Strategy & Branding

Hiring outside help with marketing is on your To Do list. Maybe your school has experienced a decrease in applications and you are looking to refresh your admissions materials, or you have a new head of school with a more strategic vision for marketing.

Schools often ask us which should happen first: strategic planning or branding? Our answer is they should happen in tandem. If you know you need more right-fit families; if you know you need stronger messaging; and if you know you need a brand refresh—doing both projects in synchronization is the most efficient way to get it done.

Is your school community having trouble communicating its core strengths in a consistent, concise way? Do you need a tool to help everyone get on the same page from a marketing perspective? If so, the solution is a verbal identity.

A name change can be daunting. People are emotionally attached. Not everyone will agree with the final choice. Your new name must authentically reflect your school's identity. Otherwise, the new name can cause confusion, which may create even bigger problems.

The pandemic has presented many unforeseen challenges to independent schools, including how they are able to represent themselves in their communications. As a result of mask mandates, schools have gone more than two years without being able to see and capture in photography the beauty of students’ smiles as they engage in learning on campus. Now that those smiles are visible again, make sure your school is getting the right image.