Some of you are asking what in the world I'm talking about. "Brand" refers to how your school ministry is perceived, by the community, your students, your parents (customers), and your congregations. When people think of ___________ Lutheran School, what does that bring to mind? How do they feel about the school? That is your brand.
There is very little that is more important to the success of your ministry than caring for and supporting the understanding of your brand.
One thought for this week: The faculty of any school tends to have a better feel for the brand, and more impact upon it, than just about any other component of the school. It can be a powerful (and not necessarily time-consuming) activity to take part of a faculty meeting to break the faculty up into two or three groups to tackle these two questions:
1. What does our school do better than any other school in this community?
2. What promise can we make and absolutely guarantee to anyone who comes to be a part of our school?
Take time to share and discuss the results. What you will hope for, and quite possibly discover, is that these faculty members will come to rather similar conclusions. A common trend in our Lutheran Schools is that we care for and unconditionally love children and their families better than any other schools in our community. And what can we promise to all? We promise that children will always feel loved and wanted at our school.
That's a great start to understanding brand. I do believe that the single concept of a loving, caring environment and family-feel that so many of our Lutheran Schools do so well is exactly what people most talk about as they share our schools in the community.
So, consider how such an emphasis may color your conversations, your written communications with parents, and your other interactions with people this week!
P.S. I want to give a shout out to an inspiration for much of the material you will find in the coming weeks and months on this blog. I've benefited from presentations and resources of Gretchen Jameson, who has amazing things to say about branding in our schools (and for other non-profits), and I've tried to apply what I've learned to my role, and now am passing what I've learned along to you. For more information about what Gretchen has to offer, explore her website: http://pureprstrategy.com
There is very little that is more important to the success of your ministry than caring for and supporting the understanding of your brand.
One thought for this week: The faculty of any school tends to have a better feel for the brand, and more impact upon it, than just about any other component of the school. It can be a powerful (and not necessarily time-consuming) activity to take part of a faculty meeting to break the faculty up into two or three groups to tackle these two questions:
1. What does our school do better than any other school in this community?
2. What promise can we make and absolutely guarantee to anyone who comes to be a part of our school?
Take time to share and discuss the results. What you will hope for, and quite possibly discover, is that these faculty members will come to rather similar conclusions. A common trend in our Lutheran Schools is that we care for and unconditionally love children and their families better than any other schools in our community. And what can we promise to all? We promise that children will always feel loved and wanted at our school.
That's a great start to understanding brand. I do believe that the single concept of a loving, caring environment and family-feel that so many of our Lutheran Schools do so well is exactly what people most talk about as they share our schools in the community.
So, consider how such an emphasis may color your conversations, your written communications with parents, and your other interactions with people this week!
P.S. I want to give a shout out to an inspiration for much of the material you will find in the coming weeks and months on this blog. I've benefited from presentations and resources of Gretchen Jameson, who has amazing things to say about branding in our schools (and for other non-profits), and I've tried to apply what I've learned to my role, and now am passing what I've learned along to you. For more information about what Gretchen has to offer, explore her website: http://pureprstrategy.com