Developing a School District Marketing Plan

Development of a school district marketing plan is many times far down on the list of priorities that need to be achieved by superintendents. Although, in reality, it may be one of the most important tools that can developed to deliver your message to the public. Anecdotal information tells us time and time again that levies and bonds are not just passed in a couple of months, rather they are successful when a positive message is delivered over an extended period of time.

How do I develop a marketing plan? How do I identify the key themes to be promoted? How is a marketing plan operationalized, and by who? Below we have identified the components that are key to making your marketing plan a success.

Audience Who is your audience; the staff, community, parents, students, business

community, legislature…etc? Who needs to hear your message?

Delivery How will it be delivered; newsletters, newspaper, public meetings, focus groups,

community group presentations, board meetings, the 4th of July parade..etc? It is important to remember that you may need to deliver your message using multiple communication vehicles. Additionally, remember that different audiences may require different messages.

Key Messages What are the two or three messages that need to be delivered; the district has great

student performance, the district is financially responsible, our buildings are deteriorating? These key messages should be developed annually in conjunction with the school board during a summer workshop, or board/administration retreat. Sources of information regarding key messages may be to do an opinion poll of the district’s operation prior to the summer months, or use a randomly selected focus group to gather information. This process allows you to better understand the perceptions that are held by the various constituent groups in your district.

Evaluation Although there are many ways to evaluate the success of your marketing plan

(perception surveys, anecdotal information, focus groups), it is clearly most important to include this concern at the beginning of your planning process. In the words of Steven Covey: “Begin with the end in mind”. It is important to understand: How do we best evaluate if we reached the senior citizens, the parents, or the business community? Designing an effective evaluation process will enable you to then determine it you achieved success in promoting your message. If you find that it was successful with certain segments of your constituency, but not with others, you can then modify the marketing process for the future and try delivering the message in a different format.