BY BOB SHARP
HOW WILL YOUR SCHOOL COMPETE when parents decide which one their child will attend? In these days of charter schools, home schools and for-profit ventures, how can your school be the school of choice? We begin with a simple question: Why? Why worry about marketing our schools? We’ve always been here. Parents need us. Society needs us. We don’t have time for “marketing” on top of everything else we're expected to do. A reasonable question to ask, and here's my answer.
Communication leads to understanding. Understanding
leads to broader public support. Broader public support leads to progress in education. Support for education is absolutely
essential if it is to survive and continue to be one of the cornerstones of American democratic society. As schools face the
challenges of the future, the need for strong public support is greater than ever. Simply put, marketing is a three-step process of
(1) determining customer needs, (2) developing a program or product
to meet those needs and (3) delivering that program or product to the market place. Marketing should be an essential part of
your school’s communication plan; as it would be for any successful business.
Turning challenge into opportunity
Many public, private and religious schools have learned the importance of marketing. Added to this, many schools have
been unfairly criticized by politicians, the news media, special interest groups and others for not making the grade. There is
a need to be strategically proactive. The most effective principals, teachers and other school
leaders, public and private, learned long ago that marketing is a necessary tool for support, credibility and survival. The issue
of choice—agree with it or not—presents a perfect opportunity to talk about what’s right with our schools. Ask yourself these questions: If choice became a reality
tomorrow, would my school be the school of choice? Would I send my child, grandchild, niece or nephew to my school? Is
my administrative team equal or better than the competition? Are my “customers” satisfied? If “no” is the answer to any of these questions, then take
a closer look at the area of concern and brainstorm realistic strategies to make it better. Get feedback from your staff, parents and community, develop a plan and set realistic goals.
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Planning is a process, not a one-time event.
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While planning is an evolutionary process, something visible has to happen.
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You want to be customer-oriented.
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You need to continually adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Listen, act, motivate
Stay focused on continuous improvement, be proactive, share successes as well as challenges openly and honestly, and, in a planned and systematic way, work hard to create understanding and build support for your schools. Remember, also, that staff attitudes play a big part in making yours the school of choice. All employees, especially teachers, need to be represented in order to feel important and a part of the process. One of the primary marketing missions is to communicate the accomplishments of students and staff. It can be as easy as one, two, three.
ONE: You must recognize that your students and their parents are your customers. Customer service is the very core of how you run your school.
TWO: You must motivate your employees to serve as dedicated champions for your students and be cheerleaders
for your school. They must live the concepts of excellence and service.
THREE: You must take your school message on the road. Don’t wait for people in your community to come to you;
reach out to them. Only through the combined support and efforts of everyone directly and indirectly associated with
your school will you attain meaningful and lasting public confidence.
Marketing is absolutely essential to building positive relationships and images about schools and instilling pride in staff and students. The challenge is to establish what your product or service stands for. Now, what does your school
stand for? 
Bob Sharp, APR, is Director of Communications for the Spring Branch Independent School District in suburban Houston, Texas. Contact him at info@psi-solutions.org.