Christian School Marketing Plan

GraceWorks will conduct both primary and secondary research. As a matter of practical stewardship, more expensive primary research will be conducted only where less expensive secondary research is not available.

At the conclusion of the Marketing Study, a Final Marketing Study Report of 40 - 60 pages will be presented. This Final Report will be full color, highly graphical, reader-friendly, and thematic (not simply a question-by-question report). All key findings will be integrated into a detailed summary of approximately four pages.

In addition, a Preliminary Marketing Study Plan of 25 - 35 pages will be completed. The Preliminary Marketing Plan will give you strong marketing direction both immediately and for your future. It is designed to be a handy reference you can turn to again and again as your Christian school becomes ready to take on the additional marketing strategies recommended for subsequent years.

To learn more about GraceWorks Ministries' Marketing Study, call (877)-9-FOR-R-KIDS (1-877-936-7754) to schedule a free, 45-minute, no obligation consultation.

Grace Works' Marketing Study Step-by-Step

Step 1: Establish Leadership Consensus and a Clear Goal -- Throughout the process, GraceWorks will be carefully listening to your needs to be able to answer the questions you want answered. This process starts with a Market Study Orientation and dialogue with your school's key leaders. The purpose of the session is to present overall study mechanics, ascertain clear goals / ends for the study, and generate “ownership.”

There is great value in bringing your key leaders to consensus on the key questions of the study itself. It is important that key leaders “buy into” the objectives and methodology of the Marketing Study from the very beginning.

Step 2: Understand the Target Market -- Following the key leader orientation / dialogue, your Study Coordinator will conduct individual interviews with key school leaders, as well as the rank and file school families. Besides increasing ownership in the results of the study, these interviews:

• Clarify the issues, and equally important, understand the language and way the people at your Christian school think about these issues,

• Provide critical information that simply would not be forthcoming any other way, and

• Provide invaluable insight into the change dynamics that will guide what happens after the Marketing Study is completed.

Written and telephone survey questions directly flow from the dialogue of the initial orientation and the individual interviews. Our goal is to ask precisely the right questions in meaningful ways. It is critical to put aside our assumptions, to ask questions in ways that your constituencies are thinking about them.

Step 3: Conduct Structured Research -- In addition to the leaders' dialogue and individual interviews, your Market Study will include six other solid research components:

• Demographics -- careful review and analysis of all relevant secondary research,

• In-depth telephone interviews with 100% of your existing school families,

• In-depth telephone interviews with 100 randomly selected non-enrolled families with school-aged children in your immediate ministry area,

• Competitive analysis of neighboring private, Christian, and public schools,

• Written congregational survey (if applicable), and

• Written in-depth school family survey.

Step 4: Preliminary Report -- Your Preliminary Market Study Report, a summary of 4 - 6 pages, will include the key highlights of all the above research. Your Marketing Study includes an on-site presentation of either the Preliminary or Final Marketing Study Report by your Project Coordinator; your school chooses which.

Step 5: Final Report -- Your Final Marketing Study Report of 40 - 60 pages will be full color, highly graphical, reader-friendly, and thematic (not simply a question-by-question report). All key findings will be integrated into a detailed summary of about four pages.

The GraceWorks' team has substantially streamlined the mechanics of the report process, which therefore frees up our time to condense insights into wisdom, analyze more details, and go deeper into the dynamics of your situation. Simply put, GraceWorks' Final Reports are second to none!

Step 6: Preliminary Marketing Plan -- A Preliminary Marketing Plan of 25 - 35 pages will be included with the Final Report. Contents of the Preliminary Marketing Plan include:

Executive Summary
Background
Market Audit
Service Audit
Marketing Actions Audit
Competitive Intelligence
Marketing Objectives
Integrated Tactical Marketing Plan
Conclusions

The Preliminary Marketing Plan will give you strong marketing direction both immediately and for your future, helping you significantly improve your branding and public image, as well as substantially sharpening your focus for media and messages with a clear target market in mind. It is designed to be a handy reference you can turn to again and again as your Christian school becomes ready to take on the additional marketing strategies recommended for subsequent years.

Conclusion -- GraceWorks' goal with the Marketing Study is to meet your needs. Open and frank communication throughout the process will maximize your results. Hold nothing back from us, starting with what you know already. Then, ask the hard questions that need to be asked. And expect the same from us.

We strongly believe this Marketing Study will be a significant turning point for your Christian school. Our goal is nothing less!