Blog
I write about all areas of marketing and my own journey, especially in marketing strategy for independent schools
Three ways school Houses build school brands
The House system in schools can take years to thrive in a young school. Well-established schools with House structures often have deep traditions that can create belonging and drive school culture, but are difficult to change as the school and its environment changes....
School rebrand, or brand refresh?
I’ve just completed a brand refresh for my own business, Houseway Consulting. In reflecting on my experience, I was reminded of the response from a Head of School while speaking about the marketing strategy. She said, “Does this mean we need to change our logo?”...
How important is your school’s heritage?
I’ve got a favourite exercise on the criteria families use in choosing a school for their child. As with most quantitative tools, it’s only really effective when complemented by qualitative research such as one-to-one parent interviews. Heritage is a criteria that...
Standing out from the rest
My first streaker In my earlier blog entitled Action Inspires Action For the New Year, I shared the origins of the journey I’m currently on, working offshore in the UK. My hybrid-format business, Houseway Consulting, is focused on school marketing strategy...
Inspired by a crime writer
I love a good read, and especially one that continues over a series, in a beautiful, remote place, with much mystery and intrigue. The one constant in my life over the past three months has been my ongoing reading of Louise Penny’s murder mystery series called...
Action inspires action for the new year
Action inspires action in the new year This year has been one of action for me. ‘Go!’ was the theme of my vision board in January, but at the time I wasn’t clear on what it meant. Following a life-altering trip to Israel in May, I made a number...
Best Education Marketing Consultancy 2023 – South Africa
Award news! I'm really pleased for my 5-year old consulting business Houseway Consulting, to have been named 'Best Education Marketing Consultancy 2023 - South Africa' in the LUXlife Private Education Awards this year. Sometimes it's good to just celebrate...
A note on market research – Episode 2 – Finding the gems
By the time you get this, you'll have forgotten about the first episode on market research. So, a two-sentence recap: Surveys are NOT the only form of market research available, and in some cases they’re just not adequate, especially for strategic work for...
A note on market research – Episode 1
When I talk to people, there’s often a misunderstanding of what market research is. And I've come across my fair share of people who intensely dislike market research. Why is market research so misunderstood? I think it’s survey fatigue. This is due to...
Positive mindsets in school marketing
“No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.” This quote by American author Helen Keller helps to inform my thinking on the link between optimism and innovation. ...
The importance of Place in School Marketing
In this blog post, I explore the physical and digital aspects of Place as part of the Marketing Mix that’s changed most in school marketing. I provide some key pointers on how to optimise this element of the 7Ps of Marketing in your school.
Why get a marketing designation?
Having just completed the Chartered Marketer (CMSA) designation with the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA), I’m relatively new to the process. So, I can relate to anyone who has perhaps just stumbled across the concept (like I did) and is keen to jump in...
How I pivoted my business in the pandemic
The short answer is, I started the pivot before COVID-19 started to impact the globe. But I had no idea that within a few months, 100% of my business would follow. Here's my story. The consulting model was already broken Having worked for a...
Competitive forces shaping the independent schools sector
Competition between independent schools is a subject we tend to avoid. We may talk about competition within a school, as in the nature of children’s behaviour. But the way in which schools compete within the sector is seldom discussed. As a result, competition becomes...
Trends and school marketing strategy
I’ve recently completed a YouTube series on the 10 top global consumer trends. This prompted me to write a quick guide to the three types of trends I recommend school leaders consider when developing marketing strategy: Consumer trends, educational/ school marketing...
Why I closed my Facebook group
This blog is not an anti-Facebook group rant at all. I’m a happy member of a couple of Facebook groups for personal and professional interests. Rather, it’s a story about the three things I learnt in starting, running and subsequently closing a Facebook group for my...
Is education ready for online marketing support?
Traditionally, independent schools are high-touch environments as far as any form of support goes. They are people places. In most schools, it’s all about the children. I remember a colleague remarking what a pleasure it is to deal with schools when supplying services...
Can 2020 make our independent schools even better and stronger?
There’s been a lot written about resilience and innovation during this year as a result of unanticipated restrictions and protocols adopted during the pandemic. As a strategic marketer, I've been amazed at how schools both locally and globally have risen to the...
How well are you communicating your school reopening?
In preparation for a recent Zoom interview with Aubrey Bursch of Easy School Marketing in Maryland, USA on the subject of schools reopening in the context of COVID-19, I posted a question to my LinkedIn network. I received a flurry of responses and the post was...
My free resources on school marketing strategy
Don’t you just love a freebie that you can access when you need it? Last week, I published a video to summarise these resources. You can click through to the video here, on the image below, or read further for the links to the individual video content. I have divided...
Four tips for managing fearful customers
As schools begin the return to classrooms after a period of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic across the globe, parents are feeling anxious, and rightly so. Much is still uncertain. This is a time for school leaders to seek ways to do their best to allay fears...
Help! I’m stuck at home!
As I write this, we are on Day 33 of our lockdown in South Africa for the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, I’m stuck at home! - With no clear end in sight. Both personally and professionally, it's been a challenge for me. I’ve chosen to look for the good...
I climbed a tree in Africa once
My most embarrassing moment was not in front of a crowd of people. It was in the middle of the bushveld in Botswana, on a game farm, alone. And up a tree. Lockdown has me reflecting and looking through old photo albums. Has this been your experience? What was YOUR...
How I got here
When I'm asked to introduce myself, I usually leave out the gritty bits, and just roll out the pretty stuff. But without the hard parts, I wouldn't be running my own business today. My roots are in education My mom was a talented salesperson. Having...
Five online resources to get the most out of your school’s Open Day
I do believe that independent schools in South Africa are changing their approach to Open Days: We are seeing Open Days from schools that previously did not host one There is a more strategic approach being taken by some schools, more tailored, experiential and...
Snow White and the Seven Ps – “Sneezy”
Today is the final episode of this series! I do hope you have enjoyed meeting each of the dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, while learning about the Marketing Mix. Where were we? In the previous episode, we met Dopey, who is very clumsy but...
Snow White and the Seven Ps – “Dopey”
We are nearing the end of this seven-day series on the Marketing Mix. It's been fun getting to know the personalities of each of the dwarfs in the classic tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! Where were we? Our story has taken us through five of the...
Snow White and the Seven Ps – Episode 5 “Bashful”
In 1981, the original four Ps of marketing were updated to the seven Ps, allowing for an increasingly service-based economy. Where were we? So far in this series, we have covered the original four Ps, but today we introduce the fifth one. Have you...
Snow White and the Seven Ps – Episode 4 “Sleepy”
We are past the halfway point in our series on Snow White and the Seven Ps - A lighthearted look at the Marketing Mix (the Seven Ps of Marketing). To read up on the introduction to the series, look at the first episode here. Where were we? So far we...
Snow White and the Seven Ps – Episode 3 “Happy”
This is the third in the series of blog posts in which the classic fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is used to illustrate the Marketing Mix (the Seven Ps of Marketing). Where were we? So far, we have met two of the dwarfs, Doc and Grumpy....
Snow White and the Seven Ps – Episode 2 “Grumpy”
Here's a quick recap on this series of blog posts started yesterday on Snow White and the Seven Ps - A light hearted look at the classic Marketing Mix tool in marketing strategy. Where were we? We had just introduced Snow White, the beautiful young girl...
Snow White and the Seven Ps – Episode 1 “Doc”
Marketing theory can be boring. I created this little story based on the classic Walt Disney tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to illustrate the lighter side of marketing strategy. After publishing it on LinkedIn to a positive response, I decided to also share...
Don’t forget to make the sale
I have three big tips to ensure you have a call to action - in other words a sales pitch - in your school marketing. Why? Well, we can generate and publish loads of great content on our achievements and events, but if we do not actually create a sales opportunity, we...
What if I don’t have a marketing strategy?
For the past four months, I have been facilitating the Effective School Marketing workshops for ISASA, the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa. The focus of these has been on taking a more strategic approach to marketing in schools. We’ve had some...
Five tips for school marketing in a recession
What do you do when existing and prospective customers are under increasing financial pressure? Here are five practical tips for school marketing in a recession. Get into the data Independent schools in South Africa are feeling the effects of the weak...
Strategic marketing: Cakes, oranges and ladders
What do cakes, oranges and ladders have to do with marketing? Perhaps it’s my background in education, but they are great teaching tools! These three items are practical analogies I like to use in explaining 3 important marketing concepts. Sometimes, you just need a...
Is LinkedIn a marketing platform for schools?
I have always been a fan of LinkedIn. Even back in the days when all it was, was a place to post your CV. I believed in the value of an online professional platform for networking. When Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016 for USD 26.2b, I was excited. I saw the...
Your guide to marketing structure in independent schools
Structure follows strategy. This final part in a series of 3 blogs on the topic is only worth reading if you already have a marketing strategy! We now focus on the overarching structures for marketing and admissions in independent schools. Let’s look at two concepts....
Marketing as an executive function in schools
The timing of this blog is apt. The role of Marketing in the Executive is currently being debated in companies across the globe. While the functions of Finance, Operations, Human Resources and General Management are traditionally well established on Boards of...
Structuring your marketing team
Do you know the ideal structure for your marketing department? In this blog post, I explore three principles that will help you to determine the best way to build the ideal marketing structure for your organisation. Strategy before structure ...
Hello, I’m Keryn
I enjoy writing on my niche in marketing strategy for independent schools. I’m inspired by global trends driving change in this sector – from consumer trends to educational trends to market and macro trends.
I like to draw from my background in strategy across multiple sectors as well as my personal and professional journey to craft short conversational and topical pieces.
I hope you feel informed, inspired and supported as readers of this blog from wherever you are in the world.
I encourage comments and suggestions on content. Please also connect with me on my social platforms.