SMC: School Marketing and Communications

imageseven
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Semimonthly

Insights into the world of school marketing and communications, presented by Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and the imageseven team. The education industry is an increasingly competitive one - a school is a business, and a marketing strategy can no longer be an afterthought.

  1. 1d ago

    251: When a school's brand just makes sense – 4/5

    The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Creating clarity parents can see and navigate – What we see A school brand can look impressive and still leave parents uncertain. In this episode of the Insight Series, Charlie is joined by imageseven Account Director Shelley Garcia-Webb to explore the difference between a brand that looks polished and one that genuinely helps parents understand a school. Shelley explains how clarity starts when a school's story, experience and digital presence reinforce each other, rather than asking parents to join the dots. When that alignment holds, the brand feels easier for families to recognise, trust and choose. Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: smc@imageseven.com.au Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate.

    251: When a school's brand just makes sense – 4/5

  2. Aug 6

    250: Where brand and website inconsistency erodes trust – 3/5

    The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Creating clarity parents can see and navigate – The Insight Clarity of message depends less on one strong asset, than on the system connecting every interaction. Charlie explores why a school can follow its style guide perfectly, yet still feel difficult for parents to understand. Exploring the differences between style guides and design systems, he looks at the layers beneath execution, from strategy and message architecture to visual identity and experience design. When those layers connect, parents are less likely to notice the system itself. They simply feel that the school makes sense from every interaction. Episode Links: Design Systems vs Style Guides – Nielsen Norman Group Design Systems 101 – Nielsen Norman Group Information Scent – Nielsen Norman Group Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: smc@imageseven.com.au Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate.

    250: Where brand and website inconsistency erodes trust – 3/5

  3. Jul 23

    249: Where brand and website inconsistency erodes trust – 2/5

    The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Creating clarity parents can see and navigate – The Reality Small disconnects in brand experience can do more damage than a school realises. In episode two of 'Creating clarity parents can see and navigate', Charlie discusses how outdated documents, broken links, mixed messages and confusing website journeys make parents work harder to understand a school. That extra effort can quietly shift confidence into doubt. He explores how a more coherent visible experience can help each touchpoint reinforce the same promise, rather than leaving parents to reconcile or bridge the gaps.   Episode Links: Information Scent – Nielsen Norman Group Minimize Cognitive Load to Maximise Usability – Nielsen Norman Group 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design – Nielsen Norman Group Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: smc@imageseven.com.au Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate

    249: Where brand and website inconsistency erodes trust – 2/5

  4. Jul 9

    248: Why visible clarity shapes parental decisions – 1/5

    The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Creating clarity parents can see and navigate – Orientation In episode one of 'Creating clarity parents can see and navigate', Charlie explores why visible clarity is more than a design issue. He explores how parents experience a school through its website, visual identity, photography, publications, signage, social posts and everyday communications. Charlie then poses that parents do not see these touchpoints as separate from the school experience. Instead, they use them to judge how organised, professional and trustworthy the school is. Episode Links: Stanford Guidelines for Web Credibility Jakob's Law – Nielsen Norman Group Information Sent – Nielsen Norman Group Minimise Cognitive Load to Maximise Usability – Nielsen Norman Group Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: smc@imageseven.com.au Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate.

    248: Why visible clarity shapes parental decisions – 1/5

  5. Jun 25

    247: Designing a marketing strategy that builds confidence intentionally – 5/5

    The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – How parents form confidence - and what it means for your marketing strategy – Applied In the final episode of 'How parents form confidence – and what it means for your marketing strategy', Charlie discusses how to turn parent confidence into a deliberate part of a school's marketing strategy. He explains why schools need to look beyond enquiries and conversions, and build confidence through clear positioning, structured messaging, connected touchpoints and shared ownership across the entire enrolment journey. In the next lecture, Charlie will explore how to create clarity that parents can see and navigate. He will discuss how brand, websites, visuals and the role they play in creating an overall experience that can help parents understand and trust a school.   Episode Links: The 2024 B2B Buyer Experience Report – 6sense Determinants of Parental School Choice: A Systematic Review of the Literature The Components and Determinants of School Reputation: Insights from Parents' Voices Brand familiarity and confidence as determinants of purchase intention: An empirical test in a multiple brand context Drivers of school choice: The role of behavioural science in parental decision making – Independent Schools Victoria Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: smc@imageseven.com.au Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate

    247: Designing a marketing strategy that builds confidence intentionally – 5/5

  6. Jun 11

    246: What changes when strategy aligns with how confidence is formed – 4/5

    The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan and Suzanne Willcock – How parents form confidence - and what it means for your marketing strategy – What we see In episode four of the Insight Series on how parents form confidence, Charlie is joined by imageseven Group Account Director Suzanne Willcock to explore what happens when a school's marketing, enrolment and leadership teams are working from the same understanding of how confidence is built.   Drawing on her experience working with schools across Australia, Suzie explains why prospective parents rarely arrive at tours and open days as blank slates. Instead, they arrive carrying a level of confidence that has been shaped long before those interactions take place. Together, Charlie and Suzie discuss how misaligned messaging creates friction, confusion and unnecessary pressure on enrolment teams, while strategic clarity helps parents arrive better informed, ask better questions, and seek confirmation rather than persuasion. Episode links: The 2024 B2B Buyer Experience Report – 6sense Determinants of Parental School Choice: A Systematic Review of the Literature The Components and Determinants of School Reputation: Insights from Parents' Voices Brand familiarity and confidence as determinants of purchase intention: An empirical test in a multiple brand context Drivers of school choice: The role of behavioural science in parental decision making – Independent Schools Victoria Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: smc@imageseven.com.au Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate

    246: What changes when strategy aligns with how confidence is formed – 4/5

  7. May 28

    245: Confidence is built in systems, not moments – 3/5

    The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – How parents form confidence - and what it means for your marketing strategy – The Insight In episode three of the Insight Series on how parents form confidence, Charlie discusses why confidence is rarely built in one standout moment. While open days, tours and campaigns all play an important role, he argues they usually confirm what parents already believe, rather than create that belief from scratch. Charlie explores how confidence is built over time through repeated, consistent signals across the prospective parent journey, and why strategy matters in aligning people, messages and touchpoints so confidence can be built purposefully. Episode links: The 2024 B2B Buyer Experience Report – 6sense Determinants of Parental School Choice: A Systematic Review of the Literature The Components and Determinants of School Reputation: Insights from Parents' Voices Brand familiarity and confidence as determinants of purchase intention: An empirical test in a multiple brand context Drivers of school choice: The role of behavioural science in parental decision making – Independent Schools Victoria Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: smc@imageseven.com.au Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate.

    245: Confidence is built in systems, not moments – 3/5

  8. May 14

    244: Where schools unintentionally create doubt – 2/5

    The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – How parents form confidence - and what it means for your marketing strategy – The Reality In this episode of the Insight Series, Charlie examines why schools do not usually lose enrolments because they lack visibility, but because prospective parent confidence has been gradually worn away. As part of the Insight Series on how parents form confidence, he explores how inconsistent messaging, unclear differentiation, unsupported claims and internal misalignment can create doubt at key points in the enrolment journey. Charlie also explains why simply producing more content or launching more campaigns will not solve the problem when the signals parents receive from your school are mixed. Episode links: Determinants of Parental School Choice: A Systematic Review of the Literature School Choice: A Research Report 2021 – Independent Schools Australia The Components and Determinants of School Reputation: Insights from Parents' Voices Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: smc@imageseven.com.au Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate

    244: Where schools unintentionally create doubt – 2/5
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Insights into the world of school marketing and communications, presented by Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and the imageseven team. The education industry is an increasingly competitive one - a school is a business, and a marketing strategy can no longer be an afterthought.

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