Before I begin this week's Marketing Matter, I would like to mention that this is Marketing Matter #260. Next week marks the 5th anniversary of www.SchoolAdvancement.com. In the spirit of everything that's been talked about on this Web site resource, there will be some changes coming to keep it fresh and vibrant, as well as make it easier to administer and update.
1) A new look and new functionality. The standard "redesign" cycle of a Web site used to be 5 years, primarily because that's when companies did a refresh of their technology, ordered new computers, etc. I'll bet some of you are still using computers that are more than 5 years old, too. That cycle is becoming shorter and shorter, primarily because of the rate of change in technology, especially in recent years. Seven years ago in 2004, I started a Web site that was hosted "in the cloud." In order for it to be updated, I had to be connected to the Internet. Recall what the most prevalent way of connecting to the Internet was back then...dial up. It took "forever" to load pictures, and, if significant amounts of text were added, it took a proportionally significant amount of time to save the changes. I also started a Yahoo Group for the Development Directors I worked with in the Diocese of Greensburg so we could share ideas. It was that Yahoo Group which evolved into the eCommunity of SchoolAdvancement.com two years later, which had only five main navigation pages back then. In five years, it's grown to over 500 pages...which is one of the reasons for a site redesign.
Today, the world is wireless. Computer companies aren't computer companies anymore - they're "mobile" companies. Cell phones aren't just phones anymore - they're handheld computers. Just as desktop computers gave way to laptops and notebooks, we jettisoned right past netbooks to tablets. Today, when people talk about taking two tablets, it means packing their Android-platform tablet computer and an iPad for a business trip, rather than the remedy for a headache. It's the same with the practice of swiping a card. Today, it means paying for goods or services by credit or debit; back then, it meant someone stole a greeting card from the local Hallmark store.
The new SchoolAdvancement.com site will have more of a "blog" feel to it so that readers like you can subscribe to weekly Marketing Matters, monthly Development Development articles, and if you'd like, my new "Next Practice Tips." If you receive a Marketing Matters preview every week, you've already received the "Next Practice Tip," "Now You Need a Mobile Web Site." Realizing the importance of Vision to a school's future, SchoolAdvancement will be focusing on three areas to take advancement beyond advancement (For education professionals, think of it as Advancing Advancement, or MetaAdvancement.). They are: Next Practice Tips, Growth, and Leadership.
2) The eCommunity is going away. It is spammed hourly by "new members" that want to join from all over the world - but not to talk about development ideas, thoughts, successes and failures. I'm sure you can guess why they want to join. To take its place, a LinkedIn Group has been created on www.linkedin.com, and in order to be a part of it, you must be a member of LinkedIn (membership is free). Truth be told, if you are a development/advancement professional, you need to be a part of this professional networking site. It is relationship building on a professional level - which is what development and advancement is all about, and what development and advancement directors need to do. You can connect with the SchoolAdvancement LinkedIn Group at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3967507.
3) The eNewsletter, "The DREAM," will be reformatted and sent via a new service, making it easier to save and access previous copies. Every person that subscribes and receives weekly Marketing Matters will have the opportunity to subscribe to the eNewsletter in the near future. If you wish to continue to receive Marketing Matters, you must sign up for an RSS feed so that you will be made aware of any updates made to the site.
4) A mobile site is also being crafted - not simply a site that you can access from a mobile device, but one that is specifically designed for a mobile platform.
5) A book on Marketing is on the horizon to accompany the book about Retention. It's going to take the 12 Steps to Creating a Marketing Plan that were offered on this Web site and refine them, adding a little more about the basis of marketing, including an element that everyone seems to miss. If you've been a visitor to this site, you know that the DREAM acronym takes the five elements of Advancement and treats them systemically. In the same way, there are five elements to Marketing, with the first element having three sub-elements. It's that way in Development too (but that's another article for another day).
Now, on to today's Marketing Matter. It's a combination of several ideas, and, as described above, it speaks to the need for change. There's a saying in business today: "If it ain't broke, break it." That's because it takes more and more effort to achieve equal results from year to year utilizing the "tried and true" methodologies, let alone achieve improved results. Parents don't understand this "Law of Diminishing Returns," and here's proof - does this sound familiar: "Why do you have to change? We've always done it this way, and it works for me."
We have to change because there is SO much more to do today. Compliance issues abound; transparency is paramount; new rules - from Protecting God's Children to No Child Left Behind to Red Flag Rules to New Teacher Certification criteria - have dramatically impacted education in the last five years...not to mention the changes in technology during those five years. We simply have to change (or at least shift a little) so we can have time to do the things we need to do, wear more hats, and avoid experiencing burnout and disillusionment. "It works for me" is a clue that parents don't really consider themselves to be an integral part of your school community. Whatever "it" is has to work for as many people as possible - and, sometimes, for everyone. If not, the system is broken, and must be fixed - not linearly, but systemically.
About 8 years ago in Nashville, TN, I heard a presentation given to public school administrators by a retired public school Superintendent. He was African-American, and said that he was raised in a State in the South. "The interesting thing," he said, "was we never thought of ourselves as poor. Because we didn't have a lot of money, Daddy said we were broke."
Read that quote again...it's a revelation! It indicates a current mindset that must be changed in order to have our schools marketed more effectively, and make an impact on the audience you're trying to attract to your school.
It can be argued that Jesus said, "The poor you will always have with you." Indeed, as a faith-based school, we must have a preferential option for the poor. However, if everyone who thinks of themselves as poor will always be poor, then there is no hope for a future. And with no hope for the future, then why, indeed, should a child be enrolled in your school, especially when you're going to ask a parent to pay tuition?
The difference between "poor" and "broke" is that "Poor" is a mindset of despair; "Broke" is a mindset of hopefulness, because if it's "broke," it can be fixed! It's all about the mindset - not all about the Benjamins.
So let's address that "Benjamins" issue since we're trying to fix something that's broken. As you get ready to start a new fiscal year and start planning for the next one, consider adding 10% + $20 to your overall per child tuition. 3% goes to cash incentive, 7% goes to a financial aid fund, and $20 goes to pay for services that you can automate so that you can focus on other processes vital to the continued operation of your school. If you'd like more details about how this works out in a scenario basis, drop an email to me at mikez@schooladvancement.com. You can also ask for a "Next Practice" preview of funding a development director position for your school.
