OUTbrand. OUTmarket. OUTenroll.
Ever wanted to participate in the popular show “Survivor” on CBS? Here’s your chance…Brand Together Conference style.
“Drop your buffs…”
You don’t have to be a superfan to know the rules. In this workshop-style session, you will be a part of a tribe where you will be given a school’s case study to learn how to improve and strengthen your brand moving forward. Learn how to position your school’s brand in the eyes of your school community, outside community, and prospective families. Explore challenges and opportunities, along with a plan to strategically position your school to succeed in an over saturated market.
Tribes will compete against each other. You will be given tools, a budget, a luxury item and the necessary knowledge to combat real-world challenges and setbacks. Find hidden idols that give you advantage or steal attributes from other teams. Will you play a social game or be a villain?
And who doesn’t like an auction where tribes can bid on various items. No player’s torch will be snuffed or extinguished. No need to build a fire. Last team to “OUTbrand, OUTmarket, OUTenroll” and create the most compelling school marketing plan wins. Winning tribe will “draw for rocks” to see who will win a school photo shoot with Peapod Design.
“This challenge is on!”
Back by popular demand, Angie Ward & Katie Bero will dive into how to attract, engage & convert prospective parents in an ever-changing search engine. In this 3-hour interactive session, we will review the must-have website updates, how to use AI to improve your presence, and which Paid Search & Display strategies to invest in. Whether you’re in admissions or MarComm, there is something for everyone in this workshop to take back to campus, and improve upon, immediately.
Your marketing budget is precious—you need to know which campaigns are driving results. From QR codes and Yard signs to Niche and Meta Ads—you can track most efforts easily and for free! This session will dive into how marketers and admissions professionals can leverage Google Analytics 4 to focus on which channels generate the most qualified and engaged traffic to your school’s website and ways to track ROI. Bring your laptops and be prepared to work!
Is Your School Experiencing Mission Drift?
What Value Proposition Does Your School’s Mission Deliver? Is your school community consistent in messaging that value proposition? Does your mission statement and delivery align and then is that articulated properly by your entire school faculty and staff? Come to understand in which lane you operate and how to communicate/market that value proposition for your school as well as educate your school staff and community.
“Stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone.” – Jennifer Aaker, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stories are crucial to school marketers, but how do you create a system that will allow you to unlock real student stories that will leave a lasting impression on prospective families? Matt Soule will outline a process that has been used by television producers for years that create memorable stories that will demonstrate the true value of your School. The best news? You do not need to be an expert video producer to tell these stories, because they can be told at live events, in print pieces, on a blog, and more.
The world of search is changing and search engine optimizers are concerned. Many users are turning to AI chatbots to provide quick answers to their questions rather than a list of websites to surf. And AI-infused search features are driving down traffic from search engines, with some estimating that as many as 60% of searches don’t result in a click through to a website!
Traditional SEO strategies are in danger of becoming outdated and ineffective.
While many digital marketers are trying to figure out how to game the AI models in order to get their school to show up in recommendations, we’re going to talk about why you don’t need to try to game anything. It could even be counterproductive in the long term.
Instead, with a shift in perspective, you can future-proof your school’s SEO without having an anxiety attack over every new search tool or core update.
We’ll look at a simple 3-step system, C-E-T, for positioning your school’s brand for success with search — both the traditional kind and the AI variety.
You can’t predict every new tool or core update. But you can take a consistent, integrated approach to your online presence, reinforcing your key differentiators and unique selling propositions across the complete online expression of your school’s brand. By using your digital touchpoints to build trust and reputation, you can set your school up for success now and well into the future.
What is a student ambassador program and why is it important? Your student ambassadors are one of the most effective “tools” your school admission’s office have. We’ll discuss how school administrators can play a key role in empowering student ambassadors to be their best selves and to make a positive impact on the school. Even if you don’t have an ambassador program at your school, my session includes a step-by-step guide on developing a successful program, what students should expect from their school and what schools expect from their ambassadors. Every visitor that steps foot on your campus, combined with your student ambassadors, is the key to the success of your school.
Email marketing is a powerful tool for schools and can help with admissions, retention, development, and more. But where do you begin? And how do you unlock the power of email marketing for your school? In this presentation, you’ll learn the importance of email marketing along with tips and tricks to make your email marketing plan work for you!
International student programs are often high value programs for many private independent schools and yet they are often marketed as an afterthought or no differently than to the domestic families. The international marketplace is thriving and with savier consumers. Educated families make up the bulk of the audience now. Learn how subtle shifts in style, content format and presentation will help win the international families your school wants to attract.
WordPress is fast becoming the most popular platform for schools.
Not all WordPress CMS platforms are the same. Peapod Design created their own WordPress theme specifically for schools. During this informative session, we walk you through why WordPress is the most powerful ecosystem, how it adapts with other products (ie. Blackbaud, Veracross, etc.), it’s affordability, and ease of use. Your school may not be currently thinking of a website redesign, but be equipped why WordPress can be a great future option.