Prologue
I am all in on AI. You might wonder why I'm so bullish and why you should care.
In my opinion, it's simple.
School marketing and communications professionals are under-resourced and underfunded, and I don't see that trend changing anytime soon.
Generative AI has the ability to help school MarCom professionals do and accomplish more without spending more money—or, at most, a $20/month subscription to ChatGPT. The ROI on that spend is incredible.
That's why you should pay attention.
So, have you registered for the School Marketing AI Summit yet? If not, register here.
Also, here is my favorite AI podcast, The Artificial Intelligence Show, from the Marketing AI Institute. And a cool fact is that their Chief Content Officer, Cathy McPhillips, is speaking at the School Marketing AI Summit.
Hope you have a great week!
Thanks,
Brendan
Sponsored Link
September Conversations with Colleagues: Beyond Word-of-Mouth Marketing
I will be joining Janice Crampton, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer at AISAP, for this conversation. I hope you can join us if you are an AISAP member!
During these monthly “Conversations with Colleagues,” AISAP members come together to share ideas and learn from one another. Join us this month to discuss Beyond Word-of-Mouth Marketing. What advertising and branding opportunities have you and your school successfully employed? What are some lessons from the "do not do" file? Bring your questions, share your challenges, and enable your colleagues from other schools to be your thought partners. This is meant to be a free-flowing, open conversation between admission and enrollment professionals and not a structured webinar.
News
Integrating AI into Your Inquiry-generation Strategies
In this episode of the Show & Tell Show, Andy and Rick will take a look at Halda, an AI-powered inquiry-generation platform that helps schools engage website visitors and provide a more personalized experience, resulting in higher visitor-to-inquiry conversion. Our panel will include Dallin Palmer (Co-founder, President, and COO of Halda), Thomas Steinman (Halda’s Director of Demand Generation), and Rudi Gesch (Director of Marketing & Enrollment at Sheboygan Christian School). If AI integration is an emerging priority for your school, this episode of the Show & Tell Show will be right on time.
Marketing
Why We Might Have Got School Marketing All Wrong
The article "Why We Might Have Got School Marketing All Wrong" challenges traditional school marketing strategies, arguing that many schools focus too much on selling themselves rather than genuinely engaging with their communities. It suggests that schools should shift their approach to build deeper connections with parents and students, emphasizing authenticity over flashy marketing tactics. The piece advocates for a more human-centered approach, where schools prioritize understanding and meeting the real needs of their communities, ultimately leading to more effective and meaningful communication.
AI
Cloudflare is taking a stand against AI website scrapers
Cloudflare is proactively addressing the challenges of unauthorized AI web scraping by offering a new free tool designed to block all known AI website crawlers, including those that typically ignore robots.txt rules. This initiative aims to protect its clients’ websites from being used to train AI models without permission, marking a significant step in safeguarding data privacy and content integrity. This tool is available to any of Cloudflare’s clients, providing them with enhanced control over their site’s data and preventing potential misuse by AI companies.
15 AI Image Enhancers to Improve Your Photos
Neal Schaffer’s comprehensive guide on AI image enhancers outlines various tools that can significantly upgrade photo quality, streamline content production, and repurpose images across marketing channels. The article dives into each tool’s capabilities, from basic enhancements like sharpness adjustments and denoising to advanced features like generating images from text. This guide is invaluable for content creators, marketers, and graphic designers looking to leverage AI technology for improved visual content.
Miscellaneous
Strategy – How will you win? – interview with Tom Olverson
In this special interview episode, we are joined by Tom Olverson, a veteran school Head of 27 years across the United States who is now a specialist search consultant, as well as a mentor to Heads. He is also the author of Leading Through Strategy – How Business Principles Can Help Independent Schools Thrive. He talks us through what ‘winning’ looks like for schools, as well as sharing some of the principles from the for-profit world that Heads often overlook.
MarCom Job
Director of Strategic Marketing @ New England Innovation Academy
The Director of Strategic Marketing is a dynamic and innovative leader who plays a pivotal role in shaping the image and reputation of New England Innovation Academy (NEIA) and engaging with various stakeholders. This senior-level position reports to the Interim Head of School and is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy that advances NEIA’s mission and objectives. The Director of Strategic Marketing collaborates closely with the Heads of each department, as well as all school leadership teams to achieve the school’s enrollment and auxiliary programming goals.
SchneiderB Media
Whenever You're Ready, There Are 4 Ways I Can Help You:
Fractional Digital Marketer Program: Our flagship consulting program where we help you get more inquiries by implementing inbound marketing, Google Ads, FB/Insta Ads, SEO, and Blogging for you! Learn more.
SchoolMarketingCRM: My brand new marketing software for schools. This is the software I wish I had when I worked in schools. It handles all of your marketing functions, including landing pages, email automation, reputation management, appointment scheduling, and much more. Learn more.
The MarCom Society: Join other school marketing and communication professionals in my membership community designed to help you become a better MarCom professional through training, support, and community. Learn more.
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