Bullpen is a marketing agency based in Houston, Texas. We specialize in Academic Marketing for private schools. We figure out what makes your school unique, then help you stand out from the crowd. This is a presentation to help private schools shine by increasing enrollment.

2. Agenda
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Marketing 101
What marketing says about your school
I want a billboard
Marketing Audit
Why do parents choose your school?
Enrollment Marketing
Pictures role in marketing
www.yourschool.com
School brochures
Resources

3. Marketing 101
Marketing is getting
people with a specific need
to know, like and trust you.

4. Marketing 101
Marketing is the set of activities used to:
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Get your potential customers’ attention
Motivate them to buy
Get them to actually buy
Get them to buy again (and again…)

5. What does marketing say about your school?
• Everything!
• Good marketing helps to:
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Attract new students
Reduce student attrition
Bond alumni and past parents
Keep good teachers
Raise funds
Build your school’s image in the wider
community

6. I want a billboard

7. I want a billboard

8. Perform a Marketing Audit
• Get an outside-in perspective of your school
• You’re too close to the situation – “can’t see
the forest for the trees”
• Helps evaluate a school's efforts and budget
• Assign a person or a team to perform the audit
• What are your goals?

9. Marketing Audit
• Consider all of your prospective
parent/student touch points
• Spread out all marketing materials and
external communications on a table
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Brochure
Advertisements
Website
Email communications
Open house information
Registration process

10. Marketing Audit
• Listen to what your constituents say about
their perception of your school and what
they like and don’t like – and what they
would like to see
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Student leaders
Parents
Alumni
Faculty and staff
Prospective students
• Walk around your campus with a camera
• Look at what your competition is doing

11. Marketing Audit
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Evaluate results
Look for marketing disconnects
Determine what needs to be done
Create priorities, timeline
Marketing plan

13. Recruiting
Recruiting is seeking
families to your school
who will be:
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Great students
Supportive families
Great referral sources
Generous donors

14. Retention
• Customer Service
• What sets you apart
• Make them feel
needed

15. Retention
• Include them in
your team
• Spotlight their kids
• Be authentic

16. Referrals
• Always ask for a referral from your
superstar parents
• Most schools admit that referrals are by far
the best source of new students
• Train them. Teach them.

17. Why do parents choose your school?

18. Why we chose JP2 Catholic School?

19. Enrollment Marketing
• Things to do…
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Foundation pieces
Website
Open house
Brochure
Advertising
Direct mail
Church bulletins
Make it easy!

20. Foundation Pieces

21. A picture speaks a 1,000 words…

22. Pictures Tell Your Story
• Emphasize:
– Faith
– Academics
– Athletics
– Extracurricular
activities
– Spirit
• Show diversity
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Simple close-ups
Unaware action shots
Parent photographers
Stock photo files
“Pictures have legs!”
Talent waivers

23. FAITH

24. ACADEMICS

25. ATHLETICS

26. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

27. SPIRIT

28. www.yourschool.com
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THE most important marketing tool
Targets internal and external audiences
Keep it current, simple, clean
Focus on recruitment and retention
Publicize web presence everywhere
Make it a top priority

29. Your Front Door

32. Enrollment on the Web

33. School Brochure

34. School Brochure

35. Additional Resources
• Facebook.com/makingschoolsshine
• Sign up for newsletter at
AcademicBranding.com
• 10 Commandments of Academic Branding
– academicbranding.com/ten
• CHOOSECATHOLICSCHOOLS.org
– Tools4Schools
• Fellow Catholic Schools – what works, what
doesn’t, best practices