BrandED: Tell Your Story, Build Relationships, and Empower Learning

by Eric Sheninger, Trish Rubin

Overview

Praise for BrandED

"A great resource for educators who want to strengthen their connections with students, teachers, parents, and the wider community. These two innovative leaders don't just capture how to tell the story of a school—they show how to create it."
—Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take

"Every day in every one of your schools, great things happen. How does your community know? Schools that are Future Ready boldly engage their community to build relationships and empower both students and families. Powerful yet practical, BrandED is the perfect resource to help your school share its story with the world."
—Thomas C. Murray, Director of Innovation, Future Ready Schools

"Eric and Trish demystify what it means to brand one's school by providing eight compelling conversations that not only lead to a deeper understanding of branding, but provide relevant ways for school leaders to frame their work… . In the vast sea of information in which we currently reside, using the BrandED Leadership methods described in this book will help school leaders reach their audiences in ways that create trusting relationships and loyalty."
—Dwight Carter, Principal, New Albany High School

"Disruption is the new normal. And the great disruptors of our time are shaping the culture itself in innovative ways. Eric and Trish's book BrandED sends a very compelling message to school leaders that developing and executing a smart, innovative brand strategy can disrupt the best practices' conventions of the existing school system. Like great disruptive brands from Apple to Uber, educators now have the ability to get the community engaged and immersed in the school's brand equity—and BrandED provides the roadmap for getting there."
—Scott Kerr, Executive Director of Strategy and Insights, Time Inc.

A brand is built around three key elements: image, promise, and result. The power of a brand to communicate all three elements is undeniable, and in today's digitally connected, social society, schools and school districts have a lot to gain by developing and promoting their own brand identities. BrandED is the groundbreaking guidebook for educators who want to enhance communication with students, parents, and stakeholders to create a transparent record of value.

You know great achievements happen at your school. Unfortunately, many of those stories stop at the school doors. This hands-on guide from two rising stars in the education field, Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin, empowers educators at all levels to take control of how the mission, values, and vision of their schools is communicated. An engaging collection of transformative conversations lead you to discover the opportunities and benefits of designing a brand for your school and sustaining a BrandED community to evangelize it. Even if you have no marketing experience, the easy-to-use framework takes you step by step through the nuances of spreading good news about your school and building relationships around those actions. Timesaving, practical advice prepares you to begin innovating at your school right away, and convenient tips and reflections at the end of each chapter make it easy to integrate the BrandED mindset and practices into your everyday routine. Become a driving force behind your school getting the recognition it deserves by:

• Branding yourself as your school's storyteller-in-chief and amplifier through a variety of traditional and digital tools and platforms
• Improving relationships with key stakeholders, developing strategic partnerships, and attracting more resources and opportunities
• Fostering a positive culture extending and influencing beyond the school grounds

BrandED is your one-stop resource for designing and sustaining your individual brand as a leader and the brand of your school or district. Join the conversation on Twitter using #brandEDU.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781119244578
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	03/27/2017
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

ERIC SHENINGER (@E_Sheninger) is a senior fellow and thought leader on Digital Leadership with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). An award-winning principal, he is the creator of the Pillars of Digital Leadership, a framework for transforming school cultures through sustainable change.

TRISH RUBIN (@trishrubin) consults with clients in education, business, and the nonprofit sector to build brand awareness, market services and products, develop visibility through PR and media, and build strategic partnerships.

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Table of Contents

About the Authors xv

Introduction: Our BrandED Short Story 1

Eric’s Path 1

Trish’s Path 4

“The Brandality Modality” 6

Welcome to the BrandED Conversation 9

Conversation 1: From Brand to BrandED 11

Part One: In Brand We Trust 12

Part Two: BrandED Matters to Today’s School Leaders 33

Part Three: BrandED Unifies a School Improvement Plan 42

Conversation 1 Tips 58

Conversation 1 Reflections 59

Conversation 2: In the Zone for BrandED Innovation 61

Part One: The Psychology of BrandED Innovation 63

Part Two: Tools to Inspire BrandED Innovation 79

Part Three: BrandED Reputation Management 89

Conversation 2 Tips 93

Conversation 2 Reflections 94

Conversation 3: Developing a BrandED Leadership Presence 97

Part One: A “Personal Professional” BrandED You 98

Part Two: Be the BrandED Storyteller-in-Chief 113

Part Three: The BrandED Leader as “Edupreneur” 132

Conversation 3 Tips 136

Conversation 3 Reflections 137

Conversation 4: Developing Your BrandED Strategic Plan 139

Part One: The BrandED Drivers 140

Part Two: Your BrandED Strategic Plan 160

Part Three: BrandED Stakeholder Relationship Management 161

Conversation 4 Tips 165

Conversation 4 Reflections 165

Conversation 5: Sustaining BrandED Innovation 167

Part One: Invest in BrandED Leadership 168

Part Two: The Trend-Setting Stance of a BrandED leader 175

Part Three: The BrandED Competitive Advantage 180

Conversation 5 Tips 192

Conversation 5 Reflections 192

Conversation 6: Communicating With BrandED Leadership Tools 193

Part One: The BrandED Payoff of Distributed Leadership 194

Part Two: Press, Networking, Digital Presence, and Thought Leadership 197

Part Three: The Law of BrandED Attraction 210

Conversation 6 Tips 215

Conversation 6 Reflections 216

Conversation 7: Keeping Up With the Digital Joneses 217

Part One: Disruptive Digital Behavior That Innovates Schools 218

Part Two: BrandED Partners in a Digital World 225

Part Three: Connecting With Parents on the Digital Playground 230

Conversation 7 Tips 232

Conversation 7 Reflections 233

Conversation 8: Return on Investment in the BrandED School Community 235

Part One: Be the BrandED Relationship Steward 236

Part Two: Local to Global BrandED Investment 240

Part Three: Sustain a BrandED Community Through Return on Relationship 245

Conversation 8 Tips 250

Conversation 8 Reflections 250

Appendix A: Developing a Mission Statement 253

Appendix B: Crafting Positioning Statements 255

Appendix C: Stewardship Model of BrandED Development 256

Appendix D: Suggested BrandED Digital Tools 258

Appendix E: Media Advisory Template 262

Appendix F: A BrandED Leadership Timeline 264

Appendix G: Online Marketing and Brand Resources for Educator BrandED Adaptation 267

Glossary 269

References 275

Acknowledgments 285

Index 287

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Advance Praise for BrandED

“Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin provide a great read for all concerned with taking education to the next level in a competitive, digitized social media world. The time is now to learn how to brand yourself and your organization to unleash the power of your story. If not someone else will, and your school or district may suffer because of it! Thank you Eric and Trish for paving the way through the power of branding!”

—Dr. Darryl Adams, Superintendent, Coachella Valley Unified School District

“If you think about how students discover, communicate and learn outside of school, it’s remarkable that we still insist on compromising their scholastic

experience with yesterday’s approaches. Eric and Trish help us not only re-imagine how to make learning intuitive but also how to build an engaged community where we co-create the future together.”

—Brian Solis, digital analyst, anthropologist, futurist and author of X: The Experience When Business Meets Design

“Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin pave the way for educators across the globe to dive into the world of social media transparency in their new book BrandED.  The authors take you on a journey as they walk through step by step on how to strategically enhance your school’s branding power by engaging in ‘8 Conversations’ to support you in moving beyond the status quo, providing a rich and meaningful professional development experience that will leave you wanting to continue the conversation.”

—Jimmy Casas Leadership Coach, Author, Speaker, 2012 Iowa Principal of the Year, and 2013 National Principal of the Year Finalist

“In our work as journalists and as the founders of ‘Stand up for Heroes,’ the power of storytelling is a foundational part of our brand and allows us to share the truth of our mission. School leaders can learn the lessons of building a unique brand that serves, honors and grows a community in the pages of Eric and Trish's book, BrandED, and can understand the need for communicating brand value that develops our next generation."

—Bob Woodruff, ABC correspondent and Lee Woodruff, author and journalist  

“BrandED provides an innovative platform for educators to engage in meaningful discussions about the purpose of their work, program delivery, and expected outcomes. As the leader of a College of Education, I believe that BrandED serves as a powerful mechanism in assisting me to develop our niche in the preparation of education professionals and national discourse on public education. Eric and Trish have created a space for business and education to coexist and energize each other.”

—Monika Williams, PhD Dean and Professor, College of Education

Rowan University

"BrandED opens the door to a creative, collaborative, brand-building process that results in connected school culture, performance and resource gains. As a former teacher, entrepreneur, marketing author, and most important, parent, I give this book two huge likeable thumbs up!”

—Dave Kerpen, NY Times Bestselling Author of The Art of People 

"Every school has a brand, but it may not be what you hoped! Turn staff, students, parents, and your community into co-creators and co-owners of a trustworthy, relevant educational brand using Trish and Eric's  ‘why,’ ‘what,’ and ‘how’ of brand relevance. The future of education is a connected and transparent, changing place of robotics and algorithms where a relevant, relational school brand can drive learning through intelligent listening, skillful adjusting and bold experimentation."

—Annalie Killian, Curator of Creative Intelligence Networks at sparks & honey and Founder, Amplify Festival 

“As a Head of School for an international school in India reading, BrandED has been essential in helping me understand how to lead my school. The simple idea that transparency drives improvement has had a large impact. Being in a city with many international schools, the question of how I can help my school stand out was one I grappled with.  This book has become a guide for helping my school do things well, but more importantly, ensuring that all stakeholders know what is happening.”

—Bruce W. Ferguson, Head of School, Sreenidhi International School Hyderabad, India

“Communication has experienced a revolution. Expectations, methods and opportunities have all grown and changed dramatically in recent years. BrandED lays out the why and the how to develop and use your own and your organization's brand through storytelling, relationship-building, and the use of cutting-edge technology and tools. The primary audience for BrandED—principals—will find it a groundbreaking, invaluable tool, and other educators—like superintendents—will find it extremely valuable as well."

—Deborah A. Gist, Superintendent, Tulsa Public Schools

“BrandED is a valuable practical guide for educational leaders. They will learn to enhance their impact through innovative communication strategies.”

—Dr. Nelson Lim, Executive Director, Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania

 

Praise for BrandED

"Branding instead of being branded. Defining instead of being defined. Innovative educators must stand up for their ideas and actions instead of being judged and branded by external agencies using standardized measures. Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin present an excellent guide for educators and education leaders to tell their stories through BrandED."
—Yong Zhao, PhD, Foundation Distinguished Professor, School of Education, University of Kansas and author of Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon?

"A great resource for educators who want to strengthen their connections with students, teachers, parents, and the wider community. These two innovative leaders don't just capture how to tell the story of a school—they show how to create it."
—Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take

"Every day in every one of your schools, great things happen. How does your community know? Schools that are Future Ready boldly engage their community to build relationships and empower both students and families. Powerful yet practical, BrandED is the perfect resource to help your school share its story with the world."
—Thomas C. Murray, Director of Innovation, Future Ready Schools

"Eric and Trish demystify what it means to brand one's school by providing eight compelling conversations that not only lead to a deeper understanding of branding, but provide relevant ways for school leaders to frame their work… . In the vast sea of information in which we currently reside, using the BrandED Leadership methods described in this book will help school leaders reach their audiences in ways that create trusting relationships and loyalty."
—Dwight Carter, Principal, New Albany High School

"Disruption is the new normal. And the great disruptors of our time are shaping the culture itself in innovative ways. Eric and Trish's book BrandED sends a very compelling message to school leaders that developing and executing a smart, innovative brand strategy can disrupt the best practices' conventions of the existing school system. Like great disruptive brands from Apple to Uber, educators now have the ability to get the community engaged and immersed in the school's brand equity—and BrandED provides the roadmap for getting there."
—Scott Kerr, Executive Director of Strategy and Insights, Time Inc.