Blog by Gavin Humphries, Head of Research
This term is a key time for schools to sow the seeds for future success. Making sure your actions are spot-on now can have a positive effect on the benefits you reap later.
With the final cut of the season done, last October I vowed to sort out our lawn. It really wasn’t looking good and I feared what it would be like by the following summer. My wife bought me a book* but I was dismayed to discover that I had missed the boat – September was supposed to have been the busiest time of the year for lawncare, the time when most of the preparation for the following season is undertaken.
Gavin's been working on his lawn. It's a good time for schools to work on key marketing and strategies, and our research can inform this.
September is also a good time to be cultivating your school’s catchment area. For many school marketing specialists, now is a great time to have an impact on enquiries for next year’s intake. This might be through advertising, direct mail, local roadshows and impressing feeder school staff.
September’s also the right time for some longer-term strategic planning in schools, to be considering some of the fundamentals of your business. What kind of parents make up your catchment and are you nurturing them with the right kind of marketing message? Why are there bare patches in parts of your catchment and what can you do to encourage growth in them? What are the prospects for growth over the next 5-10 years?
Mandarin is mtm’s school catchment analysis service and can help with your tactics and thinking. We have introduced a number of new features to quantify your prospects, identify the streets on which they live and hone your pitch to them. To discuss how Mandarin can help your school’s growth and development, please contact mtm.
* The Lawn Expert by Dr D G Hessayon – “the world’s best-selling book on lawns”.
