Independent schools are currently in the throes of Admission season, so it’s no surprise that as I scroll through my Facebook news feed, I see quite a few sponsored posts from schools about open house events…more than I can remember seeing in the past. More and more schools are beginning to tap into the power of social media to tell their stories and get the word out beyond the boundaries of their communities, and many are understanding that the return on investment for advertising via social media can be immense.
While I can’t speak on other cities, I can say that the independent school arena in Atlanta is beyond competitive…on both sides. Parents scramble to get their children admitted into what they consider to be the best schools (and the planning/positioning starts early), and schools constantly strive to differentiate. Visually speaking, many schools can look quite similar in nature, so while word of mouth (particularly, constituent experience) is HUGE, it’s also important for schools to stand out in some way.
And that’s what St. Martin’s Episcopal School has done. They nailed it!
I have seen numerous ads about admissions-related events from independent schools during the past few months, but none jumped out at me like this one. I worked in the after-school program at St. Martin’s in college, and as part of my Communications minor, I interned in the Development Office. So I’m familiar with the school’s visual identity. I love that as part of this change, they remained true to who they are. They kept the school’s original crest, and they incorporated the colors well into the copy of this ad.
The clincher for me is the tagline: potential. realized. watch your child do good things. How incredibly simple, but so powerful! Don’t we all want our children to do good things? Don’t we all want them to realize their potential? As a parent, this ad would absolutely pique my interest in the school and consider attending the information session, if nothing else. And that’s the idea: Get them in the door, and we can take it from there.
Awesome job, St. Martin’s! Keep up the great work!