SMC: School Marketing and Communications
by imageseven
Insights into the world of school marketing and communications, presented by Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and the imageseven team. The education industry is an increasingly competitive one - a school is a business, and a marketing strategy can no longer be an afterthought.
Episodes
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256: What we see in schools that convert with confidence – 4/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Turning confidence into enrolment momentum – What we see When enrolment pressure rises, the first response is often to generate more enquiries. But what if demand is not the real problem? In the fourth episode of 'Turning confidence into enrolment...
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255: The mechanics of enrolment momentum – 3/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Turning confidence into enrolment momentum – The Insight After discussing where enrolment momentum quietly stalls, the third episode of 'Turning confidence into enrolment momentum' explores how schools can deliberately create the conditions that make each...
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254: Where enrolment momentum quietly stalls – 2/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Turning confidence into enrolment momentum – The Reality Your school tour may have been executed to perfection. Your prospective families may have driven home full of confidence that they've found "the one". What happens next is crucial. In the second...
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253: What actually moves enrolments forward – 1/5
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...
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252: Designing a brand parents can move through effortlessly – 5/5
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…
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251: When a school's brand just makes sense – 4/5
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...
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250: Clarity is a system parents experience, not a message they hear – 3/5
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...
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249: Where brand and website inconsistency erodes trust – 2/5
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…
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248: Why visible clarity shapes parental decisions – 1/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Creating clarity parents can see and navigate – Orientation In episode one of 'Creating clarity parents can see and navigate', Charlie explores why visible clarity is more than a design issue. He explores how parents experience a school through its…
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247: Designing a marketing strategy that builds confidence intentionally – 5/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – How parents form confidence - and what it means for your marketing strategy – Applied In the final episode of 'How parents form confidence – and what it means for your marketing strategy', Charlie discusses how to turn parent confidence into a deliberate...
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246: What changes when strategy aligns with how confidence is formed – 4/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan and Suzanne Willcock – How parents form confidence - and what it means for your marketing strategy – What we see In episode four of the Insight Series on how parents form confidence, Charlie is joined by imageseven Group Account Director Suzanne Willcock to...
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245: Confidence is built in systems, not moments – 3/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – How parents form confidence - and what it means for your marketing strategy – The Insight In episode three of the Insight Series on how parents form confidence, Charlie discusses why confidence is rarely built in one standout moment. While open days…
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244: Where schools unintentionally create doubt – 2/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – How parents form confidence - and what it means for your marketing strategy – The Reality In this episode of the Insight Series, Charlie examines why schools do not usually lose enrolments because they lack visibility, but because prospective parent...
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243: How parents form confidence long before they enquire - 1/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – How parents form confidence - and what it means for your marketing strategy – Orientation In episode one of 'How parents form confidence – and what it means for your marketing strategy', Charlie explores why enquiry is not the beginning of the school…
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242: Applying brand clarity in schools – 5/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – Applied In the final episode of 'Why school marketing works differently', Charlie explores what it looks like to apply brand clarity to a school. He explores how a school brand is shaped by far more than marketing...
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241: What new school marketers learn the hard way – 4/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – What we see In episode four of Why school marketing works differently, Charlie is joined by imageseven Account Director Cassandra Kirkpatrick to discuss what marketers often underestimate when they enter the...
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240: What school brands actually are – 3/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – The Insight In episode three of 'Why school marketing works differently', Charlie reframes what a school brand actually is — and why clarity and consistency often matter more than creativity. For prospective…
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239: When schools get marketing wrong – 2/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – The Reality In episode two of 'Why school marketing works differently', Charlie explores the reality of how school marketing can go off track when it borrows from the wrong playbook, especially a…
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238: Why school marketing works differently - 1/5
The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan – Why school marketing works differently – Orientation Welcome to the first topic in The Insight Series. In this orientation episode, Charlie sets the context for why school marketing often feels harder than it should — and why that tension isn't…
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237: Welcome to The Insight Series
Introducing The Insight Series with Charlie Maughan In the first episode of 2026, Charlie introduces a new format for SMC – The Insight Series. These short, focused mini chapters are designed to make big school marketing topics easier to tackle, with clearer priorities and practical next steps....
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236: The solution to your video content needs
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, James Tindall and José Caceres In the final episode of SMC for 2025, Charlie is joined again by Senior Account Manager James Tindall and imageseven's Director of Design — José Caceres — to discuss a new video content solution created to…
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235: Stop chasing clicks: how brand building drives long-term school growth
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and James Tindall In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by Senior Account Manager James Tindall to chat about why it's time for school marketers to stop chasing clicks and start building brands that last. In…
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234: Dude, where did my search traffic go? — Why AI summaries are changing SEO
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn In this episode, Charlie is joined by Rita and Digital Marketing Specialist, Harrison, to explore some eye-opening stats from the marketing world. From job-switching in the industry, to the surprisingly low...
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233: Putting your school brand purpose first and is anyone on Threads?
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn In this episode of SMC, Charlie is again joined in the studio by Rita and Harrison. The team explores Meta's latest addition of Threads as a placement option and whether schools should consider advertising…
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232: Have your prospective parents already decided before they engage?
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Andrew Sculthorpe and Harrison Shearn In this episode, Charlie is joined by imageseven Managing Partner Andrew 'Scully' Sculthorpe and Digital Marketing Specialist Harrison Shearn. The trio explore how AI-generated summaries are affecting...
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231: How to get the most from your outsourced marcom support
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn Charlie and Rita are again joined by imageseven Digital Marketing Specialist Harrison Shearn to assess Google's new 'AI Mode' and its implications for school marketers and digital marketing more broadly. In...
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230: Working smarter not harder - survival strategies for solo school marketers
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn In this episode, Charlie and Rita are joined by imageseven Digital Marketing Specialist — Harrison Shearn — to discuss how school marketers can navigate Meta's increasingly AI-automated platform. In the Deep...
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229: What new School Marketers need to know, farewell Google Reviews and a rant about QR codes.
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Steph Wicks In this episode, Charlie and Rita are joined by imageseven Marketing Manager — Steph Wicks — to discuss the announcement that Google is removing reviews from school associated Business Profiles. The team talks...
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228: Should you use emojis in your social media? Creating a strong tone of voice and lessons learned from Ferrari's Formula 1 campaign
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan and James Tindall In this episode, Charlie is joined by imageseven Account Manager James Tindall to discuss all things school marketing. In Making News, the pair discuss what caught their attention from the recent release of InspirEd School...
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227: Digital Marketing update, is content still king and could you advertise without your school's logo?
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn In this episode, Charlie and Rita are once again joined by imageseven Digital Marketing Specialist Harrison Shearn, who provides an update on the latest changes in Meta, Google and AI. The team then deep…
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226: Font psychology and how to write a brief like Charli XCX
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Imogen Smith In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by imageseven Senior Designer Imogen Smith. In the Making News section, the team discuss the future of TikTok as the world watches on to see what the American...
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225: Managing your digital reputation, an AI Granbot and that Jaguar ad
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by imageseven Account Manager James Tindall, to discuss the impact of reviews on consumers' purchasing decisions. In an extended Rants and Raves, Jaguar's...
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224: The UK's most consistent brand and the latest AI developments
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by returning guest, imageseven Digital Specialist Harrison Shearn, to discuss the latest advancements in AI and LinkedIn's new AI models. In the Deep Dive,...
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223: Top five goals shared between Marketing and Enrolments
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Pauline Shuttleworth In this episode of SMC, Charlie is joined by Rita and special guest, imageseven Advancement Specialist, Pauline Shuttleworth, to discuss how data-driven personalisation can co-exist with creativity. In...
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222: Google still hungry for cookies, and addressing your detractors
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn In this episode of SMC, Rita is back to join Charlie, as they welcome special guest, imageseven Digital Specialist Harrison Shearn. We discuss Google's surprising decision to keep third-party cookies in...
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221: What is a Design System and do I need one?
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, James Tindall and Chris Leopardi In this episode of SMC, Charlie is joined by imageseven Account Manager James Tindall and Senior Designer Chris Leopardi. In the Making News segment, the trio discuss where out-of-home media fits into your...
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220: How to choose your digital marketing supplier
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Harrison Shearn In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita are joined by Digital Specialist Harrison Shearn, to discuss Meta AI's announcement that they will be using historical data and images posted by users to train its...
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219: Perfecting page plans and a sour apple ad
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Vanessa Klomp In the episode of SMC, Charlie, Rita and Vanessa go square-eyed discussing screen time trends and what it means for school marketers when considering their paid media activity. In the Deep Dive, Vanessa shares...
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218: How to fix your OOH ads
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan and Rita Kilroy In this episode of SMC, Charlie and Rita Oooh and Ahhh about out-of-home media. In the Making News segment, the team discuss the proliferation of fake ads and what it means for creativity and the advertising industry as a...
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217: Boosting conversions and why so much advertising is a waste of money
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Sophia White In the episode of SMC, Charlie is joined in the studio by his co-host Rita Kilroy, and imageseven Account Manager – Sophia White. In the Making News segment, the team discuss the City of Sydney spending…
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216: Is your post-tour process up to scratch?
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Isabella Tranchita In the episode of SMC, Charlie is joined in the studio by his co-host Rita Kilroy, and imageseven Senior Account Manager – Isabella Tranchita. In the Making News segment, the team discuss the importance…
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215: Enrolment strategies and great recruitment ads
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and James Tindall In the first episode of the year, Charlie is joined in the studio by his co-host Rita Kilroy, and imageseven Account Manager – James Tindall. In the Making News segment, the team discuss the top 10 most...
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214: Your Data Goldmine: unleashing the power of first-party insights for your school marketing
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Amanda Reid In this episode, Charlie is joined in the studio for the last episode of 2023 by his co-host Rita Kilroy, and Mentor Marketing Founder and Director – Amanda Reid. In the Making News segment, the team discuss the...
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213: Fantastic surveys and where to find them
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, James Tindall and Sophia White In this episode, Charlie is once again joined in the studio by imageseven Account Managers – James Tindall and Sophia White. In the Making News segment, the team discuss Ticketek's recent fine for marketing...
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212: Preparing your best media plan, and do you have a 'clustomer' problem?
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and Amanda Reid In this episode, Charlie and Rita are joined by Mentor Marketing Founder and Director Amanda Reid. In the Making News segment, the team discuss why a slow economy doesn't mean that school marketers can pull back...
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211: Engaging your alumni, out-of-home on the rise and the best and worst of the Women's World Cup
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, James Tindall and Sophia White With Rita away from the studio, Charlie is joined on SMC by imageseven Account Managers James Tindall and Sophia White. In the Making News segment, the team discuss increased spends in out-of-home media and...
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210: Perfect publications, Twitter or Threads and marketing to the mind's eye
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy, Vanessa Klomp and Harrison Shearn Harrison Shearn, imageseven Digital Marketing Specialist, shares all the need-to-know facts and statistics of Meta's new platform 'Threads' in the Making News segment, alongside Charlie and...
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209: How to grow marketing's influence within your school
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan and Rita Kilroy Listen in as Charlie and Rita first discuss why registrations for school tours and events may not be an accurate reflection of promising buyer leads and the data you should be analysing instead. The duo then Deep Dive into…
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208: The Google Analytics update you can't ignore and the battle of radio versus podcast
School marketing and communications with Charlie Maughan and Rita Kilroy Tune in as Charlie and Rita Deep Dive into all things audio advertising, debating whether radio or podcasts are the best listening platform for school marketers to spend their hard-earned media budgets towards. In the Making...
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207: The other AI platforms you should be using and Pepsi's latest rebrand
In this episode, Charlie and Rita are once again joined in the studio by imageseven Digital Marketing Specialist Harrison Shearn. In the Making News segment, the trio review Meltwater's 2023 'Marketing Trends to Watch' and provide a half-term report on their plausible predictions so far, before...
About this show
Insights into the world of school marketing and communications, presented by Charlie Maughan, Rita Kilroy and the imageseven team. The education industry is an increasingly competitive one - a school is a business, and a marketing strategy can no longer be an afterthought.
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