The opening line to “By My Side” from the musical “Godspell” states, “Where are you going? Can you take me with you?” While we do have the need to be alone (most importantly, to be alone with our God), we are social people. Our salvation is found in our faith, but faith is manifested in our service to others.
And then there are all of those pearls of wisdom – “Many hands make light work;” “Two heads are better than one;” and, of course, “Where two or three are gathered, there I am in the midst of them.” If we want to make sure Jesus is beside us, all we have to do is make sure there’s someone else with us who is also a believer, and that we’re doing His work.
So what does this have to do with marketing your school? It helps to recall that parents have friends who are also young parents. Many parents take their children to the same neighborhood daycare, or participate in the same playgroup. Therefore, why not take a cue from a parent’s need to be “in community” with their friends. If you don’t believe young parents believe in community, then you haven’t seen this Web phenomenon called “Facebook.”
If you’re still sending information about your school when a parent requests it, don’t just send one information piece – send two or three, so that they can share the information with their friends who also have children that are starting school. If they’re looking at your school’s Web site, make sure there’s a “Share” link so parents interested in your school can email their friends and connect with them.
Parents face difficulties if they make the decision to choose your school while their friends choose a different school (public or private) for their child. This may still be what happens, but at least you’ve shared information about your school with all those parents, and exposed them to the importance of the experience and message your school provides.
While it’s important that parents are given a personalized experience, they also enjoy the ability to share that experience with their circle of friends in their community…whether it’s a physical or virtual one.
© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2009-2024 (Original Publication Date: 20090520)