Continuing on the vein of my previous post on social media and web use in schools, this time around it’s cookies. Defined by Webster’s online dictionary as:

1   : a small flat or slightly raised cake

2   : a small file or part of a file stored on a World Wide Web user’s computer, created and subsequently read by a Web site server, and containing personal information (as a user identification code, customized preferences, or a record of pages visited)

Unfortunately for people like me who enjoy their cakes, this two article series is about the latter definition (wikipedia entry); what they are, and in the sequel article how you can utilise cookies in your e-marketing, as well as major legal changes which will require action from even the most basic of school websites.

mtmconsulting e-marketing

In their most basic sense, cookies are small pieces of data that are used as a way for a website to remember things, much like post-it note, and just as disposable.

Cookies were originally designed as a way of websites remembering items for a “shopping basket”, to be purchased. For example, when a pupil is looking on Amazon.co.uk to buy study guides to help with GCSE English, amazon’s website will create a cookie to recall what book they have decided to buy. If they then find another book to help with their algebra, amazon will create another cookie to remember this book as well. Finally, when our diligent pupil gets permission to buy the book from his parents, amazon will use these cookies to remember everything the pupil has decided to buy and put it into a list or “basket”, to put all the separate items together as one transaction.

This simplified process tells us that cookies are a great way of storing information about people using a website or online service. In the case of an e-commerce website like amazon, the website will use the cookies to remember what you want to buy, but when you have made the purchase, or exited the website, this information will be discarded, meaning you would have to re-enter it when you return.

Some websites use cookie data to create statistics that can inform their activity. Google analytics is an application which you can use with your current website to monitor how effective it is. Google analytics can tell you all kinds of information that is useful, from how many people view your website and for how long, to where their enquiries are coming from. This is great for schools looking to ensure effective marketing – how many people are viewing your website, for how long, which parts of the site are most viewed, etc. To do this, Google analytics is directly informed by cookies created every time someone is active on your website.

So cookies are useful in various activities, and enable quick recall, without the need for extensive databases or permanent information gathering.

Now the “but”…

Data can be used to log your activities online, such as what books you are interested in, as with our example above, cookies are open to use by organisations to gather buying trends and information about web user activity with high levels of precision. This has huge implications on privacy – who is watching what cookies you create online, and what are they using this for?

Luckily unless you know explicitly that you have google analytics or some other device within your website that collects this data, you are at absolutely no risk of compromising any user of your site. If in doubt, ask your web administrator.

However, the mere hint that there are organisations trying to capture data subversively has led to action at government level, and my next article will inform on what this means to your website, now that you have had your fill of cookies.

To find out more about our digital marketing courses or to book a place, please contact Chris Smith on 0843 308 7548, or email csmith@mtmconsulting.co.uk

Our standard terms and conditions apply.

Related posts:

1. Using Google adwords in marketing your school website
2. Why school website design is essential for good pupil recruitment and school marketing
3. mtm launches new website for Aldwickbury school

Last month the Daily Telegraph reported that that middle classes are turning back to the state sector. The interest is primarily fee driven but has been spurred by the opportunities for parents to establish their own school free schools and the transformation of comprehensives into academies. But is this an accurate assessment?

Analysis by the research team at mtmconsulting of over 100,000 independent school parent postcodes over an eight year period, and the postcodes of those who choose free schools, has shown that whereas the number of wealthier families has increased quite considerably in the fee paying sector, the number of middle range families, who are most likely to be first time buyers, has decreased. These middle range families do make up a high proportion of parents who send their children to free schools.

This graph shows the typical profile of mtm‘s clients in 2003-5 and 2009-11:

Are the middle classes being squeezed out of Independent schools? How will it affect your school marketing?

The research suggests that the fee paying sector remains attractive to its core market but that due to the rising cost of fee paying education and prolonged economic uncertainty it is finding it more difficult to attract aspirant first time buyers. At the other end of the scale, the number of bursaries provided by independent schools for those who need help to pay fees has increased, and there are dynamic new initiatives that are breaking through to increase access.

It looks as if it’s not only the Chancellor who should worry about the squeezed middle.

The full article by Dick Davison appears in School Matters, mtmconsulting’s  newsletter, which will be delivered to heads, bursars and marketing managers in the next few days.

To find out more about market conditions in the fee paying and sate funded independent sector see mtm’s  UK Education Sector Report 2012 to 2021: Forecasts, Challenges and Opportunities

For further information on how to help your school plan for the future, please contact us on 0843 308 7548.

Related posts:

1. Private need not be a middle-class preserve: marketing independent schools
2. Who buys independent education?
3. Sector Report 2012 trend 1: Academies, free schools and independents

Read the April 2012 Newsletter here.

If you would like to be added to our mailing list for the newsletter please contact mtmconsulting.

Related posts:

1. mtm School Matters: Latest Edition out now
2. mtm School Matters newsletter out now!
3. mtmconsulting presents School Matters free newsletter

In this workshop, the mtm web+digital team will help you get to grips with how you can best use the internet for your school, and how to avoid the common pitfalls of the online world.  The morning will give you practical advice on getting the most from your website, an overview of safeguards, dos and don’ts, and give you the opportunity to ask questions to our experts.

The programme for the day will be:

9.30 – Is Your Website Working Hard Enough? - How to get good value from your school’s website and measure its effectiveness – from the collection of visitor data to e-commerce sites to the the use of Google Analytics.

10.30 – Coffee

11.00 – Online Etiquette - Safeguards, Dos and Don’ts, and how the law can help

12.00 – Schools on the Internet – Opportunity or Threat - Discussion and Questions & Answers session with our online experts and legal advisor.

1.00-2.30 – Lunch and Real World Networking

Cost: £175 (including buffet lunch and VAT)

To book your place on this course, please contact Chris Smith on 0843 308 7548, or email csmith@mtmconsulting.co.uk

Our standard terms and conditions apply.

Related posts:

1. Tweeting 101: Practical Introduction to Social Networks
2. What will high inflation and threat of rising interest rates mean for independent schools?
3. Cookies – Did you know your school’s website has a sweet tooth?

Following on from some of previous seminars, mtm web+digital present some vital workshops for your school. The aim of this workshop is to provide you with an introduction to social networks and which you may consider using, how to set them up, and creating social media action plans.  #tweeting101

The programme for the day will be:

9.30 – Introduction to Social Networks - Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Bebo and others – What are the differences between them and which are right for your school?

10.30 – Coffee

11.00 – Setting Up on Social Networks - How to set up, brand,and run your page on the most popular social networks

12.00 – Social Networking Action Plans - Integrating social networking into your marketing strategy – how to structure your social network involvement, gain followers and get involved in the social networking community.

1.00-2.30 – Lunch and Real World Networking

Cost: £175 (including buffet lunch and VAT)

To book your place on this course, please contact Chris Smith on 0843 308 7548, or email csmith@mtmconsulting.co.uk

Our standard terms and conditions apply.

Related posts:

1. mtm/vwv Annual Autumn Conference – Practical Strategies for Recovery
2. Blog post – The power of friendship networks, and implications for schools
3. Schools on the Internet – Opportunity or Threat?

When we undertake Mandarin studies as part of our school research and strategy packages, we often ask a school to send us the postcodes of their new starters, or pupils who are due to start at the school in the following September. This allows them to compare the lifestyles of new families against the current parent body, the distances new pupils are prepared to travel, and the towns and villages new starters live in.

Do you know where your new pupils are travelling from? mtm Mandarin can tell you everything you need to know!

Knowing the locations of the towns and villages new starters travel from will help you plan your bus routes effectively, as well as highlighting where your school marketing efforts have been most effective. If there are a number of current pupils from that area then word of mouth may have been key, whereas in new areas advertisements may have been the driver. Conversely, if no new pupils are coming from an area which typically provides large numbers of children, this may need to be investigated further.

An understanding of the distance new starters are prepared to travel to the school may help inform decisions over what is a suitable area to consider as your catchment, and therefore inform where to promote the school. If children are travelling further to the school, it may be worth pushing the boundaries throughout the catchment, whereas if the pupils are travelling shorter distances then thorough research should be carried out to ascertain why.

Finally, comparing the socio-demographic lifestyles of new parents against current families will help you compare how your school recruitment pattern is changing, and whether you are appealing to the correct kinds of families.

If this sounds like the sort of school recruitment research you would like to undertake, why not contact us on 0843 308 7548.

Related posts:

1. Who buys independent education?
2. Making the most of your market research
3. Mandarins are now easier to digest!

Under the watchful eye of an oil-painted Duke of Wellington, movers and shakers in independent schools met for two seminars hosted by mtmconsulting in the sumptuous Waterloo Room at London’s Cavalry and Guards Club in March. They talked tactics, of course, and armed themselves with some vital intelligence, ready to do battle in the most competitive independent schools sector in British history.

Research and marketing are two of the best weapons a school has in the fight for a full roll of students and mtm’s Practical Research and Marketing Seminar on Thursday 1 March suggested plenty of ways to make sure they’re kept sharp.

Competition within independent schools in increasing - make sure your research and strategy battleplans are drawn!

Dick Davison, mtm’s Head of Strategic Consulting, unpicked mtm’s latest report on market developments in the UK education sector, the ‘UK Education Sector Report 2012–2021’, highlighting the ‘Forecasts, Challenges and Opportunities’ it presents for schools. Covering pupil and financial trends and the impact of academies, free schools and the general shake-up of the state education sector, Dick helpfully interpreted the national data and drew on his many years of education experience to predict the effect these changes will have at individual school level. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

Roger Bacon, mtm’s Creative Director, then explained how to give your school the edge with a revitalised brand identity and knock-out marketing materials. After lunch and a chance to exchange some ideas, Marketing Consultant Nicky Adams reported from behind enemy lines on the independent school guides – those tomes and websites parents glue themselves to in the run-up to the registration deadlines. To round off the day, Head of Research Gavin Humphries and Principal Melanie Tucker gave an insight into how market research can inform strategy and enhance recruitment, to make sure that your school’s Waterloo is not just around the corner.

mtm’s Proprietorial Schools’ Forum on Tuesday 6 March 2012 was a day of discussion and also a chance for independent school owners to gather some useful ammunition. Making a school accessible to its target market is crucial to successful recruitment and Linda Howard, Senior Associate of Minnerva Transport Consultancy, gave an informative presentation on school bussing – an essential ingredient in any school’s marketing strategy, as Melanie Tucker agreed when she imparted some practical recommendations on that topic.

Peers Carter, school proprietor and founder-partner of the School Transfer Company, then lifted the lid on selling schools, with some frank advice on practicalities and pricing, and there was a chance for the delegates to discuss all they had seen and heard with each other over an excellent lunch, before returning to the battlefront of independent education once more.

To find out how mtmconsulting can help with the business of running your school, call 0843 308 7548, or email office@mtmconsulting.co.uk

The UK Education Sector Report 2012–2021 is still available – please call Chris Smith on 0843 308 7548 for details of how to purchase.

Delegates attending mtmconsulting's school Practical Research and Marketing seminar at held at the Calvary and Guards Club

Related posts:

1. Part 2: Seven Stages of Marketing Planning – in your school
2. Is your school in a ‘Nappy Valley’?
3. mtm/vwv Autumn Conference Report 2011 – Practical Strategies for a New Education Market

Most schools are already somewhere along the social media continuum: between ignoring and prohibiting at one end, and embracing and enabling at the other.

There are of course arguments for both extremes. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and so forth) continues to be a divisive subject, and a few PR disasters in recent  times, namely cyber bullying on Facebook, the use of Twitter in the 2011 riots and most recently the rise of the ‘Troll’, have given the ‘anti’ campaign plenty of fuel.

However you look at social media, it is without a doubt an incredibly successful phenomenon, and has proved not just to be a fad. The fad is in the hype surrounding it.

Does your school make the most of social media?

The more Social media becomes part of our daily life, the less sensational it will be. As the “Z” generation matures, social media will be as normal as a communications tool as text messaging is to the “Y” generation and telephone calls are to the “X”. One thinks of our politicians embracing Twitter (if in a slightly haphazard way) as a sign that even our great leaders see the need to use social media. The trailblazers for social media , such as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, have replaced the term “zeitgeist” and bastardized “trending”, allowing social media to dictate and perpetuate social values.

But how do schools cope with such a fluid and dynamic medium? How do they catch up (in many cases) and then how do they adapt?

One of the UK’s most successful sports managers, Sir Clive Woodward, gave each of his World Cup-winning England rugby squad a state-of-the-art laptop, believing that to embrace technology was key to embracing new ideas in general, and assessed each of his players’ propensity to learn.

In the same way, schools have addressed the need to embrace technology as a learning tool, and have been pioneers in enabling young people to gain IT skills – greatly improving job prospects and communication skills – with the introduction of an IT curriculum.

Social media is an extension of this. By using examples and case studies on great social media entrepreneurs, like the aforementioned Mr Zuckerberg, Chad Hurley (YouTube), Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and others, we can inspire pupils with alternatives to mainstays like Lord Sugar, Bill Gates and the cast of Dragons’ Den. Certainly they are valid role models, but show a 16-year-old Peter Jones in his suit, and show him Mark Zuckerberg on his skateboard, and the vast majority will pick the latter as their idol. The true irony here is that all of the more established entrepreneurs listed use the young pretenders’ products (see Twitter for entertaining discussion between Lord Sugar and Piers Morgan).

Of course there is the obvious issue of safeguarding – yet another dynamic topic with privacy policies often reactive to the events that grab media attention.

Social media is designed to be the ultimate freedom of expression. Speaking with marketers and teachers at schools, this is a very contentious issue, and one which must be addressed by all schools. A computer usage policy governing IT use in school is outmoded almost as soon as it is written, with updates to sites and technology happening many times in just a term. For example over the course of this Spring term alone, we will have seen a change to the Google privacy policy, the release of a new iPad and key updates to Facebook, to name just a few.

There are key questions therefore which need addressing: What are pupils and staff using social media for? Is any of their activity malicious and is that intentional or not? What impact might this have on the school and it’s PR? How do you monitor all this?!

These are questions which cannot be ignored, no matter what your views are, and yet they seem to be very complex to deal with. It can be argued that while schools side-line the issues, they will grow and the solution may be unwieldy if not dealt with sooner rather than later.

This leads us neatly to parents. Parents and parent groups can have huge influence over school perceptions in the community, affecting recruitment and retention. We must remember that parents use social media as well, and so why not tap into this? Smart use of Twitter for example can help to promote events and success, underlining your school’s key marketing messages.

Empowering Heads of department as user groups within school is a good way of promoting social media use without putting the burden on an individual. Strict guidelines on usage agreed with parents can be put in place and the results can be very effective inside and outside school.

This is just one way of using social media, barely a scratch on the surface (having not even mentioned Wikipedia, Youtube or the influence of Smartphones and emerging technology).

The answer to our question is that schools and social media are compatible. The people in your school or college are the ones driving forward this new method of communication and community participation. Clearly it is essential that schools must have more than a passing knowledge of what social media is and does, so they can support the next generation of entrepreneurs like Jamal Edwards.

Enabling and education – of both schools and their pupils – is key to using social media as a tool in an education environment and prevention will undoubtedly lead to a culture of subversion.

So – to ignore or to embrace? It is unrealistic to believe that there is enough support from Government and our societal conferences to enable schools to fully embrace social media, and effective policy and guidelines are of course needed to combat the negative aspects. However, it is not going away. Social media is an exciting and dynamic tool, with the potential to have a very positive effect on schools, not only as a marketing tool, but as an educational facility for pupils and a method for the promotion of best practice between schools. It must be accepted as such.

Therefore if you are somewhere between ignorance and embrace, to quote the “meme”:  “you’re doing it right.”.

For information on how mtm can help your school embrace the world of social media, call us on 0843 308 7548 for a free consultation.

Related posts:

1. mtm on social media in independent schools marketing
2. Tweeting 101: Practical Introduction to Social Networks
3. The case for easier sharing

Your opportunity to shape the future of independent education in London Docklands

mtmconsulting is managing the bidding for investment in two new schools in the heart of London Docklands – the deadline for submissions has now closed, but please contact us if you are interested.

Education investors are being offered a rare opportunity to invest in two brand new schools to be built by The Ballymore Group in creatively regenerated areas of London Docklands.

In this exciting, evolving urban environment, a new nursery and preparatory school is to be constructed on a bend in the River Thames opposite the O2 Arena at The Ballymore Group’s Leamouth Peninsula development in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. In nearby Newham, a school potentially catering for pupils aged four to 18 will be built close to the heart of The Ballymore Group’s new Minoco community, whose design will be faithful to the original Royal Docks neighbourhoods with a network of streets and squares and a mixture of residential and commercial property.

mtmconsulting has researched the potential market for both schools, devised a suggested outline of the schools’ provision and is now managing the bidding process for operation of the schools at Leamouth and Minoco.

Tenders were invited (supporting documents below), with a submission deadline of 16th March 2012. To discuss the opportunities and the bidding process, please contact Nicky Adams (Marketing Consultant, mtmconsulting),  Paul Hegarty (Senior Development Manager, The Ballymore Group), or telephone mtmconsulting on 01502 722787.

For information on The Ballymore Group, go to www.ballymoregroup.com.

For more detailed information, click the links to download PDFs of Key Information, Market Research Data and a Draft Lease Agreement for Leamouth and Minoco. Please contact mtm for copies of the  Planning Application Design & Access Statements.

Leamouth:

• Leamouth Draft Lease Agreement
• Leamouth Key Information
• Leamouth Market Research Data
• Leamouth Residential Unit Mix

Minoco:

For further information, please contact Nicky Adams (Marketing Consultant, mtmconsulting),  Paul Hegarty (Senior Development Manager, The Ballymore Group), or telephone mtmconsulting on 01502 722787.

Related posts:

1. mtm: Opportunities for the future of independent schools
2. Who buys independent education?
3. When truly independent education research pays dividends

Parental satisfaction surveys are an excellent way of gauging how your school is perceived by your ‘customers’, revealing your strengths and also priorities for improvement. At mtmconsulting we have conducted such surveys in excess of 70 schools, and beyond the major provision issues (teaching quality, academic outcomes, pastoral care etc) we have discovered that it is often the small things which can make all the difference – and it may be that the things which really niggle parents are relatively easy to fix (and for zero cost!). When budgets are tighter than ever, it is essential to optimise your offering, especially as word of mouth recommendation is by far your best marketing tool; we have included some brief suggestions below to get you thinking about where you might be able to score a ‘quick win’.

Is parking an issue for your parents? Why not consider some simple steps to alleviate parental stress?

Parking – try a one way system, introduce designated drop off zones, consider staged entry / finish times (although this can cause its own problems with siblings in different years!). Tell parents you recognise the problems and are looking at possible solutions – even ask for suggestions.

Communication – allocate responsibility to a single member of staff to collect relevant details on sports fixture, music practice, up-coming events etc and create a weekly email to all parents. Make sure your website is always kept up to date. Create a designated ‘Head@’ email address if you haven’t already got one. Make sure you communicate any changes about school provision or staffing in an honest and timely manner.

Uniform – ask your ‘Friends’ or parental committee to organise a quality second hand sale or integrate it into an existing Fete. Make sure your supplier is providing excellent customer service, great quality and good value for money.

Visibility – ensure the head or a member of SMT is visible and accessible at drop off / pick up to greet and talk to parents. This is more important to parents than you may realise.

Food – have you been in to the kitchens and dining room lately? Make sure that your school is providing the very best you can for your budget and check you would be happy to eat the food yourself.

Some issues such as parking / site restrictions may have no real long term solution or money to pay for them, but the fact that they have been recognised and that some attempts to fix them have been seen, will go a long way to improve parental perceptions – the small things in life really do count.

Related posts:

1. Sector Report 2012 trend 2: recession and the flight to quality
2. Is your school really delivering a quality service? Are you sure?
3. Minding the gap between expectation and experience