As the new academic year starts, so does the new student recruitment cycle in the never-ending world of FE marketing and admissions. Before you know it you’ll be at that first open event and your marketing team will be knee-deep in roll-up banners.
Busy as the start of the academic year is, it’s also the perfect time to review how your college is seen and perceived externally through your name and brand identity – because if you decide it needs some work, now really is the time to start.
Brand development in FE, given the wide range of markets, can take a full academic year from start to rollout, and the only realistic time to launch a new brand is the start of a new academic year.
But how do you decide if you need to undertake a rebrand? Ofsted are not going to tell you, and even if they did I’m not sure they’re a good representation of your various target markets, to be honest.
It’s hard to be objective about this sometimes, so start by asking those around you: students, your marketing team, other staff, governors, friendly employers and a couple of external stakeholders.
Ask them what they think of your brand and what your brand identity says about your college and your place in the market. Encourage them to be honest, really listen and be prepared to not necessarily like the answers.
If after this you conclude you do need to take a fresh look at your branding, get going and fast. Decide if you’re going to need external support. I’d wholly encourage this for creative work, if not also the project management and engagement work.
I’ve led on rebrand exercises for a host of other not-for-profits and for four FE colleges, most recently at Brooklands Technical College. Based on that experience, here are three stages I’d recommend to get the best results and give your marketing team a fighting chance of hitting those challenging recruitment targets.
The Listen Phase
This is arguably the most important phase, because a new brand identity needs to truly represent your college and resonate with your audiences.
Coming up with an amazing-looking solution that has no connection or relevance just isn’t going to work, so you really need to undertake a comprehensive piece of engagement work with as many stakeholders as possible – students, staff, employers and community stakeholders.
Ask them what they think of the college, what your unique traits or selling points are and how they think you should be best represented visually.
Summarise the themes identified and agree a direction for the creative team to explore, not forgetting that you operate in multiple markets.
The Create Phase
Share with your creative team the themes identified in your Listen Phase and let them get to work. The best creative teams will come back with a whole host of ideas – some of which you (hopefully!) will have never considered before.
Market-test the various creative options on a small selection of key stakeholders. However, remember that too many cooks spoil the broth.
Finally, decide on a chosen route and let the creatives finalise the design process while your marketing team plan the rollout. Changes need to take place at the start of the recruitment year, else you risk having a very confused set of applicants mid-year.
The Rollout Phase
Don’t underestimate how detailed this part can be; this is where your marketing team will come into their own. Consider website changes, social channels, uniform, lanyards and ID cards, stationery, vehicle graphics, advertising templates, email signatures and much more.
Decide on a launch day. At Brooklands, we went for the first day of term and it worked really well thanks to the outstanding work of the creative agency and the in-house marketing team. New students felt privileged to be the first students under the new look and the new recruitment year has started with a bang.
A new brand identity can do so much more than refresh your marketing and how you’re seen. It’s a great way to bring your staff together and symbolise a new era or strategic direction.
It’s a big job, but don’t be afraid to consider it.