Word-of-Mouth marketing is not a new concept, but in recent years has become absolutely essential to successful enrollment. Prospective families today choose an independent school in a drastically different way from their predecessors and have grown increasingly reliant on the internet and social media for online reviews and unedited access to the experiences of current parents and students. Ironically, even though 75% of applicants to independent schools come from word-of-mouth referrals, only 10% of a school’s time and resources are spent on generating word-of-mouth referrals. Why are we not doing more?

This workshop will provide the tips and tools necessary to successfully build word of mouth, including shifting resources away from traditional advertising; connecting prospective families with current families who can share an authentic experience while helping the school; identifying a family’s pressure and pain points to flip negative word-of-mouth into positive; using data analytics to track word-of-mouth success; and more.

Woodward Academy, one of the largest and most diverse independent schools in the continental U.S., has prioritized the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Nija Majmudar Meyer, Woodward’s Vice President for Enrollment, will discuss these initiatives in an insightful and interactive one-hour workshop. Nija is a Harvard MBA and a former Coca-Cola marketing executive and organizational change consultant. She has been a presenter and a panelist for multiple conferences and webinars including NAIS, EMA, AISAP, Veracross, Niche, Graduway, INDEX, and TV Asia, among others.