Aside from more leads, what do most career colleges wish they had? Many school administrators would probably respond to that question with one answer: credibility. A good name. The clout to prove that their school offers top-of-the-line career training and that, as school proprietors, they are interested in more than just the bottom line.
Those are respectable goals. But what’s amazing is that these same schools do very little to actually legitimize their school’s name. With the exception of an open house or the few medical training schools that offer free clinics, any tactics that could promote the school’s commitment to bettering the community are left in their toolbox of unused marketing tactics.
One easy way to create good word of mouth for your school is through a grassroots PR initiative that involves publicizing your lists of new starts and the accomplishments of graduates. These students, after all, are members of the community and are either embarking on or just completing an academic process that will better their lives. That’s news. And the best part is it’s CHEAPER THAN BUYING AN AD.
Earlier this summer, PlattForm’s PR department submitted press releases to the hometown newspapers of students graduating from one of our art schools. A press release that cost our client $5 was sent to the Stillwater News Press in Stillwater, Okla., and generated a feature story and photo spread worth $832.44 in ad space. Now that’s a bargain.
Small weekly newspapers and the community sections of large dailies WANT news like this. A small mention in the newspaper can create a buzz among your students’ families and friends who can brag about their student’s accomplishments. More importantly, you are also inherently establishing legitimacy for your school. The space isn’t paid for. And your students are being COVERED by the local news.
Everyone likes to see their accomplishments in the newspaper. Show your new or graduating students how important they are by sending a press release announcing their enrollment or graduation to their hometown newspaper.
July 26th, 2006 at 10:45 am
Grassroots campaigns are an important part of any public relations strategy as long as you showcase legitimate case studies. Creating fake or illegitimate grassroots groups in an effort to draw support for your program will ultimately backfire. While Bernays was famous for this tactic, it is frowned upon today.
At Texas Tech we routinely sent out press releases and other information to hometown newspapers. When I was there a very successful campaign involved real-life student stories in a cross campaign with marketing. Press events combined with a television/print marketing campaign improved our image in the largest cities of Texas where we were struggling to improve our image.
July 27th, 2006 at 7:58 am
Agreed. Student success stories are a regular suggestion to our clients for bringing balance to our Neighborhood News program. But now you’ve got me thinking. Can grassroots PR initiatives be affective if schools are not reaching out to the communities with sincerity and doing more than sending press releases? Perhaps that’s a topic for my next blog post.