Week 1- School Branding

Throughout this past week, I have been doing some research into school branding. One of my favorite ways that school branding was described was as a school telling its story (Davis & Molnar, 2014, p. 8). Basically, every school has a story to tell, just as every human has his or her own story to tell. This story includes the history, legacy, current activities, school culture, and future of the school, and each school has something unique to offer in this area. I loved this comparison that makes schools take on almost a human form and really come to life. Schools have the responsibility to make sure their stories are told, and one way to do that is through branding, specifically social media.

Social media is consistently becoming more and more present in our society, and I don't personally think it is going to be leaving anytime soon. It is a (usually) free and always effective way to market a school, because so many people use social media throughout each day. Because this class is focused on technology, I chose to compare and contrast elementary and secondary school branding efforts in social media. I teach third grade in a school building that is K-5, but our school system includes K-12, so I thought I would be able to find some interesting research about the benefits, challenges, and possibilities that exist in elementary vs secondary school branding. I also wanted to discover what makes an effective branding platform in the educational setting.

Essentially, I found that what works for businesses in terms of branding also works for schools. Schools should focus on what sets them apart, keep their branding strategy simple and consistent, and use as many different venues as effective for the setting (Stine, 2002, p. 10). For example, one principal in New York updates a school blog, posts things on Facebook and Twitter, and has a relevant and current web video channel. In this way, he is able to reach many people, and all of those things cost him virtually nothing! (Davis & Molnar, 2014, p. 8)

As far as elementary vs secondary school branding, I was not able to find too much about branding elementary schools at all. I did find a couple of articles from principals who said that even though some people don't see the purpose of it, he wants to use social media to tell his school's story, or else someone else will do it for him (Davis & Molnar, 2014, p. 8). However, in the secondary school setting, branding is much more important and used because of school choice. People choose secondary schools based on many different aspects, like academic rigor, extracurricular opportunities, or carrying on a legacy, and social media is the easiest way to build a brand around those things (Chang, 2011, p. 4).

All in all, I was able to find a lot of information about how to build an effective brand for a school. By sticking to a specific strength and following the business branding model, schools are able to use social media to help build their name and tell their story. I hope to be able to use these ideas in my role as a school leader one day, especially because these issues are bound to be even more relevant in the future.

References

Chang, Y. (2011). Does branding matter in secondary schools? The Free China Journal, 16, 3-5.

Davis, M. & Molnar, M. (2014). Entrepreneurial models shape principals’ work. Education Week, 2, 8.

Stine, G. (2002). The nine principles of branding. Branding Solutions, 9, 3-32. Retrieved from Polaris-inc.com.