Brand strategy for a Private College

Branding for EducationA strategic view of communications for a private 6th form college – the development of an educational brand

Eleanor Maclure

Brand Strategy for a Private College

Define purpose and requirements

Develop appropriate

strategy

Execution of outcomes

Update of Brand for Private 6th Form College


Branding as a Marketing Strategy

Branding is the process of purposefully shaping the perceptions of your audience, in order to achieve the aims of your organisation



“Your brand is what people say about you when you leave the room” Jeff Bezos, creator of Amazon.com



You have a brand whether it has been managed or not It is more than just your logo, it is your reputation



Who has the potential to influence the perception of a private college?

• Current students

• Alumni

• Parents

• Current and former teaching staff

• Administrative staff

• Senior management

• Educational agents

• Academic community

• Other Independent Colleges

• Other secondary and private schools

• Ofsted

• Exam boards/moderators/external

examiners

• University admissions boards



Building and managing your brand will help you create a coherent marketing strategy allowing you to promote the college more effectively. It will distinguish you from your competitors and strengthen the identity of the college



Everything you communicate, whether done verbally, visually, physically or written will shape the perception of your brand


Building and Managing your Brand

What you look like – your brand identity. How well does it visually communicate what you are trying to say and do?

What you say – written and verbal, your message, your tone of voice, your vocabulary

What you do – Your actions, behaviours, attitude, achievements and integrity. Do you deliver on your claims?

Your Brand


• Talks/speeches

• Presentations

• Meetings

• Slogans

• School motto

• Telephone manner

• Articles

What You Say can include:

• Newsletters

• Blog posts

• Advert copy

• Press releases

• Prospectus text

• Website content

• Social media content



• Exam results

• Behaviour of students

• Success of alumni

• Expertise and knowledge of staff

• Quality of teaching

• Effectiveness of senior management

• Efficiency of day to day running

• Open days

• Other school events or performances

What You Do can include:



Brand Identity

Brand Assets


What You Look like includes your:

The visual expression of your brand values, personality and message

Distinctive elements of your identity that evoke your brand in the

mind of your audience


Visual Assets:• Logo/logotype• Colours/colour palette• Typeface/typography• Graphic devices• Shapes• Patterns• Characters• Style of advertising

Sensory Assets:• Scents• Textures• Tastes• Sounds - songs,

music, jingles, rhythms

Physical Assets:• Buildings• Places• People – figures

synonymous with the brand (eg. Richard Branson and Virgin) or celebrities

Brand Assets can include: (not all will be applicable in every case)



Offline/Printed media:

• Prospectus design• Leaflets• Posters • Stationery • Printed newsletters• Banners • Newspaper/magazine

adverts• Photographs

Online/digital media:

• Website design• Email newsletters• Email signatures• Online advertising• Blog pages• Social media pages • Videos/animations• Photographs• Electronic presentations• Screen savers

Physical media:

• Signage/wayfinding • Interior design• Building• Exhibition stands• Promotional items

Execution of you Brand Identity


Visual Language: Logo, Colour, Typeface, Shapes



The execution of your brand identity should visually reinforce your message, creating a consistent look that is distinctive from other colleges and recognisable as belonging to you



Execution –Consistent application of the brand identity across marketing platforms

Your message –Shaping the perception of your audience

Brand Identity –The visual interpretation of your brand message

Your Brand



Building and managing your brand will help to build your Brand Equity or Brand Value. This can be built over time by delivering a consistent product or service and communicating a consistent brand message



Brand equity is the increase in value placed on a product or service as a result of it being produced or provided by a well-known, established or respected brand


Consistent application of Brand Identity

Brand Equity

Consistent Communication

Consistent Delivery

DistinctiveBrand Identity


Defining a College’s Brand


How is the college perceived?

How do you want the college to be perceived?

How is your college unique?


What are your USPs?

• Committed to academic excellence

• Rewarding and engaging experience

• Outstanding exam results

• Top university destinations

• State-of-the-art facilities

• Great location

• Students treated as mature adults

• Friendly, informal environment

• Sense of community

• Wide choice of subjects

• Individual attention

• Scholarships available

• Supportive and knowledgeable staff

• Small class sizes

• Extra-curricular activities



What are your Brand Values?

What is your Brand Personality?

A set of characteristics that define the personality of your school

and differentiate you from your competitors

A set of key values that define what your school and therefore what

your brand stands for



What is your Brand Position?

What is your Value Proposition?

Your defining feature or benefit that sets you apart from all your

competitors; your niche

The value of the features and benefits your audience receives as a

result of choosing your organisation




Brand Personality

Brand Values

Brand Position

ValueProposition

Your BrandDefining your brand


• Friendly

• Caring

• Supportive

• Creative

• Responsible

• Motivating

• Nurturing

• Informal


Example Brand Personality traits for your college:

• Challenging

• Informative

• Enlightening

• Empowering

• Fun

• Inspiring

• Relaxed

• Open

• Understanding

• Energising

• Stimulating

• Encouraging

• Invigorating

• Rigorous

• Committed


• Committed to academic excellence

• Rewarding and engaging experience

• Outstanding exam results

• Students treated as mature adults

• Friendly, informal environment

• Sense of community

• Wide choice of subjects

• Supportive and knowledgeable staff

• Dedicated attention


Example Brand Values for your college:



Example Brand Positioning statement for your college:

Informal Excellence



Example Value Proposition for your College:

We prepare our students for life and higher education as mature, independent, successful adults able to pursue excellence and further achievement.

Developing a Brand Identity



At the recent Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference in Belfast, Mungo Dunnett ‘advised schools to create a distinctive brand, which marks them out from other private schools in their area’.Anna Davis, Evening Standard



Who are your competitors?

• Other Independent Colleges in the UK

• International Colleges/schools

• Private schools with Sixth Forms

• Grammar schools with Sixth Forms

• High performing state schools with Sixth Forms

• High performing state Sixth Form Colleges



What do your competitors offer?

• Outstanding Ofsted inspection• Preparation for university• Excellent exam results• Top university destinations• Extra-curricular activities• Boarding• State-of-the-art facilities• GCSEs,A & A/S Levels• Re-takes• Easter Revision

• Exams to external candidates• Medical Programme• UKCAT and BMAT Courses• Support for international students• Small class sizes• Personal tutors• Wide range of subjects• Excellent teaching and support• Support and guidance for UCAS• Additional subject tuition



What do your competitors look like?


Developing a Brand Identity – Colour Analysis

Dominant Blue Colour Palette Dominant Red Colour Palette


Developing a Brand Identity – Typographic Analysis

Serif Typefaces Sans Serif Typefaces


Developing a Brand Identity – Semiotic Analysis

More Traditional Elements of Both More Modern


Developing a Brand Identity – Analysis

How is your college different from other schools? What makes your college unique?


Developing a Brand Identity – Analysis

Does your current brand identity represent the values and personality you want to portray?


Developing a Brand Identity – Elements

Your typeface is your tone of voice. It can emphasis or undermine the meaning of your message or create suggestions and associations for your words


Developing a Brand Identity – Typeface Examples

PRIVATE COLLEGE

Private College

Gotham RoundedModern

InterstateOpen

Private College Clan Pro Technical

Private College BaskervilleFormal


Developing a Brand Identity – Typeface Examples

Private College

PRIVATE COLLEGE

Private College

Avant GardeBold

MuseoFriendly

Gill SansBritish

P rivate College Edwardian ScriptTraditional



Your colour palette will influence the feel of your brand identity. Colour elicits an emotional response, colour schemes are usually more memorable and recognisable than other visual elements. They can also be used for colour coding and navigation


Developing a Brand Identity – Colour Palette Examples

• Nautical

• Traditional

• Urban

• Industrial

• Young

• Fresh


Developing a Brand Identity – Colour Palette Examples

• Soft

• Feminine

• Bold

• Masculine• Cool

• Understated



Graphic devices are shapes or symbols that can be used alone or repeated to create patterns or textures. They can form part of a logo or be used alongside it as part of a visual identity system



Your logo is a graphical representation of your organisation. It should be unique and recognisable. A logotype is where the name of the organisation is used as the logo either alone or in conjunction with a symbol


Developing a Brand Identity – Logo Examples

Classic Designs Contemporary Logos


Developing a Brand Identity – Academic Logo Examples


Developing a Brand Identity – Brand Application

Bournemouth University

Developing a Marketing Strategy



What do you want to achieve?

• Expand pupil numbers

• Attract better quality candidates

• Develop a franchise

• Raise the profile of the college

• Break into new/international markets

• Compete in a changing UK education market

• All of the above

• Something else entirely



Who are your audiences?

External• Prospective students

• Prospective parents

• Educational agents

• Feeder schools

Internal• Current Students

• Parents

• Teaching Staff

• Management



Marketing Tools and Activities:

Offline/Printed media:

• Prospectus• Brochures• Leaflets• Posters • Banners • Newsletters• Printed adverts• Press releases• Printed articles

Online/Digital media:

• Website• SEO• Links on other sites• Email newsletters• Email signatures• Online advertising• Blog pages• Social media pages • Videos/animations• Screen presentations• Screen savers• Online articles

Physical/Experiential media:

• Exhibition stands• Promotional items• Talks/speeches• Open days• Events• Word of mouth



Your marketing output should communicate a consistent message in line with your brand values, brand personality, brand positioning and brand promise



To reinforce your message and generate recognition your brand identity should be applied consistently across all of your marketing output



Your brand identity should be designed and developed so that it is flexible enough to adapt to the different requirements of offline and online media


Offline/Printed media considerations:


Prospectus/Brochures/

Leaflets/Posters/Banners/

Newsletters/Printed

adverts/Press releases/

Printed articles

• Legibility,

• Accessibility

• Audience

• Purpose

• Size

• Format

• Binding

• Print method

• Print run

• Budget

• Time constraints

• Organisation of

Content

• Text

• Hierarchy

• Tone of voice

• Image types

• Image quality

• Colour reproduction

• Paper stock


Online/digital media considerations:

• Legibility,

• Accessibility

• Audience

• Purpose

• Budget

• Image types

• File formats

• File sizes

• Text on screen

• Tone of voice

• Web fonts

• SEO

• Device Compatibility


• Type of content

• Content management

• Screen resolution

• Download speed

• Colour rendering

• Conversion rate

• Image quality

• Browser compatibility

• Online security

• Interactivity


Website/SEO/Inbound links/

Email newsletters/Email

signatures/Online advertising/

Blog pages/Social media pages/

Videos/Animations/Screen

presentations/Screen savers/

Online articles


Physical/Experiential media considerations:

• Accessibility

• Audience

• Purpose

• Budget

• Size

• Scale

• Relevance

• Content

• Tone of voice


• Production methods

• Interactive elements

• Overall experience

• Overall presentation

• Application of graphics


Exhibition stands/

Promotional items/

Talks/Speeches/Open

days/Events


Web Specific Marketing Strategies:

• Website design

• SEO

• Adwords

• Interactive content

• Conversion rate

• Blogging

• Writing articles

• Twitter presence

• Facebook page

• Linkedin Profile

• Photo sharing (Flickr, Instagram)


• Video sharing (YouTube, Vimeo)

• Document sharing (Issuu, Scribd)

• Link sharing (StumbleUpon, Digg,

Delicious, Google Bookmarks)

• Presence on school search and

review directories

• Analytics

• Inbound links

• Pay per click

• News feeds

Branding for EducationA strategic view of communications for a private 6th form college – the development of an educational brand

Eleanor Maclure