Today’s families don’t choose schools the way they did ten years ago. They compare websites before making a phone call, form first impressions in seconds, rely on emotion as much as facts, and expect authentic experiences at every touchpoint.
In this high-energy, practical session, you’ll discover how the most successful schools attract, engage, and enroll more mission-fit families by combining branding, marketing strategy, neuroscience, campus experience, and environmental design into one unified approach.
Rather than chasing the latest marketing trend, you’ll learn a proven framework that starts with understanding what makes your school truly different, positions your brand against the competition, and creates a seamless experience from the first online interaction through enrollment and beyond.
You’ll explore how families really make decisions, why emotion and trust matter more than features and statistics, and how your website, messaging, campus environment, admissions process, and even your hallways are constantly communicating your brand.
Whether you’re a president, principal, enrollment leader, communications director, or marketer, you’ll leave with practical ideas and immediately applicable tools to strengthen your school’s reputation, create memorable experiences, and build a marketing strategy that actually works.
You’ll learn how to:
• Build a marketing strategy that aligns every communication and touchpoint.
• Discover and communicate what truly differentiates your school.
• Position your school so the right families immediately understand your value.
• Apply neuroscience and psychology to create stronger emotional connections.
• Transform your website and digital presence into your most effective admissions tool.
• Create “WOW” moments before, during, and after every campus visit.
• Use environmental design to reinforce culture, trust, and belonging.
• Measure what matters so your marketing investments produce real enrollment results.
Standing out online isn’t optional for independent schools — it’s the difference between a full waitlist and an empty seat. Led by Angie and Alec from Enroll Media Group, the leading digital marketing firm for schools, this session covers how to stand out online, the platforms that matter most, and how to actually measure what’s working. These strategies have helped independent schools transform their digital presence and drive real, trackable enrollment results. This high-impact workshop delivers the practical, plug-and-play strategies your school needs to compete and win:
• Website — Turn browsers into inquiries, and use analytics to see exactly where visitors drop off
• AI Presence — Make sure your school shows up when families ask AI tools the big questions
• Digital Advertising — Stretch your budget further with proven targeting and clear ROI tracking
• Social Media — Build a following that becomes your best recruiting tool, backed by engagement data that shows what’s actually converting
• Analytics & Attribution — Learn which channels are truly driving inquiries and enrollments, so every dollar and every hour is spent where it counts
Walk away with free tools, insider tips, and battle-tested tactics that top independent schools are already using to move the enrollment needle — straight from the team that’s done it.
Explore sustainable enrollment growth through data-driven insights and innovative positioning strategies that prioritize access and inclusion. Develop skills in attracting students from diverse backgrounds, optimizing yield rates across all demographics, and building robust pipelines that can support your school’s financial stability while advancing equity and mission fulfillment for all families.
A school anniversary is more than a party—it’s a strategic opportunity. This session covers how to define what you’re celebrating and why, identify who each event is really for, and build the marketing and branding strategy that supports it. Discussions will draw on a recent sesquicentennial and an upcoming centennial, with a few cautionary tales along the way.
Online reviews are the new word of mouth — one school review can reach hundreds of prospective families. This session dives into how to ethically generate authentic reviews and testimonials that boost search rankings and win over hesitant parents. It’s more important than ever with AI chatbots in the mix — parents are asking these tools questions, and reviews are being scraped and fed as data to LLMs. We’ll cover exactly when to ask, what to say, and how to turn happy families into vocal advocates. In one hour, you’ll leave with a simple, repeatable plan to start strengthening your school’s reputation this week.
One of the most talked about Brand Together Sessions we have ever had. It was 10 years ago and people are still talking about it – What Does Your School Smell Like? The Unexpected Power of Scent in School Marketing.
We spend so much time thinking about what families see, hear, and read about our schools—but what about what they smell?
Scent is one of our most powerful senses and is closely connected to memory and emotion. A familiar smell can instantly transport us to a place, a moment, or a feeling. So what if schools could use scent to create stronger, more memorable experiences?
This interactive conversation explores the emerging world of sensory branding and how schools can thoughtfully incorporate natural, organic scents into events, admissions experiences, welcome materials, spaces, and special moments.
We’ll explore how scent can influence perception, trigger memory, create emotional connections, and help make a school experience more distinctive.
Come with an open mind—and a nose for something different.
Because your school’s brand isn’t just something families see.
It’s something they experience.
You’re not an AI expert. And you don’t know where Co-Pilot and Perplexity are getting their info about your school.
But with the advent of AI and its integration into search engines, SEO and online search are more dizzyingly complex today than they’ve ever been before. So much so that you now even need a “zero-click strategy” to get your content in front of searchers who’s not gonna click on a website anyway!
Whether it’s a search engine, ChatGPT, or a review site, all you want is for people to find your school when they search online. Is that too much to ask?
No, it’s not. And this new world of AI everywhere doesn’t have to fragment your efforts in a hundred different directions. We will help you focus on some human-centric fundamentals that can carry your school to success in online search wherever it happens.
In this session…
1.) We’ll try an integrated approach founded on human-centric strategies to bolster the complete online expression of your brand.
2.) We’ll learn some steps to boost your school’s likelihood of showing up in AI results and recommendations.
3.) We’ll talk about what a zero-click strategy looks like and how it can benefit your school.
4.) We’ll step into the “pinball machine” of online touch points and see how your school can use those touches to build trust and reputation.
Many schools believe they are practicing Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM). They have a Director of Enrollment, a marketing strategy, and a financial aid budget, and they’re doing good, thoughtful work. And yet… many are still asking the same questions:
SEM isn’t just a structure or a job title. It’s a broader, school-wide mindset that recognizes enrollment outcomes are shaped by decisions made across the school, including academic programming, scheduling, tuition and billing practices, communication, onboarding, and the overall student and family experience. While you may not oversee all of these areas directly, strong alignment and partnership across teams is essential. In this session, we’ll explore what it really means to operate with a SEM mindset and where schools, very understandably, get stuck. Drawing on school-based leadership, national perspective, and work with schools across the country, this session will share practical insights, guiding questions, and clear next steps you can take back to your campus to assess your current approach and begin building stronger alignment across your school. Participants will gain the resources and skills to:
• Distinguish between an admissions-led approach and a school-wide strategic enrollment mindset
• Identify key school decisions that influence enrollment and retention
• Recognize how program, policy, and operations shape family decision-making
Does print still matter?
In a world where schools are constantly being told to “go digital,” it’s easy to wonder whether print still deserves a place in the marketing mix. We think it does—but only when there’s a reason for it.
Join us for a casual, interactive lunch conversation about the power of print, why it works, and how schools can make it work harder.
We’ll talk openly about admissions materials, viewbooks, direct mail, publications, campaigns, and those unexpected print pieces that create a memorable experience.
No formal presentation. No PowerPoint marathon. Just good conversation, fresh ideas, and a chance to learn from what other schools are actually doing.
Grab your lunch, pull up a chair, and let’s talk about Print with Passion & Purpose.
WordPress is fast becoming the most popular platform for schools. Already over 50% of colleges use WordPress for their main website.
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.
Get ready to geek out about YOUR data. What is it telling you about your school’s marketing strategy, your website, and your enrollment trends? All of this can be understood with GA4 when used properly. Bring your laptop and your Google Analytics access, and we will dive in and geek out together!
Join Dave Casenave for a casual, peer-driven conversation about video, storytelling, and enrollment. Share what you’re creating, swap ideas, talk budgets, and discover how other schools are using video to connect with families and move them to action.
No presentation. No PowerPoint. Just real conversation, honest ideas, and practical takeaways.
Bring your questions. Bring your wins. Bring your video challenges.
A Speed-Dating-Style Marketing Show & Tell. Think of it as speed dating for school marketing.
Bring your favorite—or most frustrating—marketing piece to the table. A viewbook, postcard, campaign, brochure, email, social ad, direct-mail piece, annual report… anything goes. Then get ready to show it, talk about it, and get honest feedback from fellow school marketing professionals. In quick, rotating conversations, you’ll have the chance to share what you’re doing, see what other schools are creating, steal a few great ideas, and get a fresh perspective on your own work.
No polished presentations. No sales pitches. No judgment. Just real work, real feedback, and real conversation.
You’ll leave with new ideas, practical inspiration, and a better sense of what’s working—and what might be worth rethinking.
Bring a piece. Pull up a chair. Show us what you’ve got.
After three days of in-depth, high-impact sessions on school marketing and communications, there’s no better way to wrap up the conference than by diving into discussions that are relevant to both you and your school’s unique needs. This is your opportunity to engage even more with peers, share insights, and explore strategies that will drive your school’s success going forward. Leave equipped with actionable techniques, fresh ideas, and a deeper understanding that will elevate both your school’s marketing efforts and your own professional growth.