Page 48 - Strategic Marketing Complete
P. 48
CAREERS
How schools market
themselves
Schools are big as investors see opportunities for they rely on donations for their
business and their education providers in the market. sustainability, the emphasis is on
It’s also a sector that expands when
fundraising activities and events.
offering is a product the economy contracts.
like any other, All of this is good news for It’s too much for teachers
Time was that schools could rope the
requiring a strategic marketers with a bent for education. teachers in to do some marketing,
marketing approach The independent school sector has but in an increasingly competitive
environment, a school must actively
mushroomed since 1994, emerging
and a dedicated person as a fruitful niche for marketing communicate its values and
to perform the myriad graduates. purpose, along with its products
and offerings to parents, learners,
tasks that form part Workplace environments for educators and the community.
of the marketing mix. school marketers range from With the diversification and
formal corporate hierarchies, to
It’s a niche that’s worth more laissez-faire schools; there expansion of the independent
exploring, writes are high-fee schools and low- school market, marketing has
fee schools, and the NGO school
become a vital managerial function.
andrea Vinassa. sector also offers a wide range of While pioneer brands like Roedean
opportunities: There are over 500 School, Hilton College, St Stithians
he private or independent schools for children with disabilities, College, St Andrews College, and
school sector has shown like Alma School in Pretoria, Bishops, can partly rely on word
massive growth in the past Paarl School in Cape Town and of mouth to attract enrolments,
two decades and job vacancies for Meerhof School in Hartebeespoort. newer entrants into the market, such
marketers continue to open up These schools all have substantial as Pro-Ed Private School, SPARK
marketing departments and since Schools, Nova Pioneer and the
p46 - Strategic Marketing
