Emily was recently invited onto John Murphie (ex-ISBA) and Elise Tonnard’s new podcast – ‘The Education Periscope‘ as their very first guest.
During the conversation, Emily highlights the importance of benefits-driven messaging for a school; messaging that will light prospective families up and will move you to the top of their ‘school shopping list’!
The number one feeling amongst prospective families when vetting a school for their child is what’s in it for us? What will our child get from attending this school?
The brutal truth is, people only really care about what’s in it for them.
A statement like “excellent facilities”, “rich curriculum” or “holistic education” might be tempting, but to a prospective parent, it is exactly the same as what the other schools they’re considering are saying.
So the family’s response is likely to be ‘so what? What does this actually mean for my child?
The key to remember is: Features are not persuasive. Benefits are.
This is where many schools have a clear opportunity. Stop listing what you have. Start articulating what it does.
A modern science lab is not a feature. It is the place where curiosity is developed and confidence in problem-solving is built. A wide co-curricular programme is not breadth for its own sake. It is the mechanism through which every pupil finds their niche and sense of belonging.
The shift is subtle, but critical.
When Stickman works with a school on their key messaging, this is exactly what we focus on. We move past the surface-level claims and dig into the hidden nuggets of greatness that actually differentiate the experience a school offers.
During these projects, we’ve triggered tears (in a good way!) and rounds of applause amongst Senior Leadership Teams! They not only love their new messaging, but they also feel hugely relieved that they now have a powerful and succinct narrative that everyone – from their Marketing & Admissions team, to class teachers, to the Head of the School – can use with confidence and pride.
And for Stickman, this is an absolute joy – knowing we’ve made such a difference to a school.
Get in touch to discuss more ways you can improve your school’s marketing & admissions.
And you can watch the full episode of the video here.