Could you tell us a little about your day-to-day work and the problems you solve?
A large part of what I do is writing, whether that be composing a story for the website, content for the weekly newsletter, or our ‘Education with Balance’ blog. I am also the editor of our biannual publication—The Link Magazine. The beauty of storytelling is that it can always be repurposed in other ways.
Our school’s communications office is essentially the on-campus marketing agency. Other departments run things past us to make sure that everything looks right. It could be, “What font should I be using here?” or “Where can I find the crest or letterhead?” or requests to help create the drama and music programs.
I read recently that “Marketing’s job is never done.” Our tasks are constantly evolving and multiplying, so it’s important to remain nimble and know how to prioritize. It’s the nature of marketing – “it’s about perpetual motion.”
What is the greatest challenge about your work?
The greatest challenge is the ongoing protection of our brand. We strive to do the best job possible portraying our brand across all media channels and we want to keep our website, our ‘global storefront,’ as fresh as possible. Second to word of mouth, that's where our prospective families are discovering us and forming their first impressions.
In terms of social media, we choose our channels carefully. We communicate and promote ourselves on the channels we think we can best engage our constituents on. It's tempting to try and be everywhere, however, then you risk diluting your message and perhaps not doing a good job on a few of those channels. At CDS, we opt for fewer channels and try to maximize our engagement on those.
What does brand mean to you and how does it relate to your work?
Brand is the collective image conjured up in someone's mind when they hear the name of your school. It's bound to mean different things for different people. For someone who has only driven by our campus, it could be the facilities, our appearance from the road. For others, it could be a student or alumni who has made an impression, or even how a student wears their uniform - a reflection of the level of pride they take in their school.
When our alumni, students, or parents share something about CDS, whether that be a compelling story or that they think the school would make a good fit for their friend, that prompts others to want to explore further, maybe attend an open house or register for a tour, then possibly apply.
Brand impressions happen every time and in every way you communicate. Protecting your brand is something school professionals should take very seriously. All of our community members are brand ambassadors, which is why we try to instil a sense of pride in each of them. It's challenging to build a brand, yet very easy to tear it down.
Could you say a little about how this applies to CDS?
CDS’s tagline is ‘education with balance.’ When families first hear these words spoken, they aren’t necessarily sure what they mean. While the words may resonate, it’s not until they meet a student tour guide or have a conversation with a faculty or staff member that it establishes real meaning. It may take a term or two before they have that ‘Aha!’ moment, but then they are sold on it. So, branding doesn't end when families enrol. It continues until they internalize the brand and become brand ambassadors themselves.
It takes time because educational balance is about our whole curriculum and experience. It’s also about helping students understand what ‘education with balance’ means to them. That's, in fact, our ‘secret sauce’—helping families and students discover for themselves the importance of educational balance, which hopefully translates into life balance with a passion for lifelong learning.
How do you approach communication with families who are considering your school for the first time?
In my capacity on the marketing team, I get the occasional question from prospective families about CDS and how we compare with other schools in the area. I don’t like to make direct comparisons between us and our competition. Instead I encourage them to come visit, meet our community members and ask questions. They need to be able to envision their child(ren) as students here and themselves as members of the community. I share my thoughts on how our students are encouraged to discover their passions by getting involved and trying new things. Ultimately, it is about finding the right fit for their family.
Is there something you wouldn’t change about your approach to marketing and communication?
I wouldn’t change a thing as I believe we aim to share our story as authentically as possible. Of course, we want every advertisement to be engaging and every video polished. But we also want each impression to convey who we really are. We strive for authenticity in everything we do—every post and every story. That is important, because it demonstrates that we not only know who we are, we're proud of who we are, and we want families to choose CDS because they believe in what we have to offer their children. But most importantly, by being true to ourselves and authentic in our storytelling, we attract students who are excited to be here and will ultimately thrive during their CDS journey and discover who they will be.
