Are You a School, an Academy or an Institute?
And do you know the difference? Condensing all the definitions found on dictionary.com for these words renders these meanings:
School - An institution where instruction is given
Academy - An institution for the advancement of a particular field of study or special instruction in a subject (usually associated with a secondary school)
Institute - An organization for carrying on a particular work
Now, not to say that you should change your school's name, but consider the meaning of the words. "School" is applicable to any type of venue (public, private, faith-based, etc.) where learning occurs. "Academy" comes closer to what we do, but, just at "Catholic" school is inferred when we speak about one such institution, sometimes the word "Classical" is associated with a school that calls itself an "Academy" to describe the learning that takes place there - especially if it's not a secondary school.
But look at "Institute" - an organization that carries on a particular work. While it's usually associated with something technical (like technology or electronics) or scientific (like biology or chemistry), our "schools" carry on the work of the Master teacher.
From a marketing standpoint, that can be big - to demonstrate our Catholic identity and culture in a profound way. It's also quite interesting when you use the letters of the school for marketing purposes. For example, St. Mary Institute in Amsterdam, NY, could choose to create bumper stickers in an oval shape with the letters "SMI" centered in a large, block letter font. In very small print, around the perimeter of the oval, the school name could be written out as well as a Web address or phone number. Such information is usually a shock to one that gets up close to read it - after all, they're probably thinking, "SMI - I've never heard of that Island...I wonder if that's near Jamaica" You have certainly grabbed that person's attention in a memorable way.
If more and more cars with ovals attract more and more people in the same manner, you're creating local "buzz" about your school.
Coming up next week, we start our 12-steps to a marketing plan for your school which you can implement during the upcoming school year.
© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2009 (Original Publication Date: 20090525)
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