Since powerful, effective marketing and communications are more important than ever for enrollment and development, many schools turn to outside consultants—firms, sole proprietors, and freelancers—for help. While outsourcing can be more expensive than doing the work in-house, the benefits to the school can outweigh those costs. Here’s why.
Objectivity. A consultant has an objective perspective of your school that you’re not likely to have—the “can’t see the forest for the trees” syndrome. This is particularly important for brand development and enrollment marketing, when discovering and promoting what makes you truly distinctive can be the difference between full enrollment and empty seats. As Brad Rogers, headmaster at The Gow School, said in one of our podcasts, “We were judging ourselves based on what we saw, not on what others saw.” The benefit is that this kind of perspective can bring clarity that cannot be found internally.
Direction. A consultant can give your internal team tools to maximize efficiency, consistency, and results such as brand development, visual and editorial style guides, and a magazine template. Armed with these, your internal team can hit the ground running, focused on content instead of reinventing the wheel. The benefit is brand-centric marketing and communications that don’t rely on consultants after the initial engagement.
“A consultant can be a gift when your internal team is maxed out and needs a hand with overflow.”
Capacity. First, a consultant can be a gift when your internal team is maxed out and needs a hand with overflow. Second, a consultant can devote large chunks of time to critically important projects like brand development, a viewbook, or campaign marketing—anything that’s a one-off—when an internal team can’t fathom adding one of these to their workload. Third, a consultant can be a boon for ongoing, time-consuming projects like design of the magazine or annual report. The benefit is that a consultant can expand your school’s capacity to get things done and done well.