At one campus in Los Angeles the maximum enrollment the school could reach with the square footage was about two hundred students… so it was not really the size of school to justify a large football stadium to help recruit students and get the word out about the programs.
But one of the employees read about the neighborhood dodgeball society and it all became legend from that day forward. I admit, this isn’t **really** an education marketing quick tip saying every school should found a dodgeball team. What that sort of action implies, however, in spirit, is the important point to make.
It is not easy for smaller vocational and career schools to generate a feeling of community outside the school grounds. Everyone who attends and works at the school tend to know one another well, but that’s not the same as the die-hard, cheering, shirt and hat wearing school spirit that is created with school activities that usually only large universities can accomplish.
So for smaller schools, you have to at least ensure that it has character. Does your school have a great personality? Does your brand have personality? Do people laugh and joke a lot? To they enjoy being there or just come to class and leave?
Try to do things that are slightly out of the box. Just because you’re a school doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to have some fun (and the students will thank you for it). Do something unexpected that will give everyone (staff, faculty and students) a really good memory tied to your school. If it becomes a regular thing, then great, if not, try other things.
Try to make your school MORE than just good. Make it special.
