Rock Point School

Propelling a hidden gem into the market

Rock Point School is an intentionally small, independent, inclusive boarding and day school serving students in grades 9-12 from a variety of backgrounds who have struggled to find their place in more traditional schools. Rock Point School asked Marketing Partners for a positioning and rebranding project to turn around a multi-year drop in enrollment that was creating financial stress for this more than 90-year-old private, nonprofit boarding school.

Focus Areas

Education & Training

Nonprofits & Philanthropy

Related Services

Digital Strategy & Web Design

Integrated Marketing Communication

Traditional Marketing

The Challenge

How can a small, independent boarding school with limited marketing resources survive in a competitive market sensitive to demographic and economic trends?

Insight

Our research showed Rock Point School and its mission were positioned properly to fulfill a need in the crowded boarding school market—what this hidden gem needed was visibility, new tools, training in how to use them, message polishing, and an integrated communication program to get the word out.

Rock Point School student in science class

Strategies

  • Develop a strategic marketing plan as a shared blueprint for where Rock Point School wants to go and how our joint collaborative teams are going to get there
  • Redesign Rock Point School's website using a powerful all-in-one digital platform
  • Develop customized training for groups of School staff based on the digital tools and workflows most useful to their daily work lives and interactions with students
  • Build flexible dashboards of metrics to see all the School's data in one place, and easily share reports with stakeholders.

Rock Point School virtual staff meeting

How We Helped

We developed a research-based strategic marketing plan and an integrated inbound marketing program, including a responsive website, social media plan, an online advertising program, training for their in-house team, and a toolbox of tactics, messages, print and digital ads to support Rock Point School’s long-term sustainability.
 

Powerful, integrated, flexible CRM & website platform

Staff time spent juggling multiple digital tools — website security, social media, email, admission inquiries, and contacts — is time spent away from engaging with families and students. We proposed a new digital strategy based on an all-in-one platform that integrates customer relationship management with other tools so everything is in one place.
 
In the years since, we’ve implemented the new digital strategy with an established people-first focus, and redesigned Rock Point School's website as family and student expectations grew—freeing the School's team to focus personal, individualized attention on students.
 
View Site
 
 

Rock Point School website display
 

Print & Digital Display Advertising

Rock Point School's audiences include those who prefer traditional print media as well as those who prefer online media, or a mix of both. Our annual plans have evolved over the years as media habits have evolved and each year we recommend an allocation to test, evaluate, and compare a new media approach such as a newer social media network or a programmatic media buy.

Rock Point School display ad and search ads

 

 

Video tour!

We suddenly needed a way to show what a day is like for students at the School because the pandemic shut down on-campus tours — but outside visitors like a videographer could not go on campus either. So we worked quickly to create a video from still photos based on students' descriptions of their daily lives.

 

Rock Point School viewbook cover

School Viewbook

Reflecting a people-first approach in print
Rock Point School Tomorrow Fund annual appeal collateral

Fundraising Materials

Your support now ensures a tomorrow
Rock Point School dashboard graphs

Digital Dashboard

Reflecting the KPIs and metrics that matter

Impact

  • Achieved sustainable enrollment with an engaged, expanded team
  • Increased awareness with education consultants and therapists
  • School staff are confident and comfortable using their new digital tools and maintaining content on the website
  • Trustees and donors appreciate the metrics and KPIs on the School's marketing and enrollment dashboard
  • Continued to attract new enrollment inquires during the COVID-19 crisis through consistent integrated communications about the School’s response of individualized education programs for in-person and remote learning

RPS_student-stories
Forward-looking, warm, active, supportive, motivating, and effective are words that accurately reflect how MPI has worked for and collaborated with Rock Point School. We are an important part of educational options for high schoolers who benefit from a small, supportive academic structure. Since 2012, MPI's efforts have kept us visible and relevant in ways we could not have done alone.
C.J. Spirito, Head of School
Rock Point School
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