Prologue
I recently analyzed 193 school marketing salaries from the 2024 MarCom Society Salary Survey.
Here's what I discovered:
→ Median salary: $65,000 - $69,000
→ 80.3% of respondents are female
→ 58% hold Director-level positions
→ Only 9.8% are eligible for bonuses
But the most surprising finding?
37% have zero direct reports.
That's right. Many school marketers are one-person teams.
Wearing multiple hats. Juggling countless tasks.
Yet still expected to deliver world-class results.
If this sounds familiar, you're doing the work of an entire department.
You deserve recognition (and resources).
If you are a school leader, please start to invest in your marketing talent.
Do you want to review the entire 2024 MarCom Society Salary Survey? View it here.
Be on the lookout for the 2025 version of the survey, which will have a few more questions designed for MarCom professionals to gather additional information to benchmark their salaries.
I plan to open the survey in about two weeks.
Thanks,
Brendan
Sponsored Link
Elevate Your Enrollment Funnel With EMA's Student Prospect List
Sourcing qualified candidates on a budget is always the biggest challenge for independent school marketers. EMA’s Student Prospect List (SPL) connects you to over 35K students actively seeking independent school education. 100+ advanced filters allow you to segment the best-fit students and customize messaging to them.
Marketing
School marketing starts on the inside
In the article "School Marketing Starts on the Inside," the focus is on how internal communication within schools is key to a successful marketing strategy. The article stresses that effective communication between school staff, administration, and other internal stakeholders creates a consistent and clear message that can be conveyed externally. Ambiguous or inconsistent internal messaging can hinder a school's growth and confuse potential families. The authors argue that building a strong, cohesive internal culture is the foundation for external marketing success, as it allows the school’s values and messages to resonate more authentically with the broader community
What Is Email Segmentation? Plus, Why It's Important For Your Blog
Email segmentation is a powerful but underutilized strategy for bloggers to enhance engagement and conversions. This guide from Blogging Wizard explores six main segmentation types: interest, progress level, purchase history, actions and behaviors, demographics, and preferences. By tailoring email content to specific groups within a list—whether they’re beginners or repeat customers—bloggers can boost open rates, reduce unsubscribes, and optimize their marketing ROI. Learn practical segmentation techniques and why they’re vital for turning subscribers into active, loyal readers.
AI
How to get started with Google’s NotebookLM
Google's NotebookLM is an AI-driven tool designed to help users better understand and organize their research. This blog offers eight beginner tips for getting the most out of it, including experimenting with recent documents, creating topic-based notebooks, and using NotebookLM to connect information across sources. The tool can synthesize content into formats like FAQs or audio summaries, making it versatile for various tasks from work projects to creative endeavors. Users can even ask it for creative input or summarizations to boost productivity and insight.
3 marketing use cases for generative AI that aren’t copywriting
Generative AI is proving valuable in marketing beyond copywriting, offering new ways to boost productivity. Key applications include creating strategic campaign briefs with detailed insights, simulating customer personas for actionable feedback, and automating data visualizations from raw data, which frees up time and resources. These applications highlight how AI can enhance foundational marketing tasks, delivering insights and efficiency that go beyond content generation.
Recommended Reading
The Power of "Thank You"
In the blog post "The Power of 'Thank You'," Jonathan Oleisky reflects on the importance of expressing gratitude, both in personal and professional life. Using an anecdote from his own experience, he recounts delivering a sermon his late father gave about the lasting impact of saying "thank you." Oleisky emphasizes that these two simple words can transform relationships, increase happiness, and build stronger communities, especially in leadership roles. This message serves as a reminder to act on feelings of gratitude while they are fresh.
Miscellaneous
94. Enhancing Your School Leadership with the Dare To Lead Program with Nicole McDermott
In this episode of Mindful School Marketing, we sit down with Nicole McDermott, an independent school leader with over two decades of experience. Nicole shares insights into her work as a facilitator and certified leadership coach trained in Brene Brown’s ‘Dare to Lead’ program. We dive deep into how courage, vulnerability, and clarity play a critical role in educational leadership. Nicole shares how integrating mindfulness and leadership principles can positively impact school communities, from supporting teachers to strengthening relationships with parents. We also explore how schools can better market their unique approaches to stand out.
MarCom Job
Director of Marketing and Communications @ The Ethel Walker School
Reporting to the Head of School and serving as a member of the Leadership Team, the Director of Marketing and Communications will develop and lead the School-wide marketing and communications program, creating and overseeing the execution of a multi-year plan for shaping and managing initiatives that promote The Ethel Walker School internally and externally to inform and increase awareness of the School, generate interest and demand among prospective families, strengthen its institutional brand and reputation, and raise visibility both regionally and nationally.
Social Media Strategist and Photographer @ Chatham Hall
The social media strategist/photographer is a critical member of the Chatham Hall Marketing & Communications Team. This person is a skilled and results-driven professional who coordinates and manages all social media content creation for Chatham Hall, assisting the School in reaching specific marketing, advancement, and enrollment goals, including engagement and conversion. The strategist will be pivotal in advancing the School’s mission and value propositions via social media messaging with prospective and current parents, students, faculty, alumnae, and donors. This person also has strong photography skills and can capture engaging photos that reflect a vibrant campus community. Ideal candidates for this position should be collaborative, innovative, and digitally savvy. Ultimately, this position will drive highly effective social media campaigns and create a robust photography archive for the School.
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.
Promote yourself to 3,000+ subscribers by sponsoring this newsletter.