The Independent School Management Podcast

Create an Exceptional Digital Advertising Campaign

Are you curious about using paid advertisements to drive more traffic to your website, get more family inquiries, and boost enrollment? Or maybe you are using paid ads, but are hoping to improve your strategy. If so, you must know the new rules for paid advertisements.
Right now, the best advertising channels to help you achieve your marketing and admission goals are Google, Facebook, and Instagram. In this episode, Clint Losch will present the best approach to running highly targeted ads on these platforms—ads that generate interest from mission-appropriate families—all at a minimal cost.

The ’Evergreen’ Social Media Framework

Are you struggling to keep up with the daily demands of social media content? Do you scramble to post new content? Do your communications end up lost among other, more compelling messages? Do you post often enough each week?
On your lengthy list of marketing and communication job responsibilities, social media management often feels like “just another thing to do.” Many school marketers face the challenge of regularly delivering fresh content. Relying only on current events to keep things fresh not only limits your content, but it also fails to showcase the true essence and enduring mission of your school.
Introducing "The Evergreen Social Media Framework!" This three-part storytelling framework is a game changer for private school marketers, empowering you to create unlimited social content. No more last-minute scramble—instead, craft daily content that's rooted in your school's mission and unique value proposition.

Surviving Scheduling: What We’ve Seen and How to Improve

Nothing affects your students, teachers, programs, facilities, and time as much as your schedule. When you get it right, your schedule can boost student performance, family satisfaction, and faculty culture—leading to better recruitment, stronger retention, and more robust fundraising.
In this episode, Carrie Nelson (ISM ScheduLogic Specialists) and James Collins (ISM Director of Sales) will discuss some of the challenges schools face when working on their schedules and the solutions to address these challenges. Explore approaches can that ensure your schedule suits your mission and students.

Independent Schools and Faculty Compensation: ISM’s Insights on Coming Changes

As we recover from the pandemic and as the teacher crisis develops, schools must thoroughly understand the upcoming changes and plan operational adjustments now.
In this episode, Terry Moore (ISM Executive Consultant and Governance and Finance Department Head) will explore how changing human resources laws in many states may affect faculty compensation. Learn why merit pay has not been effective in many independent schools, learn about ISM’s latest compensation system recommendations to support a faculty growth mindset, and discover a non-negotiable element for every school’s strategic plan.

The Proven Four-Step System to Maximize Your Event Registrations

As you gear up for your fall and winter prospective family events, you may be asking . . .
Why aren't we seeing the registration numbers we hoped for?
Could our approach to event promotion be too generic or uninspiring?
Is there a more effective way to ensure families commit to attending?
What advertising channels are best for promoting our events?
In this episode, Clint Losch, Head of Marketing for Outsourced School Solutions (a leading digital marketing agency serving private-independent schools), will unveil tried-and-true strategies to help you fill your open house events with mission-appropriate families.

Mission-Centered Family Onboarding as a Retention Strategy

While you may have just finished recruiting and enrolling most of your new families for this school year, now is the time to start re-recruiting them (yes, really!). From the moment they enroll in your school, the experiences your new parents and students share will have an enormous impact on their re-enrollment.In this episode discover enrollment management strategies you can implement immediately to ensure a seamless and supportive transition for your new families.

Introducing Unbound360 Now Part of ISM

ISM has expanded our data offerings by acquiring Unbound360, an innovative platform that harnesses powerful data from multiple sources to provide unprecedented insight into your school’s market—and future.
Join Unbound360 founder, Jesse Roberts, and ISM’s Executive Director of Sales & Marketing, Kate Auger-Campbell, as they discuss the unlimited opportunities Unbound360 data presents for schools.
Gain the power of big data in a simple-to-use web platform.
Identify prospective families and benefit from predictive analytics and financial modeling to aid your school in long-term sustainability efforts. With just a few clicks, you can see exactly what’s happening with your competitor schools.
See Unbound360 in action! Join us for a live demo of this software on June 12 at 12 p.m. EST.

The End of the State of Emergency for COVID-19: What Does it Mean for Schools?

The U.S. national emergency declaration to the COVID-19 pandemic expired on May 11, 2023. The emergency declaration, along with separate public health and state declarations, has been in place since early 2020.Schools take various actions every day to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including the virus that causes COVID-19. But now that the public health emergency is ending, should your school remain cognizant of infectious disease prevention? And, if so, how do you do this?
In this episode join Dr. Lisa Smith, medical director of the One-to-One Return to Work/School/Sports program, Chattanooga, Tennessee, to learn strategies that should be in place at every school.

30/60/90: Help Your School’s Wellness Program Reach Crucial Milestones

Now that you’ve decided to implement a wellness program at your school, it’s crucial to make sure you put it on the path to success. In this episode, you’ll learn how to define program goals, recruit a wellness team, and overcome potential barriers.We’ll provide three steps to get you started establishing important milestones of days 30, 60, and 90, allowing you to enter the summer with a clear vision of your wellness program’s direction for next fall.

The New Admission Director: Learn Key Elements to Succeed

When it comes to private school admission, your recruitment and re-recruitment efforts are paramount to your school’s long-term viability. Thinking strategically about your school’s opportunities and challenges is a must for Admission Directors.In this episode, Mary Yorke Oates, IAP-L (ISM Summer Institute Faculty Member and Director of Admissions at Charlotte Latin School, North Carolina) will present a big-picture view of how to build an effective team and develop a meaningful marketing strategy.