If you're not familiar with the "Twin Tiers," you wouldn't know that the only private high school here is Notre Dame. It's been in the community for over 50 years, and some of those have been roaringly successful.
But the school hasn't been as popular over the past decade. They've had a few state championships since 2000 and have always had some pretty impressive graduation statistics, but students and parents are looking for a different experience these days. They're becoming less impressed with the strict, no-questions-asked, shirt-and-tie style of schooling and more intrigued with the interactive, hands-on, "state-of-the-art" techniques.
The funny thing is, the teachers and staff at Notre Dame have worked tirelessly to learn new technology, take new approaches to learning, and hire young teachers to balance wisdom and discipline with energy and innovation. But you won't find that in any of their marketing. Instead, you'll see graduation stats, grade point averages, history, tradition, and uniforms.
Seth Godin wrote one of my favorite quotes about marketing: "Songs about romance don't tell you how to make out, they merely encourage it." If someone needs to learn a process or wants the data to prove it works, they can look it up. If they need statistics about Notre Dame's graduation rate, they can call the school and ask. If the internet has taught us anything, it's that information is free and readily available.
So why spend time and money to advertise your stats when they're already on your website? Inspire people with your message. Get them in the mood. If you teach them something, they'll learn... but if you give them something to talk about, they'll share.
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