What do these four brands have in common—Disney, Fed Ex, Volvo, and Starbucks? The brand is the outcome the consumer can expect from paying your tuition rates. With Disney, the consumer can expect fun, and with Fed Ex, fast delivery. Volvo offers a high level of safety, and Starbucks delivers an excellent social experience with a great cup of coffee. Each offers something that the consumer wants and is worth the cost, and they have the data to prove it. Do you have the evidence to prove that your brand is worth the cost?
After you put in the college list and try to sell small class sizes, what are you going to use to convince the families that you are worth the cost? We have to collect our data. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about gathering evidence to demonstrate your greatness. He states, “Collect evidence as if you were a trial attorney working to prove your case.”
To get you thinking about putting together the evidence that proves your brand is worth the cost, I offer you 11 ideas to help you collect it.
1. testimonials and reverse testimonials
2. surveys from graduates
3. data on graduates’ success
4. qualitative parent and student surveys
5. qualitative faculty surveys
6. programs offered and delivered outcomes to students
7. teacher qualifications beyond their degrees—authors, special projects, fellowships
8. college placement lists: while your list may not be convincing on its own, it can supplement your evidence.
9. third-party recognition in educational journals, magazines, newspaper articles, or by industry professionals
10. a specific educational program that other institutions want to replicate
11. data from your quality control evaluations, which gives you other feedback about your program’s excellence.
Where is your evidence? Is it part of your school’s marketing plan? Now is the time to collect and present this evidence so that you can be more attractive to full-pay families.
