Parents as Ambassadors, Advocates and Word of Mouth Marketers, NAIS 2014
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An Inside Look at The Out-of-Door Academy
} During this workshop we will take an inside look at The Out-of-Door Academy in Sarasota, FL, and discuss how they use parents as advocates, ambassadors and word of mouth marketers.
Shannon Drosky Laura Murphy Rick Newberry
} Director of Marketing and Communications
} The Out-of-Door Academy, Sarasota, FL
} Director of Admissions } The Out-of-Door Academy, Sarasota, FL
} President, Enrollment Catalyst } Enrollment and Marketing Strategy Coach } Blog at www.enrollmentcatalyst.com/blog
Word of Mouth is the number one way that prospective parents discover your school.
© 2014 Enrollment Catalyst
8
} Recommendations from friends } Research online
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} We rely upon word of mouth in our own buying decisions.
} Do you remember the old Faberge Organic Shampoo TV commercial?
} Complete with 80’s hair, a young model appears on the screen and begins by saying: “I told two friends about Faberge Organic Shampoo with pure wheat germ oil and honey. “
} She concludes by saying: “You will tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends, and so on and so on and so on.”
Word-of-mouth is the number one way that parents first find
out about your school.
WOMbound Marketing
“WOMbound is the intentional and proactive strategy to generate, facilitate and inspire
word of mouth through your advocates. It is how brand advocacy works by harnessing the
power of word of mouth to reach your potential customers most effectively.”
• Rick Newberry, Enrollment Catalyst
WOMbound
Ø New media Ø Web-based Ø Pull Ø Listen Ø Engage Ø Hub Ø Authentic Ø Content Ø Stories
Ø Old media Ø Traditional Ø Push Ø Interrupt Ø Broadcast Ø Megaphone Ø Slick Ø Ads Ø Slogans
Ø People Ø Mouth Ø Advocate Ø Share Ø Relate Ø Conversation Ø Trustworthy Ø Experience Ø Credibility
Why is word of mouth
marketing important for your school?
} Always the number one way that prospective parents discover and select your school.
} Based on the trust and credibility from
someone that has experienced your school.
“So what is word of mouth marketing? In this book, I define it as ‘Giving people a reason to talk about your stuff, and making it easier for
that conversation to take place’.”
• Sernovitz, Word of Mouth Marketing
WHAT IS WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING?
“Word of mouth marketing only works if you have good products and services. It only works if people like you and trust you.”
• Sernovitz, Word of Mouth Marketing
Word of
Mouth
Advocates Ambassadors
“You may spend millions of dollars on elaborate marketing campaigns. But there is
nothing more powerful than a trusted recommendation from a Brand Advocate.”
• Rob Fuggetta, Brand Advocates: Turning
Enthusiastic Customers into a Powerful Marketing Force
“Advocacy—not ads—is what drives purchase decisions and perceptions in nearly
every product category.”
• Rob Fuggetta, Brand Advocates: Turning Enthusiastic Customers into a Powerful Marketing Force
“The best marketing is the kind you don’t buy.”
“If parents are satisfied, you won’t have to spend a dime to advertise. We talk continually
about the education of our children.”
Your best marketing is with current parents and students being satisfied with their
education. “
“Stop spending so much money. Word of mouth from satisfied families is your best marketing. An ad is not going to influence
anyone.”
“When you have a great product, it is much easier to market and word of mouth will be
much stronger.”
Word of
Mouth Satisfaction
Experience
Quality Trust
Service
Stories
You need a WOMbound
marketing strategy at your school to use parents as
advocates, ambassadors and word of mouth marketers.
We will explore how The Out-of-Door Academy developed and implemented their WOM marketing plan.
© 2014 Enrollment Catalyst
©Association of Independent School Admission Professionals Annual Summer Institute 2013 30
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“Word of mouth marketing isn’t about marketing at all. It’s about great customer service that
makes people want to tell their friends about you. It about fantastic products that people
can’t resist showing to everyone.”
• Sernovitz, Word of Mouth Marketing
© 2014 Enrollment Catalyst
Is word of mouth marketing part of your strategy?
© 2014 Enrollment Catalyst
“Unsurprisingly, I found that 63.4 percent felt that over half their business came by way of
referrals. But of that same group, 79.9 percent readily admitted that they had no system of any
kind to generate referrals. This is somewhat puzzling. How can a business owner know that word of mouth is so powerful and then do so
little to take advantage of it?”
• John Jantsch, The Referral Engine
© 2014 Enrollment Catalyst
How can a school leader know that word of mouth is so
powerful and then do so little to take advantage of it?”
We need a framework for our word-of-mouth marketing plan
© 2014 Enrollment Catalyst
1. Talkers—who will tell their friends about you?
2. Topics—what will they talk about? 3. Tools—how can you help the message travel? 4. Taking Part—how should you join the
conversation? 5. Tracking—what are people saying about you?
Ø Andy Sernovitz, Word of Mouth Marketing
© 2014 Enrollment Catalyst
Parents as advocates, ambassadors and word of mouth marketers
39
520 540 560 580 600 620 640 660 680 700
Enrollment
Re-enrollment for the 2014-15 school year is the highest ever!
Find people who will talk about your school
} Parent Ambassadors } Trustees } Students (Student Admissions Team) } Class Parents (Parent Association) } Alumni (Alumni Council) } Faculty } New Parents } Grandparents } Who in your community?
Old Model New Model
Parent Ambassador
New Family
Parent Ambassador
New Family New
Family New
Family New
Family
New Family
} Help new families and children acclimate to their new school community, as well as the greater Sarasota/Bradenton community
} Provide opportunities to connect before school begins
} Invite new parents to school events throughout the year
} Be another touch point for new families
} Choosing the right person for the role: � Outgoing � Friendly � Committed to the school � Responsible � Honest
} New parents often make the best ambassadors } Ambassadors mentor each other
} Parent Ambassador Contact Card
} Community outreach
} Review classes to determine best fit
} Take time to reach out personally to prospects
} Thank them early and often!
Give people a reason to talk
} The first tool is your mission statement. } Make sure everyone in the community knows
your mission statement and you are living it in all aspects of what you do from: ◦ In the front office ◦ In the admissions office ◦ in the business office ◦ in the classroom ◦ On the athletic field ◦ On the stage…
} Academic ◦ College Counseling stories
} Athletic ◦ RISER’s (Student-athletes who exemplify our five
core values: Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence, and Responsibility) ◦ Success Stories
} Arts ◦ Showcase talent and dedication to an art
} Character ◦ Service stories
} Innovation ◦ iPad Program ◦ Blended Classes ◦ Online Classes ◦ Blogging in the Lower School ◦ Different ways of using technology to enhance educational
experience
} Preparation for the “VUCA” World ◦ VUCA = Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity ◦ Critical Thinking ◦ Creativity ◦ Collaborators ◦ Communication ◦ Character Development
} Diversity and Global Education ◦ Chinese Exchange Student Program ◦ # of countries represented by our school community ◦ Speakers series
} Faculty success stories ◦ Years of Service ◦ Professional Growth
} Progress and Strength ◦ Founded in 1924 – strong foundation ◦ Growth of program and enrollment
} New Parent Reception } First Day of School } Convocation } Retention events } Commencement
} We critique everything we do to see how we can make it better – it is the ODA culture.
} WOW Moments
Help the message spread faster and farther.
Sent to Parents by division and all Faculty
} Front page – Target Audience is prospective parents versus current parents
} Current parents and students utilize Parent/Student Portal for all information
} News items from email and social media drive visitors to website
} Back to School Nights } Parent Coffees and Events } Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences } Digital advertising } Community Sponsorships/Partnerships } …
Join the conversation.
} Attending events and being part of the community ◦ Athletic, Arts, Coffees, etc ◦ Be proactive – ask the questions – get to know your
community ◦ Talk about their kids – that is the connection! ◦ When they trust you, they will do anything for you!
} Focus groups ◦ Parent Ambassadors ◦ New and current parents ◦ Students ◦ Faculty ◦ Alumni
} Social Media – commenting, liking, thanking and sharing ◦ Faculty sharing and being a part of the Facebook
conversation
Measure and understand.
} Retention Rate } # of applications } Yield } Website stats } Email open and click through stats } Social Media stats
} Inquiries ◦ Not as important as they used to be – getting
information from website and referrals
Actually, this is the beginning for you to develop your own word of mouth marketing plan and to use parents as ambassadors and advocates for your school.
For More Information: Laura Murphy, Director of Admissions
lmurphy@oda.edu Shannon Drosky, Director of Marketing & Communications
sdrosky@oda.edu www.oda.edu
www.oda.edu/passiton https://www.facebook.com/theoutofdooracademy
For More Information:
Enrollment Catalyst Rick Newberry, Ph.D. 9770 Indian Key Trail Seminole, FL 33776
727.647.0378
Rick.Newberry@enrollmentcatalyst.com www.EnrollmentCatalyst.com
www.Facebook.com/EnrollmentCatalyst @RickNewberry
© 2014 Enrollment Catalyst
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