A new way to look at the concept of value

It’s always been the case, but is even more so now as the economy’s engine slowly (painfully slowly) begins to crank back to life: Patrons want value from anything they chose to – or have to – invest in.

But how do patrons decide whether or not they are getting good value? What they are telling us, via our research, is that their value equation has three parts to it:

What I see: Do the buildings look cared for? Do the students who are being educated appear to be solid citizens in the community? (Good luck with having that be viewed as universally the case.) Do the teachers, principals, administrators and Board of Education members seem to be pulling in the same, positive direction?

What I hear: Not so much from the district – although news from the Central Office and the individual schools does play a part – but more from what the neighbors are telling me. What the teachers are saying. What my kids are saying about what happens in school.

What I believe: Do I start with the general view that the school district is effective and efficiently run, or do I have nagging questions? What’s happening that’s impacting that view?

Easy? Hardly.

But understanding that value is not something that the majority of your patrons associate with a numerical equation will help guide your brand-building communications toward messages that demonstrate value on the patrons’ terms.

Be strategic when communicating about “plans”: One step forward and two steps back

When we work with school districts on strategic research leading up to a ballot initiative, we often hear something like, “Three years ago, we told our patrons that the bond issue they were voting on then was part one of three – and that we’d be back this year or next to ask for another bond issue for part two. Since we told them it was part of a three-phase plan, we expect them to support this just like they supported phase one.”

Oh, if only patron memories were that good and that reliable. In fact, more often than not, we find them to be “long and foggy.” They’re long if it means recalling a slight. They’re foggy on three-phase plans and the like.

If you think school districts face this challenge alone, try substituting “public works” for “school district” when you think about promoting a multi-phase plan.

Would you remember chapter and verse on the local sewer district’s multi-part plan? Not likely. If you pay attention at all, your focus will be on the proposal at hand – what it costs, what it will do, and so on. If the sewer district came back in three years and said, “Remember we said we’d be back to ask for your support for phase two,” all but the most fascinated folks would say, “Huh?”

Does this mean you shouldn’t have plans and consider separating the cost into multiple ballot questions over several years? Not at all. It’s generally much easier to ask patrons to eat the elephant one bite at a time.

But, it’s a mistake to have “this is part of the plan we already talked about” as a major plank of your ballot communications, if you haven’t spent the time between the last election and this one actively reminding people. (It’s sort of like running for the House. As soon as you get elected, you start campaigning again.) 

Even if you have been diligent, it’s wise to strategically retrace the old ground at election time, by showing where this current proposal fits and how it connects to the future (if there is more to come).

The class of 2010–get ‘em while they’re hot.

There’s a long-standing belief in the communications business that if you see an organization utilizing the same tactic month after month, year after year, it must be working. A perfect example of this is your alma mater and its Alumni Association.

Those that are on the ball know that they need to market to graduates before the ink is even dry on their diplomas. Never will the memories of their university experience be more cherished than immediately after they have completed the journey from nervous freshman to confident (and, perhaps, debt-laden) graduate.

Getting them on-board right away – with such offers as teaser membership rates for new grads, discounted tickets to athletic and arts events on campus, etc. – is a way to build up the donating habit early, so that when that grad has more resources, it’s easy to encourage him or her to step up to the next giving level.

So why don’t more public school districts follow the same model?

Certainly, you can’t expect an 18-year-old to make a donation to your school district’s Foundation. But, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider some rudimentary contact strategy that keeps grads informed about what’s happening at their old high school, invites them to come to more than just the Homecoming football game, keeps them informed about what’s new, etc.

Two facts of life make this strategy a wise course of action.

First, of course, not everyone goes on to higher education, and so donation dollars that would ordinarily have gone to a college or university are available. Second, consider how many of your graduates either attend college close to home, or return to the area after they get their degrees. Reconnecting after they return is harder, because you have to get in line behind their university.

Your graduates have likely crossed the stage already – or will in the next few days. How are you planning to keep in touch?

Communications strategy important after the trauma has passed

As state budgets slog toward finalization, and school districts are close to getting a fairly accurate sense of what their resources will be for the year to come, it’s more important that ever not to lose the patron relationship traction gained during the weeks and months of anxiety.

School districts that engaged their patrons in the process by presenting the facts, seeking input, and keeping citizens informed as difficult budget decisions were being made locally could easily find themselves exhaling and, at the same time, forgetting that patrons remain interested. In essence, if you sought their involvement as a way of protecting your flank as difficult decisions were being made (“Patrons were asked to comment…”) don’t ignore them now that the surgery has been completed on the coming year’s budget.

Why? Two big reasons.

First, this situation is one large part nightmare, but one small part blessing. The blessing is that you’ve taken advantage of a true opportunity to partner with your patrons in making difficult decisions. They may not have liked all the choices your school district made when the final cuts were selected, but they saw that you gave them the opportunity to speak up when it really mattered. This has positively changed the dynamic – even in districts that already had a great relationship with their patrons. Take full advantage of it, by communicating early and often just how important patron input was in the decision-making.

Second, if you’ve been successful in telling this three-part story – less money from the state plus lower local property values equals cuts for us – you’ve already begun selling the notion that you’ll need some tax adjustment at the local level (assuming that such a proposal is possible in your district), without saying a specific word about it. The biggest impediment to getting patrons to support an increase – “You just need to cut first” – is gone, and not in secret, but in huge headlines in the local media and at the coffee shop. While the time might not be right for such a proposal just now, keep up the drumbeat of your district’s fiscal responsibility and patron involvement so that when you make your pitch, the foundation will already have been laid.

Elvis should have been a school superintendent

“Thank you. Thank you very much.”

That is the staple quote for every Elvis impersonator on the planet – a tribute to the King’s well-documented habit of thanking his audience for applause. It’s a lesson we all could learn from the man from Memphis.

When’s the last time someone from your school district said “thank you” to a patron? An average patron ponies up thousands and thousands of dollars over a lifetime supporting his or her local school district. Yet I doubt most have ever heard the words “thank you” from a district staff member, teacher or student for this investment.

What an opportunity! What if every school district employee made it his or her personal goal to say “thank you” to a random district patron today? It would give immediate substance to the idea that “education is a partnership,” would offer meaningful, long-term brand-building benefits for the district, and create the kind of environment that increases the likelihood of success for ballot measures – no matter what the economic climate.

Try it, and let us know what happens. Hey, it worked for Elvis.

Strategy for defining ‘patron’ is changing.

In the lexicon of public officials, the term “patron” has traditionally been used to define a tax-paying citizen whose resources are used to fund the greater community good, in all its forms.

However, we’re seeing that successful public entities are broadening that definition, and including new groups of individuals. These individuals may or may not show up on the tax rolls, but their understanding of, participation in, and advocacy for your vision are critical to its success.

More information can be found in our Redefining the Word “Patron” white paper.