The importance of customer experience is becoming the cornerstone of any successful brand and when it comes to schools, this scenario is no different.

In an age of empowered and increasingly educated parents, the need is more important than ever before for comprehensive strategies to understanding, engaging and supporting parents at every touchpoint in their journey to making a decision about a brand and in turn your school.

When you are creating a brand for your school, there is incredible importance of brand consistency, to build a strong brand, you need to be consistent in everything across all marketing channels. The quickest way to potentially ruin the credibility of your brand is to be inconsistent in the way it is presented visually to your community. You are hurting your schools projected image if you are going back and forth between how your brand is presented. I can’t stress enough when showcasing your schools core values in a way that is cohesive across all marketing channels. This doesn’t need to be an expensive exercise. So many times, I have seen schools produce some very expensive marketing pieces that are off brand, using expensive stocks, poor design choices and inconsistent messaging. They therefore actually do the brand image more harm than good.

Why does brand consistency matter?

It Builds Trust

Inconsistency in your brand and the way it is delivered is one of the quickest ways that you can break trust with your potential enrolments. Some stats suggest that 61% of parents read reviews before they make a decision on where they send their child to school. They attend open days, speak to other parents, read prospectus materials and follow social channels. Parents look for a reason to trust your brand before enrolling their child in a school. They want to know that what you say, is what you deliver. Where possible, engage parents in two-way communication. Parents like to be involved and have relationships with their school of choice. If you can do this, you’ll build trust. Social media is a clever way for schools to respond personally to their community and target market. By doing this, you are establishing that word of mouth referral system.

It Builds Authority

When people become familiar with your schools’ brand, you have the opportunity to build authority and become the expert in your industry. Consistency helps families to become familiar with your brand and it’s essential if you want to be a reference in your area. Developing a brand story is a brilliant way to inspire an emotional reaction in your community towards your brand (school). Schools can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing, social media, and content creation, but all of that is futile without a solid brand strategy. By creating a compelling brand story, schools can increase the perceived value of their service, earn the loyalty and engagement of their community, and communicate their vision and purpose to the outside world.

Working closely with a brand agency that has solid experience working with private schools in Sydney is the first step. If you would like more advice or perhaps conduct a brand audit on what your school is currently doing, please get in touch enquiries@frescoreative.com.au