Adrienne Leon, APR | Director of Engagement & Development Services
Steve King | Program Manager
Recently we had a colleague who, working to better understand a client school district, asked the superintendent, “What is your brand?”
The response: “Green.”
Green? Well, no, those are your colors. But the reality is, the term branding is often used interchangeably with things like logo design, color scheme, fonts, letterhead, website design, etc. You may have even clicked on the link to this post thinking you were going to get a how-to on creating a brand guide full of flashy logos and pithy slogans.
But what really is a brand?
We’re going to lay out for you the simple fact that a brand is a result. It’s not a product, a color or an impression. It is not a logo. Your brand is the feeling someone gets when they hear your name. After all, people will remember how you made them feel long after they remember what you look like.
A brand is a result. It’s not a product, a color or an impression. It is not a logo.
This can be a tough concept in public education. In our data-centric world, sometimes the gut feelings a brand can evoke often get overlooked. But behind all of that data there are stories, faces, challenges and successes. There are children and families. There is the future.
Our brand in education is actually hundreds of brands. This is because our schools mean different things to each individual who interacts with us. Think about our different audiences – students, parents, business partners, alumni, teachers, bus drivers, etc. Your brand is your reputation with each one of these individuals.
Given that, what did the COVID-19 pandemic mean for our brand? What did it do to how our stakeholders feel about us?
Schools were the center of the pandemic response, for our local communities, our state, even our country. We were spinning up virtual education at the same time we were providing meals and coordinating child care. When it came to communication, all of the news about school closures, masks, vaccines came from us. And the news was usually bad and almost always one way — meaning we didn’t have time to care how people felt about it.
COVID-19 destroyed our brand
The good news is that it actually didn’t – or at least, it didn’t entirely destroy it. Because in order for schools to be as effective as they were (otherwise we wouldn’t have been at the center of it all) we had to ensure we had a solid communications infrastructure. We had to have the websites and the mass notification systems. We had to make sure our audiences knew what to expect from us and when. In this time of crisis, we taught our audiences HOW we communicate and WHERE to receive our messages. We were a steady hand in a sea of chaos.
As we look to rebuild after the pandemic, it would be irresponsible to not take advantage of what we worked so hard to build. Everyone is looking and it would be a shame to let this moment pass. Not only are our audiences looking but they are excited. We’re back in school and we are in person. We can see one another’s faces. The positive energy is palpable.
We stand ready to return to normal and use that solid communications infrastructure to rebuild our brand.
Things to consider as you rebuild your brand
Remember that each channel has its own unique purpose.
This is about putting yourself in the shoes of the people you’re trying to reach. Think about their behaviors and their expectations. For example, social media is a tool built for engagement so you should expect that people are going to like, share and/or comment on anything you post there. More urgent or time sensitive news should go out via text or email because the direct nature of those tools is ideal for busy families. Failing to use each channel the way your audience expects you to will only result in messages being missed or overlooked.
Carefully craft your key messages and weave them into everything you do.
Show what you stand for over and over again because people will see it and they will respond. Remember, they are paying attention now more than ever. When crafting these messages, consider what you want people to do (e.g., hit the like button, vote, come to a parent meeting) and how you want them to feel. Unapologetically communicate your mission over and over again. Here’s an example of this from the Berne-Knox-Westerlo Central School District where their strategic communications plan includes messages about the district being a great place to live and work:
Have a plan.
Strategic communications, branding, the gut feeling – all of this doesn’t happen by chance. If we want to reach people in an intentional way, we have to actually be intentional. In today’s noisy world, it’s easy to think that volume – MORE communications – will make the difference. In fact, the opposite is true. School leaders need to work with their school communications professionals to carefully craft strategic communications plans and trust the process.
Regardless of national polling on the perceptions of public education in a broad sense, when it comes to our local schools, the data tells us that people are rooting for us. Our families want us to be successful. School leaders should lean into this as they rebuild and protect their brand. At the end of the day, if our brand results in each of our audiences having a positive experience with our organization, the rest is history.
This blog post is adapted from a presentation of the same name given at the New York State School Boards Convention in Syracuse, New York, in October 2022. For more information on using your channels strategically, crafting a strategic communications plan or building and maintaining your brand, contact Adrienne Leon, APR, at 518-464-3960 or adrienne.leon@neric.org.