First The Good News

In the last 10 or 15 years, private schools have made great strides in their commitment to marketing and communications. Schools are becoming more sophisticated in their efforts, strategy, tools, and content. Commensurately, the amount of experience and expertise of directors of marketing and communications has also grown. Salaries, too, have increased, to a median of $98,260 for the National Association of Independent Schools member schools and $69,125 for non-member schools according to the 2023 NAIS Facts at a Glance for member and non-member schools.

But…

While the scope of the profession has grown dramatically, personnel has not.

What has yet to advance at most schools is a financial commitment in terms of the number of employees working in the MarCom office.

The responsibilities of private school marketers have grown to include not only the traditional work (for admissions, development, alumnae/i relations, brand development and stewardship, community relations, etc.), but also inbound marketing, social media, analytics, photography, video, graphics, etc. While the scope of the profession has grown dramatically, personnel has not.

Pressure

As a result of this lack of human resources, those who do work in MarCom are under constant pressure to simply get their job done and put out fires while rarely, if ever, having time for critical strategic thinking and planning.

The number of personnel in the MarCom office accounts for 25-50% of admissions or development. Let that sink in for a minute.

Here are real school employee department totals (both full and part-time) at 15 schools chosen by a random internet search in 2022.

See the pattern?

At these schools, the number of personnel in the MarCom office accounts for 25-50% of admissions or development. Let that sink in for a minute.

Now I’m not saying the number of MarCom personnel should be equivalent to those departments. I get it. Admissions and development are direct revenue generators, so they certainly deserve to be properly staffed. And MarCom can and does outsource projects such as some design and photography. But without MarCom, these departments would be significantly less effective at their jobs. Significantly. And MarCom has grown to be an essential department to the overall wellbeing and success of the school.

What To Do About It?

Have a heart-to-heart with leadership. Gather stats and facts to back up your case.
Download the 2022 InspirED MarCom Survey Report to see how your school stacks up against your peers.
Contact your associations to see if they have any research on this topic or are willing to do some.
Keep following InspirED. We’re in your corner and want to make your job easier with posts like this and advocating for getting you the resources you need to do your job well.

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Rob Norman

Best Boy, InspirED School Marketers

Rob has 25 years of independent school marketing experience as principal of Turnaround Marketing Communications, a branding and marketing firm specializing in independent schools. Rob shares his experience on InspirED School Marketers by blogging, editing the Daily Jolt, and by podcasting with fascinating independent school movers and shakers. As InspirED's Best Boy — a term borrowed from theater, Rob's longtime passion — Rob loves to be out and about, meeting with school marketers, learning their needs, and helping them overcome challenges. Be sure to ask Rob about his golf game.

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