SMC: School Marketing and Communications

The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Turning confidence into enrolment momentum – Orientation More enquiries are not always the answer to an enrolment problem. In the first episode of 'Turning confidence into enrolment momentum', Charlie explores why interest and confidence do not automatically lead to commitment. He discusses the difference between generating demand and creating momentum, and why enrolment performance needs to be an institutional responsibility. For school marketers, the challenge is seeing where families hesitate and making the next step clear, timely and worth taking. Episode Links: Engaging the next generation of school parents – McCrindle Drivers of School Choice 2022 – Independent Schools Victoria Independent Schools Snapshot 2026 – Independent Schools Australia School Choice: A Research Report 2021 – Independent Schools Australia What Parents Want: Key Findings 2025 – Independent Schools Queensland Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: [email protected] Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate.

The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Creating clarity parents can see and navigate – Applied In the final episode of 'Creating clarity parents can see and navigate', Charlie turns the series into a practical framework for school marketers. He explores why clarity starts with what parents need to understand, not what a school wants to show. Rather than relying on any single asset to do the work, the episode looks at how a connected brand experience can reduce effort, strengthen understanding and make the next step feel clearer. In the next lecture, Charlie explores how to build on that clarity by turning parent confidence into enrolment momentum. Episode Links: Information Scent – Nielsen Norman Group Design Systems vs Style Guides – Nielsen Norman Group Design System 101 – Nielsen Norman Group Top Information Architecture Mistakes – Nielsen Norman Group Minimize Cognitive Load to Maximize Usability – Nielsen Norman Group Got more questions or topics you would like to hear about for Charlie and the team? You can reach us via the following: Email: [email protected] Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate.

The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Creating clarity parents can see and navigate – What we see A school brand can look impressive and still leave parents uncertain. In this episode of the Insight Series, Charlie is joined by imageseven Account Director Shelley Garcia-Webb to explore the difference between a brand that looks polished and one that genuinely helps parents understand a school. Shelley explains how clarity starts when a school's story, experience and digital presence reinforce each other, rather than asking parents to join the dots. When that alignment holds, the brand feels easier for families to recognise, trust and choose. Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: [email protected] Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate.

The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Creating clarity parents can see and navigate – The Insight Clarity of message depends less on one strong asset, than on the system connecting every interaction. Charlie explores why a school can follow its style guide perfectly, yet still feel difficult for parents to understand. Exploring the differences between style guides and design systems, he looks at the layers beneath execution, from strategy and message architecture to visual identity and experience design. When those layers connect, parents are less likely to notice the system itself. They simply feel that the school makes sense from every interaction. Episode Links: Design Systems vs Style Guides – Nielsen Norman Group Design Systems 101 – Nielsen Norman Group Information Scent – Nielsen Norman Group Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: [email protected] Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate.

The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Creating clarity parents can see and navigate – The Reality Small disconnects in brand experience can do more damage than a school realises. In episode two of 'Creating clarity parents can see and navigate', Charlie discusses how outdated documents, broken links, mixed messages and confusing website journeys make parents work harder to understand a school. That extra effort can quietly shift confidence into doubt. He explores how a more coherent visible experience can help each touchpoint reinforce the same promise, rather than leaving parents to reconcile or bridge the gaps.   Episode Links: Information Scent – Nielsen Norman Group Minimize Cognitive Load to Maximise Usability – Nielsen Norman Group 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design – Nielsen Norman Group Got more questions for Charlie and the team? You can ask them via the following: Email: [email protected] Have you heard about imaginate? The bespoke video solution for schools. If you're ready to take your school's video to the next level, head to imageseven.com.au/imaginate