Independent Schools shouldn’t brand…they should blog!

You are post a very important educational article, Thank you for your sharing an important blog!

Thanks

Jana Shobnom

<a href=http://www.ahschool.com/ >"Private Middle School Miami"</a>

Bredan...I love this post. I have a question though. How do I explain the difference between a blog and a teacher web page? I know in my head but need some help getting this across to my colleagues who are not of the growth mindset when it comes to new things especially with social media.

Schools are non-profits and are mission driven...not necessarily brand driven. The conflation of mission and branding is not always a good idea for independent schools. Branding is driven by consumerism, and a school, as a steward of the next generation in developing citizens of courage and compassion, may well want to steer clear of commercial buzz-words. I'm becoming more and more disenchanted with the superficial nature of blogging (and branding, for that matter). Schools are complex, so is learning, so are learners, so is edcuation. I'm all for maintaining complexities.

Please fix grammar in second sentence: "its" is the possessive, and eliminate the comma splice. Hate to be nit picky, but the errors are distracting.

Brendan:
I can't agree more. Branding/Brand does, in fact, mean different things to different people. At Turnaround, we like to try to distill it as Brand = Distinguishing Characteristics/Message + Graphic Identity. This seems to help individuals understand that Brand ? Logo.

Thanks for creating great conversations. I'll be listening.

Liza

Liza,
Thanks for taking the time to post and to extend the conversation. I would also like to thank you for bringing me back to reality a bit, let me explain.

I think the trouble is that "Brand" or "Branding" means different things to different people. Let's use your firm's own website to help define what I'm referring too: http://bit.ly/d2rxX7. I would whole-heartedly agree, especially in this difficult economic climate, that schools need to work on and have a common vision with regard to Positioning and Brand Development. I worry that some schools think Brand or Branding is simply related to your section under Partners in Design and Production. While a common look and feel is important, I want to urge people not to fall into the trap of all show and no substance.

From this background, I also wanted to point out that prospective families are now becoming consumers as it relates to choosing an independent school and are looking for the equivalent of the Amazon.com "Customer Review" as they evaluate a school. I think that social media and blogging can, will, and is filling that role.

I hope this all makes sense and thanks again for keeping me on my toes. Maybe this could be my next blog topic...
-Brendan

Surprise! I'm going to disagree. Brand first; then blog. Social media, over time, will exhibit your brand (maybe), but not as quickly or as focused as social media paired with brand messaging. And I worry that those who are posting aren't seeing the "big picture" of a school's brand...only their individual version of it. Having done hundreds of focus groups with individual constituents of independent school communities, it is both fascinating and terrifying that in some schools, one person thinks the school is X, another Y and another Z. I don't want all those people blogging without a common vision. They're blogging for the school.

Thanks for your input and feedback Mark. Great extension to my point and you are dead on with regard to tight budgets. The current economy has made everyone become very cautious with budget dollars.

Thanks for taking the time to comment Josie. I couldn't agree with you more concerning word of mouth. The issue as I see it is that prospective families are using third-party sites and social media channels to make decisions about schools and what certain schools are really like...they are looking for the behind the scenes reality. As a result, traditional branding is dead or a least very sick.

I am also aware of your blog and Facebook page...I really like that you reference them in your "Welcome Letter" on your school's website.

Thanks again for your feedback!

Agreed. Particularly for schools with tight budgets and multi-tasking and limited Admission/Communication/Advancement HR. I would also echo the point made about developing a strategy for social media rather than stumbling blind.

Makes sense to me. Poughkeepsie Day School jumped in the deep end with a blog in 2006 - now one of several; a twitter account and two facebook pages. Word of mouth is always the most effective marketing and social media provides a platform for wom on a mega scale. Authenticity matters too so it's probably a mistake just to use social media as the bullhorn equivalent of the glossy brochure.

Well said Travis. I know you speak from experience. It is an interesting thought exercise though.

Also, thank you for taking time to offer some feedback!

Good post. I mostly agree, however, given the relatively small size of our communities don't expect it to just happen. "Show, don't tell" is the way to go, but don't dismiss the planning and thought that goes in to making a strategy like this work. It's not always as simple as getting out of the way!

Tim...thanks for your feedback and I would love to read your article. Could you post a link here or send to me on Twitter?

I'm sorry that I was not more clear with my argument [See my comments below to Blake] and I agree with you.

Thanks again for your feedback!

Blake...well said. I like your extension of my idea!

I do want to clarify a little because I think my original post was fuzzy regarding my definition of brand and branding. I whole-heartedly agree with you that schools should have a consistent and common look and feel including logo, tagline, stationary, etc... but that too many schools get caught up in thinking that those tangible, arguably meaningless items, are a schools brand. I don't mean to suggest that we throw them out and I'm sorry for not being more clear.

I really do like your extension to my idea to begin the process of allowing students, faculty, and staff to create logos, etc.... Boy that would be fun!

Thanks again for commenting Blake. I really do appreciate your time!

Thanks for the feedback Jan. I couldn't agree more.

I agree and wrote something similar recently. Although schools may not completely own their brand they still need a brand mentality: consistency, publicity, advertising, singularity, quality etc. They still need to be able to define their brand and brand promise.

I agree, and wrote something similar recently. It is important for schools to remember that even if they do not completely own their brand they still need to have a brand mentality. Consistency, longevity, singularity etc. All schools need to be able to define their brand and brand promise.

This is a very interesting argument. I agree with many aspects that private schools should defiantly open up the doors and become part of a social buzz, or "Cocktail Conversations" happening everywhere. Blogging, Twitter and Facebook are all great tools to accomplish this, however there is something to say about the brand as well.

However, I disagree that schools should drop their brand and logo. My personal opinion is to take your idea and possibly take it to the next level. Let's simply combine the ideas. I think that private schools should have their audience who "creates the brand". Lets open up the doors to students and see how they would brand their school. I mean after all schools belong to the students, we just facilitate.

This way we (as private schools) can open up the ideas to the public and welcome that "cocktail conversation" even more. Let's create the buzz within and build the community around such a drastic change, not in action, but in thought. It has been my experience form the inside that this change needs to start from the top, and trickle down. Change is hard for everyone, but like students Faculty love it, that is, if it's fun.

We all need to incorporate what students know and love into school and social media is something we all love. Not to get too far away from the topic, the brad is spread through social media. Let's think of placing the logo students created, and the board approved everywhere on the internet.

I agree we should leave the stationary behind! Let us embrace the brands the community already gives us as private schools. This brings me to the next question...Does our community recognize an "official" brand, or is it just image recognition at its finest?

Keeping the conversation going.....

I agree. If your product doesn't deliver on its brand promise or value proposition, your customers will be the first to know and tell others. The chatter is amplified on the Web.