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Your School’s Image

When developing a marketing identity you must first ask yourself what image you want to project. What image do you want for your school? When prospective students talk to you for the first time—when they hang up the phone or walk out the door—how do they feel? Is that how you want them to feel about you? How can you get them to know in their gut that studying with you is the right thing to do?

Before you dismiss image as some artificial advertising fiction, think about the teachers you have studied with. Were they people of integrity? Did they care about the well-being of their students? Whether you answered yes or no, how could you tell? You could tell by the way they conducted themselves, the way they managed their school. You could tell by the way their “walk matched their talk.” That, in its simplest form, is image.

If you believe in honor and integrity, the individual decisions you make about your business must reflect that honor and integrity. If children are important to you, you should show that in your day-to-day dealings with them. If you value strength tempered by self-control, if that is what you teach your students, ask yourself whether you project that value in your daily dealings with people. Looking at image is a reality check: Do your “walk and talk” reflect the things that are valuable to you?