Consultant on Marketing and Strategic Management. Professor and Researcher...
Private schools are rather peculiar entities, circulating in a conceptual limbo between private companies and public institutions; for this reason, Marketing needs to define strategies that focus on revenue and profit, without neglecting the community objectives of education. That said, we can still observe that educational institutions with more elaborate marketing processes tend to copy strategies from industries known for their rampant ambition. Therefore, today we must ask ourselves if Educational Marketing is on the right track or needs to rethink its foundations.
WHAT IS USED TODAY IN EDUCATIONAL MARKETING?
Over the years, I've noticed that schools with a strong marketing structure tend to use the real estate market as a guide. It makes sense, since the products and services they offer have a lot in common:
High total cost, generally financed over long periods of time.
The purchasing decision has a high impact on the life of the client and/or consumer.
It has an individual benefit, but also a social or community benefit.
For this reason, schools follow paths related to the real croatia telegram data estate industry: they generate large databases, make calls or send messages to clients almost 24/7, attend specialized commercial events, spend a lot of money on brand positioning, manage commission schemes for sales employees, etc.
In itself, there is nothing inherently wrong with the above; however, not only have the strategies been copied but also some of the vices that have developed over the years in many real estate companies. These include the following:
High levels of work stress resulting from the need to sell to earn an attractive salary.
Suffocating follow-up to potential clients.
“Overselling” practices using unrealistic promises.
Overcrowding of school groups, making it difficult for teachers to work.
Obsession with brand and organizational culture, leaving aside the needs of internal and external customers.