Issue 239

Author

Brendan Schneider
May 19, 2025

In partnership with

PROLOGUE
The Professional Development Gap: What School Marketers Actually Want to Learn

Our 2025 MarCom Society Salary Survey revealed fascinating insights about what school marketers most want to learn:

  1. Digital Marketing (16.2%)

  2. Data Analytics (16.0%)

  3. Artificial Intelligence (13.0%)

  4. Content Marketing (12.3%)

  5. Social Media Strategy (11.3%)

Notice the trend? The most sought-after skills are highly technical and rapidly evolving.

Here's the disconnect: while these technical skills top the wish list, 15.7% of school marketers receive zero professional development funding, and another 14.3% receive just $1-500 annually. That's nearly one-third of school marketers with minimal resources to develop the very skills that could most impact our schools' success.

Bridging the Gap

If this sounds familiar, here are three practical approaches:

  1. Find Micro-Learning Opportunities Free webinars, YouTube tutorials, and industry blogs can provide bite-sized learning. Even 20 minutes daily builds expertise over time.

  2. Make the Business Case Tie your learning directly to enrollment goals: "Learning data analytics would help us better target our advertising spend, potentially increasing our inquiry-to-application ratio."

  3. Create Learning Exchanges Connect with marketers at non-competing schools to share expertise. You might excel at content creation while they understand data analytics.

What skill from the top five would most impact your marketing efforts if you mastered it? Hit reply and let me know!

Thanks,
Brendan

P.S. Our MarCom Society membership includes monthly expert sessions on these in-demand topics, designed specifically for school marketers with limited PD budgets.

Achieve More With Limited Resources: 15 Small Budget Success Stories

Strategic marketing doesn't require enterprise-level spending. Our latest case studies reveal how 15 small brands achieved remarkable outcomes through creativity and smart resource allocation.

  • Innovative tactics that delivered exceptional ROI with minimal investment

  • Strategic approaches that helped small teams compete against industry giants

  • Data-driven techniques for maximizing impact when resources are limited

Looking for ways to stretch your marketing budget further? These 15 mini case studies show exactly how these small brands made such big waves without breaking the bank.

UPCOMING EVENT

For MarCom Society Members Only

Deepfake Sexual Abuse: Your Role in the Response by Evan Harris

Deepfake sexual abuse and sextortion are fast-emerging risks for schools, often taking the form of non-consensual intimate images created with AI tools. This session will introduce MarCom staff to how these incidents typically unfold, what schools are legally and ethically required to do, and how the risk is evolving. We’ll also explore the role communications teams can play in educating parents, shaping preventative messaging, and preparing for their part in a coordinated response plan.

RECOMMENDED READING

TikTok launches TikTok AI Alive, a new image-to-video tool

TikTok is launching its first image-to-video AI feature called TikTok AI Alive.

techcrunch.com/2025/05/13/tiktok-launches-tiktok-ai-alive-a-new-image-to-video-tool

How to Use Social Media to Recruit Teachers and School Staff

Need help filling open positions at your school? Discover how to use social media to recruit teachers and staff with real examples and proven strategies.

socialschool4edu.com/how-to-use-social-media-to-recruit-teachers-and-school-staff

The LinkedIn growth secrets nobody talks about

A viral sensation reminds us that LinkedIn growth depends on a secret sauce that includes timing, engagement, and persverence. LinkedIn growth

businessesgrow.com/2025/05/05/linkedin-growth

How to Find, Analyze & Engage Your Social Media Target Audience

Learn how to identify your social media target audience, analyze their behavior, and engage them effectively to boost engagement and conversions.

www.socialinsider.io/blog/social-media-target-audience

Building an AI Content Team: How to Rapidly Outperform Your Competitors

Learn how to build an AI content team that scales production, boosts quality, and gives you a competitive edge. Discover how to train Custom GPTs for every content type and streamline your entire content workflow.

www.socialmediaexaminer.com/building-an-ai-content-team-how-to-rapidly-outperform-your-competitors

Brendan Schneider (@schneiderb.com)

I’m on BlueSky. Are you?

If you are, please follow me there, and I’ll follow you back.

bsky.app/profile/schneiderb.com

RECOMMENDED VIEWING

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

Navigating Change and Building Sustainable School Systems with Peter Baron

Today, we’re welcoming back Peter Baron, founder of Moonshot OS and a Certified Top Coach. Peter has spent years working closely with independent school leaders, and in this episode, he shares fresh insights on the evolving challenges schools face and how marketing, leadership, and operational systems all play a critical role in building resilience.

mindfulschoolmarketing.com/change-and-sustainable-schools-peter-baron

MARCOM JOB

Director of Marketing & Communications @ Falmouth Academy

The Director of Marketing & Communications supports the overall internal and external communications functions of Falmouth Academy. This position is responsible for developing, implementing, and analyzing overall marketing strategies and comprehensive communications to strengthen awareness of and promote the school’s brand with a primary focus on driving enrollment growth and retention. Essential responsibilities include creating multimedia content, managing all social and digital media, crafting inspiring and impactful stories, ensuring brand awareness and consistency across platforms, and designing and producing digital and print communications for both internal and external audiences. S/he must have the ability to think creatively, strategize thoughtfully, and work collaboratively. The role requires excellent skills in time and project management, and involves significant writing, design, and creative work, balancing a broad strategic vision with the detailed execution of tactics that build brand awareness and foster constituent loyalty.

jobs.marcomsociety.org/job/director-of-marketing-communications-38

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 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, which is designed to help you become a better MarCom professional through training, support, and community. Learn more.

Promote yourself to 5,000+ subscribers by sponsoring this newsletter. Email me at [email protected].

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