1. Developing a School District Marketing Plan
Development of a school district marketing plan is many times far down on the
list of priorities that need to be achieved by superintendents. Although, in reality, it may
be one of the most important tools that can developed to deliver your message to the
public. Anecdotal information tells us time and time again that levies and bonds are not
just passed in a couple of months, rather they are successful when a positive message is
delivered over an extended period of time.
How do I develop a marketing plan? How do I identify the key themes to be
promoted? How is a marketing plan operationalized, and by who? Below we have
identified the components that are key to making your marketing plan a success.
Audience
• Who is your audience; the staff, community, parents, students, business
community, legislature…etc? Who needs to hear your message?
Delivery
• How will it be delivered; newsletters, newspaper, public meetings, focus groups,
community group presentations, board meetings, the 4th of July parade..etc? It is
important to remember that you may need to deliver your message using multiple
communication vehicles. Additionally, remember that different audiences may
require different messages.
Key Messages
• What are the two or three messages that need to be delivered; the district has great
student performance, the district is financially responsible, our buildings are
deteriorating? These key messages should be developed annually in conjunction
with the school board during a summer workshop, or board/administration retreat.
Sources of information regarding key messages may be to do an opinion poll of
the district’s operation prior to the summer months, or use a randomly selected
focus group to gather information. This process allows you to better understand
the perceptions that are held by the various constituent groups in your district.
Evaluation
• Although there are many ways to evaluate the success of your marketing plan
(perception surveys, anecdotal information, focus groups), it is clearly most
important to include this concern at the beginning of your planning process. In
the words of Steven Covey: “Begin with the end in mind”. It is important to
understand: How do we best evaluate if we reached the senior citizens, the
parents, or the business community? Designing an effective evaluation process
will enable you to then determine it you achieved success in promoting your
message. If you find that it was successful with certain segments of your

2. constituency, but not with others, you can then modify the marketing process for
the future and try delivering the message in a different format.