NCEA 2011 New Orleans Branding: Creating the “Buzz” Presented by Chris Hagerty

NCEA 2011 New Orleans “The art of marketing is the art of BRAND BUILDING. If you are not a brand, you are a commodity. Then price is everything and the low-cost producer is the only winner.” Philip Kotler Strategic Marketing for Educational Institutions

NCEA 2011 New Orleans “The most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart–if people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to a brand.” Howard Schultz Chairman and CEO, Starbucks

NCEA 2011 New Orleans A brand is … an organizational PROMISE a mark of trust your institutional DNA

NCEA 2011 New Orleans Your Brand must be: Reliable Dependable Predictable Consistent Authentic Unique

NCEA 2011 New Orleans Branding is creating an associative memory: Frequency Consistency Anchoring (Secret Formula’s of the Wizard of Ads)

NCEA 2011 New Orleans The objectives of a good Brand: Delivers the message clearly Confirms your credibility Connects your target prospects emotionally Motivates the buyer/donor Solidifies user loyalty

NCEA 2011 New Orleans Word-of-Mouth Marketing Builds Great Brands Customer Satisfaction Repeat Business Referrals

NCEA 2011 New Orleans A Brand Promise is supported by three key brand management principles: Identity / Positioning – determining what you want your promise to be Communication – creating an expectation in the customer’s mind of what the promise is Operations – delivering the promise

NCEA 2011 New Orleans Developing Strategic Messages/ Communications Audit Start by asking yourself questions WHO?WHO? Who are we? How are we perceived? How do we wish to be perceived? WHAT?WHAT? What distinguishes our school? What makes it special? What are our goals? What are we trying to do? SO WHAT?SO WHAT? Why is this important, and why should it matter to those whose support we desire?

NCEA 2011 New Orleans Create your own identity through a positioning statement. Ex: “Cathedral Prep: Developing men of vision in spirit, mind, body.”

NCEA 2011 New Orleans Communications / PR: “Informing” Key Points of Emphasis: Internal Communications External Public Relations Core Components

NCEA 2011 New Orleans Internal Communications Types: Newsletters to Parents (i.e. Friday Folders) Newsletters/Magazine to All Constituents (2-4 times a year) Advancement Notes updating the faculty and staff “Pastoral Letters” twice a year to all constituents

NCEA 2011 New Orleans External Communications Types: Parish Bulletins Web Page Press Releases Greeting Cards at Easter and Christmas Marketing Materials Signage on and off School Property Advertising

NCEA 2011 New Orleans Core Components for External Communications Questions to Ask: What is my Vision? Who is my Audience? What is the Content? What is the Design? How should it be Distributed? What is the Frequency?

NCEA 2011 New Orleans Keys to Success Keys to Success Have a clear missionHave a clear mission –Be clear about school identity and direction Have a planHave a plan –Be clear about what you want to achieve, set objectives, and develop a roadmap Have a messageHave a message –Be strategic –Be focused and consistent –Be smart: Understand target audience(s) and what motivates them Have funHave fun –Be creative; try new approaches Have a budget!Have a budget! (Yes, it takes money to raise money!)

NCEA 2011 New Orleans YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SHAPING YOUR SCHOOL’S BRAND!