This past week I conducted a podcast interview with Randy Vaughn for his School Marketing Podcast about how we use webinars in our marketing efforts at Sewickley Academy. I had a great time talking to Randy (the show will be released in a couple of weeks) but the reason I'm bringing it up is the one recommendation that I shared during the show needs to be repeated again and again to anyone involved with school marketing – you have to experiment, try new things, and expect to learn from your failures, because you will have them.
I used to be scared to experiment with our marketing.
I thought that I there was the potential for me to “screw something up” and I didn't want to hurt my school's name. The realization is that you won't screw anything up. The reality is that the worse case scenario is that no one will pay attention. You need to learn from that lack of attention and try something else.
I encourage you to try something new this week with your marketing. To that end, I'm conducting a free webinar (or actually a brainstorming session) about how to create a content calendar on Monday, April 6 at 1pm EST. If you are interested in joining me please register here. (Full Disclaimer: I don't have all the answers but am willing to share what I know. Additionally, I'm testing a new webinar platform so please expect a few technical difficulties.)
Hope you have a great Holiday Weekend!
Required Reading
The selfish truth about word of mouth (why referrals don't happen)
Of course you will be eagerly and often referring your friends and neighbors to your dentist, insurance broker, lawn mowing guy and that
Actually, not so much.
But I thought you liked it?
The Science of a Great TED Talk: What Makes a Speech Go Viral
Getting chosen to speak at a TED conference is no easy feat. Attending a TED conference — as in, sit in the audience — is a little like applying for college, with a short essay-style application with questions like “What are you passionate about?” But to speak at a conference is even harder. TED's content director Kelly Stoetzel and her team review thousands of candidates and whittle them down to 60-70 speakers for the twice-a-year, week-long conferences.
5 Ways to Use Location Data for Better Social Listening
Does your social listening ignore location data? Here are 5 ways to use location tagging to make sure you're hearing the whole conversation.
Want to Teach Yourself Design? 8 Tips & Tricks for Beginners
When I was in high school, I was always doodling in my notebooks. Hand-drawn letters and little pictograms covered my homework, tests, and papers. I would get lost in creating new ways to write out my name or drawing cartoon representations of my friends. Teachers were constantly telling me to to “knock it off” and focus on my studies. Eventually, I did knock it off — mostly because I realized I wasn't that good at drawing on paper.
13 Types of Blog Headlines That Will Get You More Traffic
Fewer people read your blog posts than you think. More people read your headline than you think, too. On average, only 20% of those who read your headline will click through to read your article. That means good headlines lose 80% of your audience. Great headlines, though, can make a dramatic impact in the opposite direction. You can increase the traffic to your articles by as much as 500%, based solely on the headline.
How Demian Farnworth Will Make You Read Every Single Line of This Article
Quite a challenge, right? Especially since Rough Draft with Demian Farnworth is a podcast. Trust Demian on this one. Demian’s daughter and her strand of pink hair. The first-ever triple BMX backflip. A throbbing finger. Strange way to begin a podcast about getting people to read every single line you write.
Suggested Listening
Branding for Schools with Liza Fisher Norman and Rob Norman
Oldie But A Goodie
Independent Schools shouldn't brand…they should blog!
Heard on the SBU Forum
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