Brendan Schneider

Maran Nunes and Mike Brad discuss the recent success of the inaugural High School Fair for sixth and seventh graders in the Diocese of Camden, emphasizing the importance of early engagement with Catholic schools. They introduce guest Brandon Snider, a marketing expert and author of "School Marketing the Right Way," who shares insights on effective marketing strategies for schools. Snider highlights the significance of understanding target audiences, utilizing AI for efficiency, and the necessity of authentic engagement to attract prospective families. The conversation underscores the transformative role of schools and the evolving landscape of educational marketing.

• The podcast hosts discuss the inaugural High School Fair for sixth and seventh-grade families, emphasizing its success and positive reception from attendees.
• The fair serves as a platform for families to explore Catholic high schools and engage with school representatives.
• The initiative is seen as an opportunity to expand and improve Catholic education outreach in South Jersey.

"We encourage those who missed it this time to visit our high schools but at the same time to wait for that if you still have a fifth grader, sixth grader, seventh, and you know, eighth graders coming in."

• The hosts emphasize the importance of early engagement with potential students and families to promote Catholic education.

• The podcast features guest Brandon Snider, a marketing expert and author of "Marketing for Catholic Schools: The Right Way."
• Snider discusses his background in education and his transition to full-time marketing consulting for Catholic schools.
• The focus is on effective marketing strategies to ensure the sustainability and vibrancy of Catholic schools.

"Without kids, you can't pay tuition or, you know, get the money to pay salaries to make the impact that we want to make."

• Snider highlights the critical role of student enrollment in maintaining the financial health and mission of Catholic schools.

• Snider notes that many schools are under-resourced in marketing, lacking staff, budget, and time to effectively recruit new students.
• He points out the common mistake of hiring communications professionals instead of marketers, which can hinder recruitment efforts.

"Schools are great at adding things to your plate, but they never, I shouldn't say never, 99.9% of the time they never take things off your plate."

• The challenge of resource allocation and task management in schools is emphasized as a barrier to effective marketing.

• Snider's book aims to provide strategic guidance for marketing Catholic schools, focusing on recruitment and retention.
• The book is designed to be concise and practical, offering strategies rather than a detailed workbook approach.
• Snider addresses the evolving nature of marketing, including the impact of AI on marketing strategies.

"The idea is that the book was not meant to be a workbook because things change... I tried to stay up a little higher so that it'll be strategy and thought."

• The book's strategic focus is intended to remain relevant despite the rapidly changing marketing landscape.

• Snider stresses the importance of hiring marketers who can effectively recruit new students, rather than just communicate with current ones.
• The distinction between communications and marketing roles is crucial for schools to understand to improve recruitment outcomes.

"They hire Communications people... they can communicate to the audience that we currently have. They're just not recruiting that new audience."

• Understanding the difference between communication and marketing roles can significantly impact a school's ability to attract new students.

• The speaker discusses the importance of maintaining a blog and newsletter to connect with an audience and share ideas beyond the confines of a book.
• The blog initially served as a platform to test marketing techniques without risking the school's reputation.
• The newsletter aggregates valuable articles and resources, providing a curated list for readers to stay informed.

"I was publishing probably three times a week... What funny too is I was sharing things that worked; my most popular posts were things that didn't work."

• Sharing both successes and failures in marketing strategies engages the audience and provides learning opportunities.

"The newsletter... varies three to eight five six articles that I found this week that I think you should read."

• A curated newsletter offers a digest of valuable content, saving readers time and providing them with diverse insights.

• Content planning involves both structured calendars and spontaneous inspiration based on current trends and community feedback.
• Engaging with a membership community helps identify common struggles and topics of interest for content creation.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of flexibility and adapting content plans as needed.

"I do plan, I've gotten better about that now that I have a business, but it's kind of what I'm thinking or feeling."

• Content planning is a balance between structured schedules and adapting to current topics of interest.

"I have this membership community of marcom folks... I just talk about those things."

• Engaging directly with a community helps tailor content to address relevant and pressing issues.

• The speaker advises conducting an audit of past marketing efforts and results to guide future strategies.
• Understanding the target audience, often parents, is crucial for effective marketing.
• The importance of adapting marketing strategies based on past performance and local context is highlighted.

"You have to see like do an audit what have you done and it's okay if it's not a lot."

• Conducting an honest audit of past marketing efforts helps identify what has been effective and what needs to change.

"Who are you trying to attract? Just answer that question."

• Identifying the target audience is foundational to developing effective marketing strategies.

• Developing customer personas involves understanding the demographics and psychographics of the target audience.
• The speaker suggests forming a small team to brainstorm and create actionable personas.
• Personas should be based on actionable insights that can directly influence marketing strategies.

"Think about things that are actionable that you can in your school act on."

• Creating customer personas should focus on actionable insights that can guide marketing efforts.

"Get with a small team at your school... you don't want a huge group right but get a group of people."

• Collaborating with a small team allows for diverse perspectives and more comprehensive persona development.

• Schools should be willing to adjust their marketing strategies based on performance and changing circumstances.
• The speaker discusses the importance of diverting funds from ineffective strategies to more promising ones.
• Emphasizing the need for clarity on marketing goals and target audiences can improve overall effectiveness.

"If you're doing those things and you're not meeting your budgeted goal, you got to change."

• Continuous evaluation and adjustment of marketing strategies are necessary for achieving goals.

"Really get some clarity on who you're trying to attract cuz that'll affect other things."

• Clear understanding of the target audience influences all aspects of marketing strategy and execution.

• Importance of brainstorming and visualizing characteristics of the target audience using tools like whiteboards.
• Focus on actionable insights rather than non-actionable data, such as magazine readership that doesn't translate into feasible marketing strategies.
• Consider demographics and behavioral traits like gender, grades, location, and social media usage when identifying potential school candidates.
• Engage with new community members to understand their decision-making process in choosing a school.

"Think about who you're trying to attract and then just start... I love whiteboards. Get a big whiteboard, start writing down those characteristics, those things that become actionable."

• Emphasizes the importance of visual brainstorming to identify actionable characteristics of the target audience.

"We found out that our families read Town and Country magazine... that's not actionable to us. We can't afford to put an ad in that magazine."

• Highlights the need to focus on marketing strategies that are feasible and effective rather than just interesting data points.

• AI can be used to analyze recorded conversations with new community members to extract themes and language for marketing materials.
• The goal is to create marketing messages that resonate personally with the target audience by using their own language and expressions.
• AI serves as a tool to save time and resources, especially for school marketers with limited budgets and manpower.

"Take that recording... drop that into AI like a chat GPT and then ask it to pull out themes and language that the mom uses and use that in your marketing."

• Demonstrates how AI can be used to personalize marketing messages by analyzing real conversations.

"AI can fix a lot of that... that's why I'm so bullish on it for school marketers."

• AI is seen as a valuable tool for overcoming resource constraints in school marketing.

• AI is a tool that should not replace personal interactions but rather facilitate them.
• Schools should model good use of AI and educate students on how to use it effectively and ethically.
• There is a need to address fears and misconceptions about AI among educators and parents.

"Marketing AI should not replace the personal... it should help the prospective family get to a conversation a lot faster and easier."

• AI should enhance personal connections rather than replace them in the educational context.

"We need to start teaching and modeling good use of AI... people are scared of it."

• Emphasizes the importance of education and modeling in alleviating fears about AI.

• Parents should visit schools in person to get a true sense of the environment and culture beyond marketing materials.
• The authenticity of a school's marketing can be gauged by how well it aligns with the actual experience of visiting the school.
• Schools may have excellent qualities not reflected in their marketing, highlighting the importance of personal visits.

"You can't know a school until you put boots on the ground... you have to see what's going on."

• Stresses the importance of visiting schools in person to truly understand their environment and culture.

"Sometimes... you go into that school and you realize, oh my goodness, what a great place this is. Why are they not marketing right?"

• Highlights the discrepancy that can exist between a school's quality and its marketing efforts.

• Schools often lack resources for extensive marketing, making AI a valuable tool for efficiency.
• There's a need for schools to adapt and innovate in their marketing strategies to better reflect their true value.
• The conversation around AI and marketing is evolving, and schools must keep pace to remain competitive.

"I think Mar Andel and I have said so many times... everything you do is just to get people in the door."

• The primary goal of school marketing should be to facilitate personal visits, where the school can truly showcase its value.

"I usually don't visit the schools... trying to be respectful of school's budgets and stuff."

• Reflects the financial constraints schools face, emphasizing the need for cost-effective marketing solutions.

• Schools historically held back information, but the digital age demands transparency to empower parents in decision-making.
• The balance of power has shifted from schools to parents, who now have the ability to research and choose schools independently.
• Schools must adapt by providing comprehensive information online to remain competitive and appealing to parents.

"Back in the day, you'd have to call the school office or the school admission person and make the appointment and come in. That's shifted now, so the parents control all of the power."

• This quote illustrates the shift in power dynamics, emphasizing how parents now have the autonomy to research and choose schools without direct school intervention.

• Schools should actively curate and solicit reviews from parents, alumni, and students to convey authenticity and the school's unique atmosphere.
• Online reviews on platforms like Niche, Great Schools, and even Yelp can significantly influence prospective parents' perceptions.
• Schools should leverage positive testimonials to capture the school's essence digitally.

"You have to ask them to rate. I mean, people are rating schools on Yelp now. I mean, I'm like, oh my gosh."

• This highlights the growing importance of online reviews in shaping public perception of schools, akin to how consumer products are evaluated.

• Personal fulfillment in one's career can stem from aligning work with passion and interests.
• The speaker transitioned from a traditional educational career path to a marketing role that better suited their interests and passions.
• Enjoyment in work can lead to a seamless integration of professional and personal life, creating a virtuous cycle of satisfaction.

"I feel really blessed that I'm able to get paid for the thing that I really love to do."

• This quote underscores the speaker's contentment and fulfillment in their career, highlighting the importance of passion-driven work.

• Encouragement to explore AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance marketing and communications in schools.
• Recommendations for AI-related podcasts and resources to deepen understanding and application in everyday work.
• Emphasis on experimentation and play as a means to overcome fear and discover practical AI use cases.

"Here's the first recommendation: just go open a free account and play. It really is play."

• The quote encourages hands-on experimentation with AI tools to discover their potential applications and benefits.

• Personal interests outside of work, such as cooking, can provide balance and a sense of presence away from technology.
• Cooking is highlighted as a passion that requires focus and offers a break from digital distractions.

"I love to cook...even if I'm listening to music or something, tech is out. I have to do the work."

• This quote reflects the speaker's enjoyment of cooking as a mindful activity that contrasts with their tech-driven professional life.