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Bottom Up Marketing

Bottom Up Marketing. Promoting School Districts One School At A Time. 30,000 Foot Level. District & School Board programs, events and situations mostly happen at the flight levels.

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Bottom Up Marketing

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  1. Bottom Up Marketing Promoting School Districts One School At A Time

  2. 30,000 Foot Level • District & School Board programs, events and situations mostly happen at the flight levels. • School Board discord, test cheating allegations, superintendent transitions are background noise for most audiences. • Politics, flavor of the month programs, vendor contract issues hardly resonate at the local community and school level. • Should this be what district communications departments spend a lot of time addressing?

  3. Ground Level • Educating Today’s Students For Tomorrow’s World. • Teaching & Learning environment is where the rubber hits the road in schools and classrooms. • Board rooms and CEO/Superintendent’s corner offices are mostly off the radar. • If students and teachers are not clearly in the picture, do most people really care about it?

  4. Communications Support • Priority should always be the schools and school-based leadership. • Taking the communications & media relations burdens off of the schools serves to escalate student achievement. • Communications should write the letters and scripts for automated calls to parents. • Media relations advice, counsel and training should be provided to school leaders.

  5. Treat All Schools The Same • Any single school should be representative of the whole district. • Districts should avoid marketing magnet schools/programs to the exclusion of regular schools/programs. • So-called premium academic programs (IB, Project GRAD) are different, not better. • One “bad” or “problem” school is like a rotten apple. It can spoil the whole batch.

  6. One School At A Time • Identify individual schools that need communications support on a triage basis. • One size does not fit all. Tailor the support to the specific needs of individual schools. • Work closely with the principal to identify misperceptions and areas needing focus. • Look for both the obvious boast points and hidden jewels embedded in most any school.

  7. Creative Takeaways • Most Americans are literate, but few read books when brochures will suffice. • The perception or feeling conveyed is more important that the facts and figures listed. • A picture conveys a thousand words. • Less is more when it comes to copy. Get it said quickly, concisely and convincingly. • Don’t oversell it. Keep it real and relevant.

  8. Video Is Reality • Video and audio combined is the next best thing to being there in person. • Video presents reality in the clearest and most direct form. • It takes an entire school day to capture sufficient footage and elements for a 6-minute package. • The outcome is largely dependent on the upfront preparation. • Discuss various angles media may take.

  9. The Versatility of Video • Principals can use their videos at meetings for perspective students and parents. • Videos can be sent as links to anyone, including realtors and local news organizations. • They can be displayed on district and school Web sites and television stations. • Videos can be updated as needed, especially after principal transitions.

  10. What’s In It? • Happy, engaged, enthusiastic students and teachers. • Technology integration from electronic white boards to laptop computers to I-Pads. • Smart, articulate students who convey excitement about their learning environment. • Thoughtful principals who thoroughly and concisely sum up what their schools are about.

  11. What Else? • Lots of action and elements. Numerous classroom locations, students and teachers. • Get outside the building, if possible. • Variety of interesting instructional programs even at the elementary school level. • A touch of humor warms viewers into the video, but it must happen naturally. • Parents and partners should be included, as they add a different perspective & credibility.

  12. Wrap-Up • Marketing districts one school at a time keeps the focus on what is important. • Do the other communications stuff, but showcase where the rubber hits the road. • Communications escalates student performance by removing burdens from principals. • When done right, video packages can effectively sell a district one school at a time.

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