Ahh….summer. The mere thought of it can make you want to jump in a pool with a cold drink in your hand. However, although you need that R&R to refresh and rejuvenate you from a long school year, the summer is an excellent time to focus on making your next school year less stressful and more productive. Here are some crucial checklist items you don’t want to miss this summer to ensure you’ll hit the ground running in the fall.
Step away from the office ... to work.
Without the high demands of visitors shadowing, touring and attending admissions events, take your team (or just yourself) off-campus to work and focus on your goals for the next school year. Without co-workers distracting you and the phone ringing, you can take a wider look at your admissions calendar and events, your strategic goals and the job responsibilities of each team member. Whether you find a local coffee shop or cafe, you’ll be shocked how the ideas and creativity will flow. Make sure to pre-plan by having a detailed agenda so that everyone stays on track. Before you know it, you’ll be highly caffeinated, but most importantly, motivated to execute a plan of action for the next year.
Engage with your summer camp audience.
Most schools host athletic camps, at the very least, on campus during the summer. Others have more robust summer camp programs including fine arts and academics. If your school offers camps to younger students, you need to be present. Campers and their parents deserve the full customer service experience from the second they step foot on campus. Partnering with your summer camp director to help facilitate a great on-campus experience and add the lens of admissions will really raise the bar and leave customers feeling great about your school.
Map out your printing/marketing/social media plan for the year.
Ugg…this sounds like a lot of work, right? Yes, you are correct. It is a ton of work. But when you spend the time to map out your marketing/social media plan when the phone is not ringing off the hook and students aren’t in your office hounding you and asking questions, you’ll be grateful in November that you took care of this in June. Be sure to bring your budget to the table and your Marketing/Communications Director to hash out the plan for the year. By creating monthly themes and planning a social media/marketing plan for big admissions events, you’ll never get behind!
Time used wisely and strategically in the summer can make you feel much more motivated to conquer another year. Call that local coffee shop or cafe and reserve a spot for your next meeting now!
Written by Tricia Roos
Managing Director