Guerrilla Marketing: The Tactics Your School Is Too Afraid to Try
Your school missed its enrollment target. Again.
But you gained a few students, your social media engagement improved slightly, and your last open house wasn’t a complete disaster. So what do you do?
You repeat the same marketing strategy next year.
Why? Because the fear of losing what little you’ve gained is greater than the ambition to achieve what you’re actually capable of.
International schools often claim they want innovative marketing while continuing to produce predictable social media posts, polished promotional videos, traditional open houses, and brochures filled with the same promises as every competitor.
What if the biggest risk to your enrollment isn’t trying something different, but continuing to play it safe?
In this provocative, practical workshop, Dr. Howard Stribbell challenges participants to rethink the rules of international school marketing.
From turning teachers into influencers and parents into advocates to creating unforgettable customer experiences, leveraging local communities, and experimenting with unconventional incentives, participants will explore guerrilla marketing tactics that challenge conventional school practices.
Some ideas will make you uncomfortable. Others may make you laugh. A few might make your school leadership nervous.
Good. That’s the point.
Participants will leave with a shortlist of unconventional, low-cost marketing strategies they can test immediately, along with a challenge to abandon at least one comfortable practice that isn’t delivering results.
Howard Stribbell
About Howard
Dr. Howard Stribbell is an international education leader, school advisor, and entrepreneur with nearly 30 years of experience leading and growing international schools across Asia. A former Head of School and current board chair, school supervisor, and strategic advisor, Howard works with school owners, boards, and leadership teams on strategy, governance, enrollment growth, and organizational performance.
As the founder of Hive Schools International and Chief Learning Officer of 21C Learning, he brings a rare combination of educational leadership and commercial understanding. Known for his direct, thought-provoking approach, Howard challenges conventional thinking and helps school leaders confront difficult realities, make better decisions, and build stronger schools.
