Before you dive into writing marketing copy, revamping your website, launching an email campaign, or crafting that perfect social post, there’s one critical step you can’t afford to skip: know who you’re talking to. My friend Mike Farag at Fervor Marketing loves asking, “Who’s it for?” If your goal is to cut through the noise, capture attention, and inspire action, you need to know exactly who you’re speaking to.
This is where personas come into play. Personas help you identify and understand right-fit families—the families whose values, needs, and expectations align with what your school offers. But here’s a common mistake: Don’t create personas in a bubble. This isn’t something you guess at. To truly attract right-fit families, you need to understand who’s already in your audience, and then shape a vision for who you want to reach next.
The Importance of Listening First
Proverbs 18:13 says, “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” This might not have been written with marketing in mind, but it’s incredibly relevant for Christian school leaders today. Before you tell prospective families why your school is the best fit, you need to listen—listen to what families need, what they’re concerned about, and what objections they have.
How to Listen: Three Key Areas for Insight
1. Relationships
Much of what you need to know about right-fit families is already present in the conversations you have every day. Every interaction with prospective and current families—whether on a school tour, in a consultation, or at a school event—gives you clues about their priorities and concerns. Ask thoughtful questions that dig into their specific needs. What motivates them? What challenges are they facing? What are their hopes for their child’s education?
You don’t need to make these conversations formal. Even a casual coffee chat with a few families that you consider “right-fit” can provide valuable insights. The point is to really listen to what they’re already telling you, because these insights are marketing gold.
2. Reviews
Online reviews are another untapped source of feedback. Platforms like Google, Niche, and Facebook often contain unfiltered thoughts from current and prospective families. What do they consistently praise about your school? What criticisms come up again and again? Negative reviews can sting, but they also provide valuable clues about what you might need to address—or what’s not worth emphasizing in your marketing.
For example, if families consistently mention struggles with your school’s accommodations for special needs, and you’re unable to address that right now, you’ll want to make sure your marketing reflects your actual offerings. On the other hand, if parents keep highlighting the nurturing environment or academic excellence, you know exactly what to spotlight in your messaging.
3. Surveys
Surveys are a great way to gather structured feedback from parents, students, and alumni. A well-designed survey can uncover what’s most important to families and where your school is excelling (or needs improvement). Don’t just ask what they value—ask how well your school meets those values. You may discover, for example, that Christian role models in the classroom are a top priority for parents, and if your school excels here, you’ve found a message that will connect with right-fit families.
Related: What is the “Enrollment Hourglass?”
The Risks of Not Listening
If you skip the listening phase and go straight into creating personas, you risk missing the mark entirely. Here’s what could go wrong:
1. Mirroring
This happens when your persona looks too much like you or your leadership team. Sure, some families may share your values, but others may not. If your persona is too narrow, it won’t reflect the diversity of your audience—and you could miss out on connecting with more families.
2. Wishful Thinking
Aspirations are great, but they need to be rooted in reality. Maybe you want to attract families focused on top-tier academics, but if your school isn’t quite there yet, you could be setting the wrong expectations. Or perhaps you dream of attracting deeply devout, church-involved families. If those aren’t the majority in your area, you might be aiming for an audience that’s just not there.
3. Aimless Wandering
Without listening, you’re just guessing. That leads to marketing that feels vague or uninspired, and that’s not going to resonate with right-fit families. When you throw darts in the dark, you risk creating a message that’s generic and disconnected from the specific needs of your ideal families.
4. Stagnation
Personas aren’t something you create once and forget about. They need to evolve as the world changes. If your last persona update was before COVID or the last election, you’re probably missing some significant shifts in what families care about. Regularly reassessing your personas is crucial to keeping your marketing relevant and effective.
Conclusion: Listen First, Then Create Personas
Personas are essential for effective marketing, but they can’t be pulled out of thin air. By first listening—through relationships, online reviews, and surveys—you’ll gain the insights needed to build personas that reflect the real needs and concerns of right-fit families. This step helps you avoid the pitfalls of creating personas that mirror yourself, are based on wishful thinking, or are disconnected from current realities.
When you truly understand your audience, you can create personas that connect on a deeper level, leading to more authentic engagement and sustainable enrollment growth.
