Cohesive branding involves building an image around a school and marketing that image to prospective students and families. The two sides of the coin are equivalent in terms of importance. Without a cohesive and compelling brand or image, a school lacks specific selling points to persuade students and parents who might be looking for a change. Without effective marketing, even the most attractive and compelling brand imaginable is wasted, because few target prospects will ever see it.
Why Is Cohesive Branding Important in an Education Setting?
Cohesive branding is important in an education setting because of the high standards of today's students and parents. Never in history have families conducted more research and been more brand and reputation-conscious when selecting a school for their children — and this consciousness starts as early as kindergarten and sometimes, before then!
Parents want an educational setting that conveys order and unity, one that offers strong programs they think will give their children advantages in their later educational endeavors and careers. A cohesive branding strategy can convey these ideals while also increasing brand awareness.
It Conveys Order and Unity
Many of today's schools are plagued by disorder and disunity, rife with infighting over everything from educational policy to dress codes to mask and vaccine mandates. It's no wonder that parents are often uncomfortable with the environment into which they are sending their impressionable children, an environment that by all accounts is frequently toxic and not conducive to serious, rigorous education.
With so many schools, both public and private, leaving a bad taste in parents' mouths with their lack of cohesion and shared sense of purpose, there has never been a better time for an upstart institution to focus its branding on order and unity. To win over disaffected parents, a school must give them confidence that what awaits their children will not be an atmosphere of chaos and disarray, rather a bastion of pedagogy.
A cohesive branding strategy creates a clear and consistent image of your school and effectively conveys it to parents who might be unsatisfied with their children's current educational situation. The marketing tools offered by modern social media platforms make it possible to conduct laser-targeted research to get your school's message in front of the families who are most likely to respond positively to it. A professional education marketing firm can help you craft that message and build a campaign to capitalize on it.
It Helps Sell Your Strongest Programs
You know what your school is best at, whether it is STEM, the humanities or special needs education, but do students and families in your community know? If not, your school is likely missing out on students who would be a perfect fit.
With cohesive branding, your school can reach these families and show them why they should take a closer look at what your school has to offer. A targeted social media marketing campaign will find the families most likely to respond, and your carefully crafted message will pique their interest.
It Increases Brand Awareness
When you think about brands that are household names, no matter the industry, they tend to have consistent messaging. Chick-Fil-A is known for friendly and efficient customer service; IKEA for low prices and a high-energy shopping experience; Ross and TJMaxx as havens for skilled bargain-hunters.
Top colleges and universities have cohesive brands, as well. When you think engineering, you think CalTech, MIT and Georgia Tech, and when you think about business, you think of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Having a consistent brand makes that brand more visible, as people associate it with a particular thing or idea in the realm of education. For a lower school, its brand might involve offering special services for students with special needs or having a cutting-edge STEM program. No matter a school's brand, for it to pay off they must capitalize on it by making it visible.
If you are ready to boost your school's application and enrollment numbers and increase the profile of your incoming students, contact May Street for Education today to discuss how cohesive branding and an effective inbound marketing campaign can help your school reach its enrollment goals. We look forward to working for you!
