Prologue
I've been analyzing the early responses from the 2025 MarCom Society Salary Survey, and wow - some fascinating trends are emerging that I think you'll want to know about.
A few early insights that caught my attention:
The median salary range is $65,000-$69,000, and here's what's really interesting—over 80% of respondents are female, yet only 58% hold Director-level positions.
But perhaps the most eye-opening finding so far? 37% of school marketers have zero direct reports. That's right - many of you are one-person marketing departments, wearing multiple hats and juggling countless tasks while still expected to deliver world-class results.
Sound familiar? You're not alone.
The full survey dives deeper into topics like:
- Remote work policies (which seem to be getting less flexible at many schools)
- Professional development budgets
- Work-life balance (including evening/weekend expectations)
- Marketing budget control and allocation
- Team structures and reporting relationships
I'd love to include your voice if you haven't taken the survey yet. Your responses help create vital benchmarking data that can empower our entire community to advocate for the resources and recognition we deserve.
The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete, and all responses are anonymous. You can take it here:
I'll be sharing more insights as they come in. Stay tuned!
Let me know if you complete the survey - I'd love to hear your thoughts on how the findings align with your experience.
Thanks,
Brendan
P.S. Look for the complete survey results in early 2025. The more responses we get, the more valuable the data becomes for everyone in our community.
Sponsored Link
Marketing
The Art of Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Driving Engagement for Nonprofits
Designing effective calls-to-action (CTAs) is vital for nonprofits to drive engagement, from donations to volunteer sign-ups. This guide explores crafting CTAs with clarity, urgency, and strategic placement, backed by psychological principles like FOMO and social proof. It highlights action-oriented language, impactful design, and testing methods to find what resonates best. With tailored CTAs, nonprofits can inspire immediate support and deepen audience connections.
Recommended Reading
Have You Pissed Off a Constituent This Year?
The article discusses the importance of addressing any negative experiences your constituents may have had throughout the year, particularly when planning campaigns such as Giving Tuesday or end-of-year efforts. It emphasizes that even seemingly minor incidents can have lasting consequences if mishandled, citing an example of a family who withdrew support from an organization due to poor communication after their child was injured. The key takeaway is that thoughtful follow-up and open discussions with your team can prevent small issues from escalating into long-term damage.
A Beginner's Guide To Reddit: How To Get Started
This beginner's guide to Reddit explains how to navigate the platform, focusing on finding the right subreddits, understanding its voting system, and engaging with the community. It covers essential tips on how to avoid spam labels, create effective content, and participate actively in discussions to build credibility. The guide also emphasizes the importance of following subreddit-specific rules and maintaining authenticity to succeed on Reddit.
Enrollment
The parent attention economy
In "The Parent Attention Economy," imageseven highlights strategies for schools to capture and retain parent attention in communications. Key recommendations include distinguishing transactional from promotional information, ensuring relevance to specific audiences, and crafting scan-friendly, visually engaging emails. Assigning a dedicated editor and repurposing existing content can enhance engagement, while consistent branding builds trust and recognition. This approach moves beyond “batch and blast” emails, focusing on valuable, targeted communication that respects parents’ limited attention.
Miscellaneous
Reflecting on Happiness in Work, Life, and Marketing with Michelle Wax
In this thought-provoking episode, Michelle reflects on what makes people happy. She shares insights from her interviews with over 500 people across the country on creating happiness and fulfillment in their lives, regardless of external circumstances. She also talks about how happiness applies to school marketing, and how you can make small shifts in your life to reduce burnout and increase happiness.
MarCom Job
Director of Marketing and Communications @ The Agnes Irwin School
Agnes Irwin seeks an experienced, strategic marketing and communications professional to serve as the school’s next Director of Marketing and Communications. Reporting to the Head of School, the Director of Marketing and Communications is charged with the creation, implementation, and evaluation of Agnes Irwin’s comprehensive communications and marketing program. As a member of the senior leadership team, the Director of Communications will develop strong partnerships with administrative colleagues and work closely with the School’s Enrollment and Development teams to support enrollment and fundraising goals and initiatives. As the leader of the Communications Office, which includes the Associate Director of Communications, Associate Director of Marketing, and Social Media Specialist, the Director will establish goals and utilize data and metrics to ensure they are met.
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 4,000+ subscribers by sponsoring this newsletter.
Social Media
Why and How to Use LinkedIn Private Mode
Neal Schaffer’s blog explains the benefits and how-to of LinkedIn’s Private Mode, which allows users to browse profiles anonymously. This feature is essential for various activities such as job searching or competitive research, allowing users to maintain privacy while avoiding awkward situations. Schaffer outlines scenarios where Private Mode is advantageous while also cautioning against overuse, which could diminish your profile’s visibility and networking potential on LinkedIn.
nealschaffer.com