Q: Location for New Private School
/I am starting a private school in Northern Illinois and am hoping to find the perfect location based on needs and interest. I know we need to survey the areas we are considering but have no clue how to go about this. Is this something we would hire a marketing agency to help with? From Anonymous
A: sIMMONS
Deciding where to locate the school has a major impact on success and competition. While a marketing agency isn't necessary to make this determination, it is a good choice. Marketing agencies that offer branding and consulting services are well-equipped to conduct thorough market analysis as part of the research phase. Placing your school in close proximity with another similar school guarantees you'll be fighting for prospects and only makes your job more difficult.
While in some cases, it can be unavoidable, it's best to go through that process and make an educated decision about the location. If you end up being forced to locate the school close to the competition, then you'll need assistance in developing a brand that sets you apart from them. Vital to your success will be your school's appeal to your target families. This is what good marketing agencies do and it's definitely worth having conversations to see if that's the right solution for your school's needs.
A: CLAEYS
I helped a local school as they were starting out, and I know choosing a location can be one of the biggest challenges. I recommend doing some market research to check out any competition and identify areas where there may be a lack of private schools, as well as the public school environment for rover-crowding, etc. A lot of this research can be done by you and your network by asking around and Googling. Once you have narrowed it down, a real estate agency will be helpful in finding space that meets your needs. It is possible that you may have to broaden your area in order to find a building that is a good fit, and keep in mind scalability as you grow.
I think that some school consultants may also be helpful for this. I know Dana Nelson Isaacs does market research for schools (http://www.dniconsulting.biz/)
Hope that helps!
A: NELSON-ISAACS
How exciting — congratulations on taking this big step!
I agree with what Mark said, in that a good marketing company will do some deep research into the market as part of their branding work.
Another approach would be to do demographic and psychographic analysis, plus competitor research, either on your own or outsourced to someone who specializes in market research and analysis. You could augment this with qualitative research, as well. Naturally, as I am someone who does this regularly, I'm biased toward this plan! (Thank you, Tara, for the shout-out). There are other very skilled people out there who do this, or, as I said, you could take it on yourself.
Feel free to reach out if you'd like to talk further about this — happy to brainstorm with you. And congratulations, again!
A: CONNOR
I was really heartened to get your question, as I spent the early part of my career as a professional musician when I lived in Europe and LA. (My acoustic guitar career as a singer-songwriter was unmercifully cut short by incoming disco mirror balls and finished off by Grunge).
I love the idea that you are planning to establish an arts academy, not only to advance the arts, and not only to be an ambassador for the arts in whichever proves the best community for you. But I also believe an arts education is exactly what is needed to ensure our students will thrive in the world they will inherit.
So, before I directly answer your question, I highly recommend you read The Creativity Crisis if you’re not familiar with it. It took me from being a performing musician to being a crusader for the value of arts in developing critical thinking skills. Divergent and convergent thinking is the basis for creativity, which may explain why top companies are skipping over MBAs for management positions in favor of those with higher level degrees in the arts.
The top 5 skills employers look for include:
1. Critical thinking and problem-solving.
2. Teamwork and collaboration.
3. Professionalism and strong work ethic.
4. Oral and written communications skills.
5. Leadership.
An arts education is a perfect place to develop those skills in addition to training for specific art forms.
Now to your question:
Step 1. What is your vision for the school? Since you aren’t established yet, your vision must be a bigger cause that will get attention from allies for the arts, community influencers, people willing to donate, and of course, families who will want students to attend a school like yours for all of the educational advantages an arts school can provide.
But you must get clear on your vision first. It must be a cause, and it needs to be a bold one.
Step 2. Broadly determine those cities or regions that are already rich in arts resources such as colleges, cultural events, and other non-profit art organizations to name a few. The more allies you initially make that will allow you to co-brand, share facilities, share faculty, etc. the more likely you’ll be able to get quickly established as a community asset. I would suggest a neutral third party do that research and get a sense of what these important influencers think the market needs, and how your vision might best meet that market. Confidential interviews are important and will help you build a network that can combine additional programming for your students AND serve your new school as authentic referrers of families. It’s more important than ever to get the school into the community and the community into the school.
Step 3. Conduct thorough Enrollment Feasibility and Five-Year Forecasting. Take a deep look at the households that will have children in the age range you want to serve, have the capacity to afford the tuition, and through their charitable contributions or interests indicate that arts are important in their lives. These are the ones with whom where you will want to share your vision. Where they are clustered is important data for your location decision. Look at where the “hot spots” for these families will be five years out so you can expand your market and, as the Great One once said, “Skate to where the puck is heading.”
Step 4. Establish the way you will nurture the qualified leads Step 3 provides. You don’t need to have a fully operational admission office yet but must immediately have a communication plan to fulfill the interest expressed in your venture.
Connor Associates is currently working with a 6-12th grade school that wants to establish a PS-grade 5 on its campus. We’re doing a feasibility study for them this year. About 2 years ago, we did a similar study for the City of Fort Lauderdale – they wanted to establish an independent school. We’ve done strategic planning work twice for the Chicago Academy for the Arts, and for the biggest boarding and day arts academy in the West, Idyllwild Arts.
Our consulting resources and experience are comprehensive, from tip to tail, including marketing and branding. Collaborating with you to establish a new arts school would be personally rewarding!
Most important, know that I’d look forward to just talking with you about your vision and what steps will best suit you. I’d enjoy that conversation for all the reasons I mentioned at the top.
All best wishes for your new venture!
P.S. All the answers I’ve seen from my fellow “gurus” so far are great. They won’t steer you wrong!
