Blog
I write about all areas of marketing and selling, and especially with an academic or strategic angle
Hello, I’m Keryn
I enjoy creating marketing anecdotes and visuals related to my horse as there is a lot to be learned from animals, and this provides a unique context to my writing. My horse Slick (aka Sports Express) has been with me for many years and is a source of inspiration and relaxation for my strategic mind. He lives on a friend’s farm in KZN and I see him twice a week.
I use my Twitter feed to post daily marketing quotes and my LinkedIn to share articles relevant to my area of expertise and build networks.
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 ...
3 discount dangers for premium brands
In a tough economy, it is tempting to discount to secure new business. Demanding customers will go from door to door, just haggling for the best deal. Before you start down that slippery path, consider the options. Especially if you are positioning your organisation...