We are delighted to announce the appointment of Deborah McKenzie, our Head of Marketing and Business Development. Deborah’s impressive marketing career saw her working with Bentley Motors, ODEON and Puddle Ducks, to name but a few. She specialised in the independent sector when she joined Terra Nova School in Cheshire, where she was able to increase enquires by 25%, prospective parent visits by 40% and ultimately increased the numbers on the roll. Here, she shares a few words on why she got into marketing and why she’s now joined the experts at MTM:
Marketing has always fascinated me: it’s all about getting your message through to people and convincing them to buy your product or service. It requires constant communication and I’m continually finding new ways to engage with the target audience. First things first, you need to really know your target market and what makes them tick: put yourself inside their head and understand how they think and feel.
Independent schools are incredible: they are brilliant at finding what makes their pupils tick, what their strengths and weaknesses are, nurturing them, and helping them to reach their absolute potential, setting them up for what can only be a very rewarding future. All the schools I’ve come across are unique, but they all have one common goal: to achieve their best for each and every single pupil. And they never rest on their laurels: they are always striving to achieve more, to be better.
However, they are so deeply entrenched in this world, they often lack the commercial focus that independent schools need. As I’m sure you’re all too aware, the costs of maintaining an independent school at the desired teacher: pupil ratio are high. Pupil numbers are vital. Sadly, despite being amazing, many schools struggle because of this. I love coming into that environment and sharing my knowledge, which enables schools to share themselves in a way that really resonates with their target audience. It’s amazing how quickly results can be achieved and it feels awesome!
I was lucky enough to work with MTM during my time at Terra Nova School: to me MTM are the first step in any independent school’s marketing strategy. Their completely unique Market Area Catchment Intelligence product enables schools to really know their target market. From this starting point, I’d challenge any school to fail in achieving their objectives. They are also great trouble-shooters; whatever challenge your school is facing, MTM will help you identify the root problem and offer you the strategy, plan and support to overcome it.
I love the fact MTM is not just about research, they (or should I now say we) offer the whole service from research, strategy, plan and ultimately execution. I personally find that very exciting!