By Doreen Meeks-Hewes

1. MARKETING YOUR SCHOOL TO
ENHANCE ENROLLMENT
Presented by: Doreen Meeks-Hewes
John Paul II High School
Plano, Texas
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2. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
• Doreen Meeks-Hewes
• Controller and Blackbaud Administrator
• John Paul II High School
• Plano, Texas
DoreenHewes@johnpauliihs.org
469-229-5108
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3. CALL TO ACTION
It used to be so simple, didn't it? You printed a gorgeous brochure, mailed it out to
potential families and waited for the phone to ring and the admissions
appointments to be made. Not any more. You may have the best school, the best
faculty, brilliant students, etc., etc. But if you aren't exposing it to as many people
as possible, your market will be significantly reduced.
• Have a Strategic Plan with Initiatives that Reaches beyond the Student
Enrollment Numbers. Bring together Faculty and Staff to outline the focus of
the school and organization. Build community with existing families.
- Identity
- Governance and Leadership
- Academic Excellence
- Operational Vitality
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4. IDENTIFY YOUR POTENTIAL MARKET AND CURRENT
MARKET
• Target and Identify your Audience – Current Students and Families,
Future Families who will enroll
• Define Market – Feeder schools, Public Schools, Neighborhood
Boundaries
• Relationships - Chamber of Commerce , Corporate Business, Real
Estate Agents
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5. BRANDING
• Unique Selling Proposition – Branding Tool Used on Every Document
- Sets Us Apart from the Competition
- Selling the Product and Services that are offered
- Product or Service Persuasion
- Web Site pulls together the branding and story
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6. BRANDING WITH YOUR MISSION AND VISION
STATEMENTS
• Web-Site
• Classrooms
• Online Forms
• Brochures, Flyers, Reports
• Faculty and Teacher Meetings
• Assemblies
Our Vision Statement:
• We will make a difference in the world by walking in the footsteps of
Pope John Paul II.
Our Mission Statement:
• To develop leaders who are critical thinkers and effective
communicators, committed to service and rooted in faith.
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7. WHY WOULD A PARENT WANT TO SEND THEIR CHILD
• Makes The Family Happy
• Unique Service
TO YOUR SCHOOL?
- College Prep, Catholic Education
- Formation of the Student, Total Package
- Community
• The stories that tug at their heart
- Tell the Stories
- Show the Stories
• Irresistible Experience
- “The Disney Experience”
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8. FIRST IMPRESSIONS
• Web-Site – All part of a Professional Package
- Is it user friendly
• All Information is updated and current
• Teacher Pages
• Calendar, Events Page, Information Pages, Payment Pages
- Online Application and Enrollment/ReEnrollment
• Is it Easy for the potential parent to navigate and complete the forms
• Include a process to attach photo (will be used for name and face
recognition for interview at a later date)
- Online Resources
• Use Services (Pick a Time) to schedule future appointments with potential
student for on-campus interviews
• Surveys and Other Online Resources (Survey Monkey & Schoolrecs.com)
– After each enrollment for all new students, a survey about the process
is captured to have constant improvement for our forms and processes.
– Teacher Recommendations – eliminate paper
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9. TOURS, OPEN HOUSES, TECHNOLOGY
ENHANCEMENTS, SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
• Tours – Publish Dates and Times – Market the face of your School
• Review Past Calendars for all Events to determine success or failures for
attendance
• Compare to other School Calendars, Community events and Sporting
events
• Evaluate use of Technology within the events. Use the same technology
that the students will be using in the same environments. Offer
refreshments in the dining hall where the students will have lunch.
Presentations given in the same areas that the students attend
presentations.
• Consider building interest with School Anniversary milestones
• Offer incentives for online reernollment – give always, tweet results,
update with Facebook posts
• School and Faculty Directories – paper versus online options
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10. CUSTOMER SERVICE
• Live Person Answering the Telephone
- During the School year
- During the Summer
• Web-Cast Sporting Events through local Cable Channels
- Partner with local TV Stations to be on campus for sporting events, masses,
other key activities
• Know every applicant by face and name (the reason for the photo
attached to the application) for the interview and commitment day
• Checklists for applicants
- Activities for future students included in the Online Application – engage
contact
- Attributes to track students and parents needs
• Use Google Docs and Google Apps
- Address Updates – online versus paper
- Sharing files between students, faculty and parents
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11. THE IRRESISTIBLE EXPERIENCE
• Capture the community and the total experience
- 8th Grade visitors create a “Did you Know Video” about John Paul II High
School during their 8th Grade Campus Visit. Video’s are voted on and each
8th grader receives a flash drive of their video for a keepsake
- Accepted Applicants are emailed a customized video announcing their
acceptance for the new academic year
• A Picture is worth a Thousand Words
- Assemblies have power point presentations with names of students
recognized for accomplishments within school and outside of school
- Each applicant that arrives on campus receives a goodie backpack filled with
memorabilia to use and share with family
• Reach Out
- Face to Face
- Traditional Print
- Email, Phone
- Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Pinterest and Instagram
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12. • Advertising
SHOWCASE TO THE WORLD
- Wrap Buses – Incorporate Mission and Vision Statements – “Start Here Go
Anywhere” slogan
- Movie Theater – Videos
- Have a working relationship with the press – “MC for Gala”
- Relationships with the media takes more time than money
- Start by sitting down with a reporter, taking him or her on a tour of the
school, finding out radio or TV station deadlines, the best time to call, the
preferred format for material, and follow up with them
- Apply for Grants that are generated through TV and Social Media Sites
- “Go Green Contest” in conjunction a with local TV station that was based on
voting via Social Media Sites
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13. WAYS TO SHOW THE IMPACT OF MARKETING
REACHING OUT
100% Participation and Buy In
Getting the student body out
in front of the community
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14. • Time is Money
ARE THEY HERE TO STAY?
- Digital Age –offer online enrollment, reenrollment, payment options and data
collection. Data Collection can include Car Pool Information, Grandparent
Information, US Census Bureau Information
- Todays students cannot remember a time without “Googling Something”
- Fewer Forms – More Information
• Constant Re-Invention of your School
- Ever changing Marketing Tools and Advertising as technology changes
- Partner with a company that shares your Mission and Goals so that each
remains successful!
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15. THE IMPACT OF RETENTION
• Rise Above the Others
- Retention – Strive for a lower attrition rate each year
- Recruitment – Increase Students each year if capacity allows
- Reconnect – With Alumni (parents, grandparents, graduates) by using
Raiser’s Edge and the Alumni Model.
- Reach Out – To a broader audience and to meet goals
- Make Communication a “Priority”
- Survey Parents, Board Members and Staff
- Reach out to Parents of Current Students and make them available to
Current and Prospective Parents
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16. MARKETING YOUR SCHOOL SUCCESSFULLY IN
TODAY'S HIGHLY COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
REQUIRES
• Presenting your message and story in many different ways
• Think outside the Box
• Never stop Networking
• And your School will get Noticed
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17. THE FUTURE
• Don’t Rest on your Laurels
- This quotation comes from President Barack Obama in a speech to the
Arizona State graduating class of 2009, but applies to everyone and not just
those leaving school to enter the real world or heading up a school. “We, as
people, have a tendency to find success and try to coast on it for some time,
but that doesn't work. You can't just take a break when something goes right.
You have to use that instance to build momentum instead.”
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18. QUESTIONS
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19. CONTACT INFORMATION
Doreen Hewes
John Paul II High School
469-229-5108
Doreenhewes@johnpauliihs.org
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