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The Importance of Past Parents in Schools Marketing
As I move into the category of "past parent" at my daughter's school it's led to me reflecting on the role of past parents.
Word of mouth remains the overwhelming factor for most parents when choosing a family. A survey I conducted on this which saw over 2k parents respond confirmed this point - if you’d like to see the results please download it here.
Now as you would expect current parents feature highly - however so did past parents. 60% of parents said they spoke to a past parent when looking at schools. So more than a 50/50 chance that whoever is on that tour has been given an opinion from a past parent.
How do we manage that past parent rhetoric? There are plenty of things you can do - here are my top three.
- Exit surveys - when the dust has settled - perhaps in September - parents are fickle - their opinion lost August results may change their outlook. Whilst this might seem grossly unfair it’s important we manage this - so asking after results is a better time for the survey. The results not only give you an insight into the hearts and minds of parents it enables you to address the myths they might be perpetuating based on their individual experience- either by responding or being ready to address questions on a tour. Forewarned is forearmed!
- Thank you letters - for the parents . Let that last correspondence from the school be something memorable and personal - not a letter telling them they are getting a deposit back. Thank them for trusting you with their son/daughter and believing in the education you offer.
- Good luck/congratulations cards for the school leavers. My daughter lives her school- an easy win if a postcard with her year group on would be great and definitely on our fridge or her mirror! On that theme it’s interesting to note that both my older children, after leaving school, took a liking to the school teddy bears that had been lying around the house. Have we got it wrong giving them out to joiners and really it should be leavers???
The importance of tone: A lesson from ColdPlay
Recently I was lucky enough to watch ColdPlay - and I defy anyone to not watch it and enjoy it - irrespective as to whether you like their music or not. As the Times said it really was "the pinnacle of modern entertainment". The lighting show making it as much as the music. Ahead of it starting there was a slide show - much of this was about the good work ColdPlay do for sustainability -which led of course to Noel Gallagher calling them geography teachers - however there was an important lesson in terms of tone and human behaviour.
There was a slide that said " Please consider not smoking in the stadium." Very polite, perhaps too polite? surely we should have been told not to - not least because the accompanying graphic was that of the no smoking sign which I didn't think was an "option" I thought it was a mandate. Secondly it went on to say "This will improve the air quality for the performers" why not the air quality for EVERYONE? As a band that pride themselves on inclusivity this missed the mark. A quick reminder of how change of language can make all the difference - and something that when working in schools is crucial. The tone is often more important than the message - it is worth spending time on - getting it right can make the difference. Warm, empathetic and caring - this is what parents want to see - so the more we use this in our tone the better. Parental communications, in a world where visits to school are less frequent, set the tone and indeed the relationship for the school and parent. We can never underestimate the tone - or maybe its just me overthinking it as a marketeer!!
