The Core Knowledge Blog

Most of us in education probably think of marketing, brand building and customer relations as beneath our dignity.  We’re educators, after all.  We’re not selling soap or soft drinks.  Food for thought then, courtesy of Scott McLeod at the Techlearning blog, who notes that every interaction is at heart a marketing transaction representing “an opportunity for us to build or erode our brand, a chance to increase or decrease the trust and goodwill of the people with whom we are interacting.”

“What’s this mean for schools? Well, it means that every time a parent walks away unhappy from an encounter at school, that’s a marketing interaction. Every time a teacher has yet another boring lesson, that’s a marketing interaction. Every time a school board member puts her personal agenda ahead of what’s best for students, that’s a marketing interaction. Every time a member of the community walks through an uninviting building, that’s a marketing interaction. And every time an administrator squanders an opportunity to be a leader rather than a manager, that’s a marketing interaction.”

Schools do a host of wonderful things,” McLeod concludes.  “But they also engage in a number of individual and organizational behaviors that chip away at the trust and goodwill of their internal and external communities.”

Smart stuff.  And worth reflecting on, as McLeod notes, next time someone complains about problems with student engagement, parental support and community involvement.