Picture this: You’ve just invested in a glossy viewbook for your independent school. It’s beautiful, filled with stunning photos and clever copywriting. But here’s the kicker—it’s not bringing in the full-pay families you need.
Why? Because your viewbook might be suffering from a case of misalignment.
Let’s dive into the heart of the matter and explore how to choose a vendor who truly understands your needs.
The Viewbook Vendor Challenge
When you hire a vendor to create your viewbook, you’re looking for artists, designers, and wordsmiths. But here’s the catch: you also need enrollment specialists who understand the unique needs of full-pay families.
Without this crucial expertise, you might end up with a viewbook that’s visually stunning but fails to move the needle on enrollment.
Understanding the Full-Pay Family
Remember, full-pay families are a different breed. They’re not hoping to find an accessible private school—they know they can afford one. What they’re looking for is value and solutions to their educational challenges.
The best viewbooks speak directly to these families, showcasing how your school solves their specific problems or needs.
The Data Collection Conundrum
When gathering information for the viewbook, it’s crucial to include the voices of full-pay families. Without their input, you risk creating a viewbook that misses the mark for your target audience. Collecting information from mostly non-full-pay people – employees, students or parents increases the chances of you missing the mark.
Beyond the Awards
While industry awards, such as CASE, can be a nice feather in a vendor’s cap, they shouldn’t be the primary goal. The real measure of success is how well the viewbook resonates with full-pay families and drives enrollment.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Many viewbooks fall into traps like generic photography, misguided messaging, lack of ROI focus, and absence of differentiation. The right vendor will help you navigate these challenges.
Choosing the Right Vendor: A Roadmap to Success
So, how do you select a vendor who can create a viewbook that speaks to full-pay families? Here are some key strategies:
- Look for Enrollment Expertise: Seek vendors who have a track record of creating viewbooks that drive enrollment, particularly among full-pay families. Ask for case studies and results. Be specific on your target group.
- Check Their Research Process: The right vendor will have a robust process for gathering insights from your target audience. They should be eager to talk to your full-pay families and understand their needs. Do they ask for a list or a full-pay family list?
- Assess Their Understanding of ROI: Full-pay families are making a significant investment. Your vendor should know how to communicate the value and long-term benefits of your school. Can they get you to tell them the value to the full-pay families not just to the faculty?
- Evaluate Their Differentiation Strategy: Can they articulate what makes your school unique? Do they have a process for identifying and highlighting your school’s unique selling points?
- Review Their Problem-Solving Approach: The best vendors will focus on how your school solves educational challenges. They should be asking about the problems your full-pay families are trying to solve.
- Examine Their Portfolio: Look beyond the aesthetics. Does their work demonstrate an understanding of different target audiences? Are the messages tailored to specific groups?
- Ask About Their Measurement Strategy: How do they define success? It should be more than just creating a beautiful book that the head of school says yes to —it should be about driving enrollment.
The Bottom Line
Your viewbook isn’t just a pretty brochure—it’s a critical tool in your enrollment strategy. By choosing the right vendor, you can create a viewbook that not only looks great but also speaks directly to full-pay families, showcasing the unique value your school offers.
So, before you sign off on that next viewbook project, ask yourself: Is this vendor equipped to create a book that will win over full-pay families?
