 3: Apply Stage 4: Enroll Step 1: Know Yourself Step 2: Know Your Families Step 3: Develop Content Step 4: Deliver Content Step 5: Drive Your CTAs

6 Delivering on Expectations Education of the student. vs. Communication of ROI to parents. These two goals may feel conflicting for schools, but they aren t. BOTH REQUIRE TRUST

7 Develop Personas to Get to Know Your Families Who are your different customers? What do their lives look like? How do they consume information digitally? In what ways do they interact with your school? You must understand your audience in order to understand how to market to them. HubSpot blog on Developing Personas

8 Know Yourself & Why You Exist Ask yourself: Why do you exist? What are your true differentiators? Within first 5 seconds on your website does a family understand these differentiators? If you asked your faculty and staff who you are, would their answer be consistent with yours? It takes courage and honest, intentional self-reflection to know yourself. You must be willing to be vulnerable.

9 Know Your True Differentiators Never market your commonalities.

10 Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader If you do what you claim you do as well as you claim to do it, tell people about it! Create content offers that become conversation opportunities for prospective families. Create content that is universally useful to people. Developing thought leadership content is the most cost effective marketing you can do and it reinforces your brand internally.

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12 Telling Your Story Is a Long-Run Game Your school s brand is not created through a single piece of content. Your brand is developed over time, through consistent messaging around a core set of principles.

13 Telling Your Story Requires a Structured Plan Showcase Value Proposition. Show Why You Are Different. Anticipate Questions Proactively develop content that tells your story and answers questions.

14 Telling Your Story by Thinking, Planning, Doing. Brainstormer? Organizer? Executer? Who are you? Who is on your team? Can you deliver content to the right people at the right time through the right medium? In order to develop a personal inbound marketing strategy, you have to be able to do all three of

15 Rapid Focus Groups

16 Site Optimization Overview Are we set up for success? Do we clearly communicate what we do? Do we make a strong case for why it matters? Do site visitors know what to do next?

17 Are We Set Up For Success? Analytics Dashboard Geo Location Unique Visitors Popular Pages Visit Duration Entry / Exit Devices Used Discovery Is Anything Broken? Google Search Console Basic SEO Sitemap Meta Tags Vanity URL s Moz Open Site Explorer

18 Um What is it you do again? Hurry up, I don t have all minute. WHOFER

19 Why should I care?

20 Compelling Video Content

21 I m hooked, what should I do next! Find out more Watch the video the coach Get a free thing Learn something Download the 7 tips (Inquire & Apply)

22 Site Optimization Review Are we set up for success? Do we clearly communicate what we do? Do we make a strong case for why it matters? Do site visitors know what to do next?

23 Questions?? Hans Mundahl Peter Baron @scotteallenby