BY MARTIN SIEGEL
IN EDUCATION THESE
DAYS, administrators must develop a marketing approach to communicate what their
schools and programs offer. As with all products, this means instilling a bundle
of values and accomplishments to differentiate what one school or district offers apart
from competitors. The response might be: “I don’t have the money for an ad campaign;
this isn’t Procter and Gamble.” However, with clever strategy lack of money can be no problem at all. Here
are ten ways this can be done.
ONE. All it takes is a phone call
or visit to a library or website to find out who all your possible media contacts are. This includes the daily city newspaper, the
neighborhood weekly, radio, TV and cable stations, and billboards. Usually, each has someone handling education or public service matters. Armed with that person's name and title, your journey has begun!
TWO. News releases should go to all the media, not just newspapers. The broadcast media regularly have what is called a PSA, standing for public service announcement. The same holds true with billboards. Radio is particularly appealing since stations have to act fast and each has lots of “empty air” to fill in a 24-hour day.
THREE. Keep a list of every press and TV reporter who covers local educational issues. Something happening in your school may have a newsworthy angle for this or that journalist. If already popular, the reporter’s following could add impact and interest as seen through another set
of eyes.
FOUR. Local TV news is receptive to ending programs on a positive note. A triumph at your school could be it! Cable and public access channels are also pieces to add to the communications jigsaw puzzle. A further consideration is that nearly all of the media, for their own public relations purposes, present yearly awards that are highly promoted. You never know….
FIVE. AM radio talk shows are everywhere. If your school has a “hot button” issue or noteworthy cause, there’s opportunity for on-air communication. This is also true with cable and public access television. For the latter, be sure to have photographs and graphic aids (done by students) to add focus and impact to your message.
SIX. Your school should have a monthly
newsletter that goes to parents, grandparents, civic leaders, businesses that
might have educational links, and churches and other religious institutions. Your
editor or contact person must be readily available and accessible.
SEVEN. In a related manner, this is the golden age of the newsletter. Most parents of students work. If employed at a large company, it is likely there is a newsletter. “A joy shared is twice a joy.” A triumph by a student, acting alone or with a group, could be editorial material when submitted by the parent to the journal’s editor.
EIGHT. Speak to your chamber of commerce. Typically, someone handles either public relations and/or educational matters. Many successful business people have soft hearts regarding education and will speak to a class about business-related concerns. In parallel, there might be opportunities for students to gain experience by helping conduct research, adding suggestions to questionnaire design, participating in focus group interviews and tapping into their own boundless creativity. Students thrive on working with real-life problems, and the public relations potential for these efforts is
immense.
NINE. Most communities usually have a little known story about its beginning, which could be a very interesting student undertaking: Using the Internet, library, newspaper microfiche and chamber of commerce, a history of how and why could be compiled, with details of prominent personalities and key incidents, conflicts and related events. Working with one group in the community may have a spillover effect with another. Further, nostalgia always gets the eyes and ears of the media.
TEN. However important the student newspaper is, the
web site has now surpassed it. The unlimited opportunities and challenges have a powerful pull on youth. Simply building the site
(with student input) could be a story by itself. This brings into play one of the most potent tools of communication: color. The
web site would be the perfect place to show the school’s unique color combination and symbol. If
need be, one or the other could be updated. A contest could be conducted—and what would be more newsworthy than that for the audience involved!
These suggestions will likely pyramid: teachers to students to community leaders to business people to the media. The achievements of youth are exciting, and they bring smiles to people—and don’t we need them! One idea can lead to more, much as stops along a matchless journey costing nothing, and whose destination is something special: success.
Martin Siegel is a marketing and graphic design consultant to PSI. Contact him at info@psi-solutions.org to learn how he can help your school.