5 Steps to Effective Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Marketing is both an art and a science. At StoryScape, we’ve honed a 5-step process that creates the foundation for effective, engaging marketing—whether you’re leveraging free word-of-mouth marketing or building a comprehensive plan. These steps ensure you’re putting your best foot forward with the audiences that matter most.
Step 1: Listen meaningfully to your internal community
Use tools like focus groups, interviews, and surveys to hear from faculty and staff, students, current families, and leadership. Everyone has an authentic story to tell and an opinion worth hearing.
Your objective: Determine the through line in their stories. What’s the commonality? Where’s the overlap?
Questions to ask:
- What’s the top word you would use to describe our school? First one that comes to mind.
- What’s the word on the street about our school? What do people who don’t attend think about us?
- Why did you consider coming here? What made you ultimately decide to enroll?
An inclusive and transparent process energizes communities.
Step 2: Hear from the market
Marketing requires understanding market forces and insights into what prospective families are seeking.
Your objective: Find the intersection of what they value with what you deliver.
Questions to ask:
- What is most important to you when searching for a school for your child?
- How well do you believe we deliver on what you value most?
- Where else did you consider, and what are your impressions of those options?
Market research takes the guesswork out of how to best support your ambassadors for the greatest success.
Step 3: Articulate your top 3 most compelling differentiators
You have 30 seconds to break through assumptions and stand out from the noise. You need something that’s remarkable, short, and sweet.
Your objective: Articulate the top 3 things people should know about your school, using the insights you gleaned from what’s authentic to you and what the market is looking for.
Questions to consider:
- Are these benefits to their children or attributes of the school? (Hint: Make them benefits! Focus on “why,” not just “I.” In the business world, this is the equivalent of leading with their problem, not your product.)
- Are these interesting or obvious? (Hint: Make them interesting!)
- Are these memorable and ownable?
Because there are many great things about your school, there will be tears on the cutting room floor. That’s OK. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to reveal even more once you capture their attention.
Step 4: Summarize your top 3 in a clear positioning statement
Create a “What,” “How,” and “Why” statement that introduces your top 3. This will unite your community under messaging that’s authentic to them and resonates with your future families.
Your objective: Craft an introduction that encourages people to say, “That’s interesting. I didn’t know that about your school—tell me more.” Then you get to tell stories about your top 3 from Step 3.
Questions to consider:
- Is the “why” clear and compelling?
- Does the “how” statement effectively introduce the top 3?
- What does your school do better, differently, or more distinctively than other schools families can choose from?
Overcoming confirmation bias requires understanding what misperceptions exist—and having powerful stories with proof that challenge assumptions.
Step 5: Workshop your stories
No one wants a script or to be told to “sell” these top 3. But you know what does work? Highlighting the moments that bring your top 3 to life. It’s like a gratitude practice where you look for evidence on campus that reflects your positioning. There will be many examples, and they’ll refresh regularly. Practice looking for them, telling them, and sharing them. The more they’re shared, the more your current community remembers why they said yes to begin with—and the more the market will understand what’s special about your school.
Your objective: Empower your community to celebrate and share what makes them proud to be part of your school.
Questions to consider:
- Can my team articulate our positioning succinctly and confidently?
- Do they have stories at the ready that deliver on our top 3?
- How do we make this storytelling practice routine so our community can reflect on why we’re all here and keep the stories fresh and available?
Simple is hard—but it’s worth it. These five steps create clarity, authenticity, and momentum that transform how your community talks about your school. And that’s when word-of-mouth marketing really takes off.
Questions? Let’s talk. We’re here if you’re looking for guidance on putting these steps into practice at your school.