CLIENT REPORT FOR THE MONTESSORI SCHOOLBY LIZ PITTMAN

THE PROBLEM

The problem with the Hampton Roads International Montessori School’s website is that

they are struggling to make it interactive and user friendly for both the staff and the parents. A

parent volunteer created the website many years ago through html, which is a computer language

that the school’s staff is not familiar with. The issue at hand is that the school does not want to

invest in someone to maintain a high quality interactive website, which would require one to

understand extensive html code. As a result, their current website is out of date and parents are

unable to log in. The school’s website does not reflect the good quality and programs the

organization has to offer. This school has an excellent reputation, and more people need to

know about it.

MY 3 STEP SOLUTION

Step 1: A potential solution to this problem would be for the Montessori School to switch to

wordpress, a template system that allows organizations to build their own websites without

knowledge of extensive html code. Many nonprofit organizations are using wordpress which

allows them to easily build good quality websites. There are many websites, including

themeforest.com and organicthemes.com that specifically offer good quality templates for

nonprofit organizations. Switching to wordpress would allow the organization to have he ability

to have the website they want and parents would find beneficial without having to invest in

someone to maintaining the website.

Step 2: The second problem with the organization’s website is that they do not understand the

importance of social networking. They do not have a personal facebook page, twitter account,

or anything for that matter. After interviewing with them, it was clear they have reservations on

facebook or any kind of blog pages for fear parents may use it inappropriately. However, after

doing a comparative analysis, it was evident that every school I did research on had a facebook

page, and hundreds of parents had “liked” them. Hopefully after showing the school my research,

they will understand that taking advantage of FREE social networking websites will not only be

great in advertising, but it will allow for the parents to interact and feel involved in the school.

Step 3. The final problem is that the school has yet to take advantage of Google AdWords.

After going into the Google search engine and typing in keywords that included, “Newport News

private schools” and “Hampton Roads private schools,” their website did not show up at all, even

when I went over 5 pages in the search. Other schools that have stronger websites, such as St.

Andrews Episcopal School, show up immediately. If their are parents new to the area and they

want to find a private school for their children quickly, there is a good chance they are going to

get onto Google, and type in the keywords I mentions above. The school can easily fix this

problem investing in Google AdWords. They could potentially even get a Google Grant

(http://www.google.com/grants/) in which Google grants free AdWords for nonprofit

organizations.

Ultimately, the school has been blind to the power of the internet. The organizations that

are getting attention are the one’s taking advantage of social media and search engine marketing.

There is a new age of marketing that comes with new rules. David Meerman Scott author of the

Businessweek bestseller, The New Rules of Marketing & PR, makes great points in that “The

internet has made public relations public again, after years of almost exclusive focus on media…

blogs, online video, e-books, news releases, and other forms of online content let organizations

communicate directly with buyers in a form they appreciate” (Scott, page 24). Technology has

taken over the world and fuels our generation. If the organization learns to embrace these

changes, their organization will be much more successful in the long run.

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Montessori has a good education

program. It’s different than a regular school curriculum, which makes it unique.

The school has a good reputation. There are usually good results from the program, which generates word of mouth marketing.

The children get to interact more at the Montessori school than at other regular schools. Children learn to become independent at a young age, which is something that will help them succeed in the future.

The children do not only academics, but every day adult tasks (e.g. putting a tent together). They can use these skills in the future.

WEAKNESSES The school lacks online of advertising.

They need to take advantage of the Internet. Everyone, especially parents that can afford to send their children to Montessori, uses the internet.

A lot of people don’t know what Montessori is. If more people knew about the program, it would generate much more trafficking to their school.

When we search “private schools Newport News” or “private schools Hampton Roads” or anything referring to location and school, Montessori does not show up. When new parents are looking for schools, they won’t see Montessori on the internet unless they already know and type in “Montessori.”

The school has reservations on social media (i.e. facebook).

The school has a high dropout rate after preschool.

The school lacks internal marketing. They need to maintain a stronger marketing strategy for the parents.

OPPORTUNITIES The Montessori can invest in Google

AdWords or maybe even get a Google Grant so they can have AdWords for free. This way people will be able to find Montessori on the search engine. Search engine marketing has become really powerful, and this will definitely help Montessori.

The have a chance to fix and update their website. They already have a decent following without it, so this interactive website change will be a huge opportunity for them.

Montessori could maybe partner with charity or another nonprofit organization to get their name out.

THREATS Other Private schools in Newport

news area, that may be cheaper or have stronger marketing strategies.

Private schools that pay a marketing director to maintain their website. Chances are their website will always be stronger.

Schools that have more efficient website that are more user friendly internally and externally

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

SchoolShows up in

search engine (search

keywords “private school”

and location)

Has an additional

social networking

site (e.g. facebook,

twitter, etc)

Parents can “log in” to the website

Can users easily access

calendars, events, and

current events?

Is the school a non-profit

organization?

Does their website

operate on WordPress

?

Rating on a scale of 1 - 5*(1 = very poor5 = excellent)

St. Andrews Episcopal

School

Shows up second (search “Newport News

private schools”).

Yes. Has links to facebook, twitter, and

personal blog, on main page.

No (but can

subscribe to their blog).

Yes. Use their blog to show pictures of

current events and news as

well.

Yes. Yes. 5

Trinity Lutheran

School

Shows up forth (search

“Newport News private schools”)

Yes. Only has facebook (no

links to facebook on main page though).

No (but has a teacher “log in” account)

Yes. Also use facebook to post

about eventsNo? (Could not

find any information about

it being non-profit)

No. 3.5(Look and feel

of website could be stronger)

Hampton Roads

Academy

Does not show up when search

“Newport news private schools,” but does come up on second page

when search “Hampton roads

schools”

Yes. Has a facebook,

twitter, and youtube

account. Links to these

websites are under “About

HRA” tab.

Yes. Through a program called Edline.

Yes. Also takes advantage of their social

networking sites to announce

current events and news.

Yes. No. 5

The Post Oak School

(Texas)

No (searched “private schools Houston Texas” and “Montessori Houston Texas”

and found no results).

Yes. Has a facebook and

twitter account.Yes.

Yes. Also uses their social

networking sites to announce

current events and news.

Yes. No. 5

Sunstone Montessori

School

Yes, but only comes up when search “Portland

Oregon Montessori. (There are no results when

search “Portland Oregon private

schools)

Yes. Has a facebook account.

Yes.Yes. Also uses their facebook

site to announce current events

and news.

Yes. No. 4(Look and feel

of website could be stronger)

Wheaton Montessori

School

Yes. (Comes up on first page

after searching “Wheaton

Illinois private schools”)

Yes. Has a facebook account.

No.Yes. Also uses their facebook

site to announce current events

and news.

Yes. No, 5

*Rating is based on how easy it is to navigate through website and the overall quality, look, and feel to the website.

INTERPRETATION OF COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Results and hands on research have indicated:

All of these websites, which are strong credible websites, uses at least one social networking

website.

All of these websites are using Facebook.

The majority of the Montessori schools have week SEM.

Their websites are used for branding their organization, their social networking sites are used

to connect with people and keep them up to date.

Their websites are constantly being updated.

One of the strongest websites, St. Andrews Episcopal School, uses WordPress.

Hampton roads academy uses a parent log in program called Edline. According to Wikipedia

Edline “Edline is used in many schools aiming to have "paper-less" class and homework, thus

cutting costs. The instructor can upload such material as upcoming tests, projects, homework,

class expectations, and progress reports” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edline). This could

potentially be a good alternative for Montessori as a user-friendly parent log in program.

Ideas for improved Montessori website based on data collected:

Montessori should try uploading a calendar of events through links with a PDF file. This way

one can easily edit and update the information without manipulating HTML code. Parents could

also print out the calendar, and have it on hand whenever needed..

Switching to WordPress is ideal since it is user friendly and the Montessori staff can easily

create an interactive website that has a high quality appearance.

Research Edline to see if it can give parents what they want and need through a private user

account. This way Montessori can just put an Edline link on their page, and not worry about

creating a complicated HTML code for user accounts.

I strongly suggest getting a Facebook page. If there are concerns about parents blogging things

Montessori finds to be inappropriate, there is an option on the facebook page to not allow for

anyone to comment. Facebook is being used by the following websites to not only brand the

organization, but to allow for frequent updates. Hundreds of people have “liked” these schools

website pages. Not only does facebook provide information parents want, but it serves as a

constant advertisement instrument for the school. This way the community and the organization

work together to brand and advertise the organization. And it’s FREE.

MY 3 STEP SOLUTIONFACTS, IDEAS, & SUPPORTING DATA

USING WORDPRESS

Many nonprofit organizations are using WordPress today as a template for their

interactive website. After learning the basics of how to use WordPress, and investing in a

professional looking template, the Montessori school will have the capability of owning and

maintaining an attractive, interactive website without extensive knowledge on HTML and will

not have to invest in someone to maintain the website. With my knowledge of HTML code, I

looked up the source code on many nonprofit websites. Through this I was able to discover that

the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is not only using WordPress, but they are using a template

called “Nonprofit” purchased from the website www.organicthemes.com for $69.00. I looked up

the theme and the user would be able to customize the theme however they want to match their

organization. This would be a great investment for the Montessori school. Plus, with a little

tutorial the website should be easy to use and maintain without any complications.

One of the reasons I feel so strongly about switching to word press is that its not only

user friendly, but it offers measurable statistics about the websites activity. This so crucial to

direct marketing in that we can see what the parents like and would variables account for more

website trafficking. Taking a direct marketing approach in building a website will allow for one-

on-one marketing and inevitably build customer lifetime value. An article from Management

Science explains that “Two fundamental characteristics of direct marketing have been keys to its

impressive growth as a promotion and distribution medium for products and services. The first is

the individualized nature of customer contact which-at least in principle-allows the firm to direct

its energies toward those individuals most likely to be responsive…. The second fundamental

characteristic is the individualized natures of the customer response, that is, each purchase can be

associated with an identified individual, leading over time and across products to construction of

a detailed customer purchase history” (Morwitz, page 610). Another article from Management

Science points out “Direct marketing, which indirectly increases the flow of profits through the

retail channel, helps the manufacturer improve overall profitability”(Chiang, page 1). By

improving the schools website to be a direct marketing channel as opposed to just a branding

website, we can easily increase sales and get more potential customer attention. By using a

template like WordPress, Montessori will be able to directly target their own parents and potential

customers.

USING SOCIAL MEDIA

Many scholarly articles and modern literature emphasize how the Internet is taking over

marketing. David Meerman Scott, author the Business Week best seller The New Rules of

Marketing & PR, emphasized how and why the Internet has become such a strong marketing tool.

Some of his “new rules” of marketing state:

“The internet has made public relations public again, after years of almost exclusive focus

on media” (Scott, page 24).

“Blogs, online video, e-books, news releases, and other forms of online content let

organizations communicate directly with buyers in a form they appreciate” (Scott, page 24).

“Social networks allow people all over the world to share content and connect with the

people and companies they do business with” (Scott, page 24).

“On the web, the lines between marketing and PR have been blurred” (Scott, page 24).

The internet has made it possible to customize to individual wants and needs, which is

something we want the new organization’s website to excel in. The website, and the school in

general, needs to focus more on customer relationship management (CRM) than their traditional

marketing strategy. After investigating their current marketing tactics, it is apparent that their

only channels of marketing are through printed ads and word-of-mouth advertising. People of my

generation, many of whom will be getting married and having children in the next 10 or so

years, probably won’t be reading the newspaper or even own a phone book. When I wake

up in the morning, I look at my twitter account on my smartphone, not the newspaper.

When I want to find something, I Google it. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever opened a phone

book in my entire life. The organization needs to understand that printed ads are dying out. The

next generation that will be having kids and wanting to find a preschool won’t even know

anything about the school or who they are in general unless they start to invest in current

technology. The organization is focused on just brand advertising, not one-on-one marketing that

all of the strong organizations are doing today

A good analogy Scott made in The New Rules of Marketing & PR is that “social media is like

a cocktail party” (page 39). Pretend you are at a cocktail party; do you shout “ENROLL IN

MONTESSORI!” as soon as you get there? You would go from person to person, getting to know

one another, form some sort of bond, then talk about how you send your child to Montessori and

how much you love it. This is exactly what social networking does; it reaches people on a one to

one basis. Having a Facebook page for DECA myself, I am able to view user activity and reach

people quickly. If Montessori is scared that parents will blog inappropriate things, there are

settings to which only Montessori can post things and no one else. Facebook has gotten so

popular and companies are almost expected to have one.

Having an effective mix of social media can lead to strong Customer Relationship

Management (CRM), since the media mix will be able to maintain one-on-one relationships.

Roland Rust discusses how to manipulate CRM effectively in his article from Marketing Science

in that “CRM differs from traditional direct marketing in that it usually involves customer contact over a

variety of content media…This leads to the problems that we address–how to design a mix of marketing

interventions for each customer individually” (Rust, page 477). These points illustrate the importance of

designing an effective marketing mix to reach customers on a one-on-one basis. The school has just been

depending on their reputation and printed advertisements to reach their customers. Although some parents

may like this, others may prefer accessing information about the school via their website, or facebook, or

twitter, etc. By incorporating an effective mix of channels, more of their parents will be satisfied, and more

parents will actually know what the school is.

Ultimately, social networking, a sub-category of social media, is taking over our generation.

People want to connect with people and get information about others in an easy way. Websites

like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, help us do that. Lisa Spiller, author of Contemporary

Direct and Interactive Marketing did research on current statistics of the social networking

phenomenon:

“Direct marketers must not only keep up with the changes, but also utilize digital and social

media, as they become vital in marketing plans. More than three-fourths of individuals residing in

the United States have access to the Internet, and the Internet is a key way to reach consumers.

Approximately 85 percent of adults age 33 or younger currently use social network sites

and use among older generations is on the rise. Currently 78 percent of adult Internet users use

a social media site for at least one hour per week; of those aged 18-34, 88 percent of them spend

more than one hours, while 34 percent spend at least 6 hours per week. These numbers are

expected to continue to grow in the next few years” (Spiller, page 255).

This high and growing percentage of people using social media everyday are the people that

will soon be or already are parents. These people will be needing a preschool to send their

children in the next couple of years and these are the people Montessori will have to market too.

Montessori needs to invest in other social media, especially social networking, to enhance their

image and market internally (current parents) and externally (prospective parents)

USING GOOGLE ADWORDS

Taking advantage of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) has become so necessary in our

technological phenomenon today. Everyday people make millions of searches, and use search

engines to find things they need and want, plus it’s easy. If we could type in where to find

something and get results in seconds, why waste minutes looking something up in a book?

Montessori’s trafficking would increase tremendously if they started taking advantage of SEM

through Google AdWords. If they want people to attend Montessori, they need the public to know

about Montessori. For the public to know about Montessori, they need to be able to find

Montessori on the Internet. An article from Marketing Science stated “There are now a variety of

Web search services that enable buyers-both business and consumer-to find, at least, each other.

One immediate implication is that the web search activity could vastly change the type, quantity,

and cost of information” (Shugan, page 470). SEM has become a primary marketing tool. The

Internet tracks individual searches, which in turn helps businesses sell their products and services

to those individuals. We can see now why investing in Google Adwords is so crucial, and that the

Montessori can use Google AdWords to their advantage.

WHAT THE WEBSITE NEEDS

A website analysis expert, BJ Fogg, recently made a slide show after doing 3 years of

research at Stanford University called What Makes a Website Credible. Many of his conclusions

parallel to my thoughts on the Montessori website. After reading over all 65 slides, I was able to

pick out key points that would benefit the new website. The following assertions are based on the

facts Fogg concluded in his slide show after extensive research.

First, Montessori needs to understand website credibility has a huge impact on people’s

opinions on the brand of the school itself. The Internet is not going away anytime soon; in fact,

it’s expanding everyday. It is important to invest in the Internet as much as possible. We also

have to remember, “web users can be naive or lazy” (slide 5). The digital age is getting more and

more complicated, but easier to use. Think about Apple products; they are incredible

technological gadgets that are so simple to use, plus they have an appealing look about them.

People now almost expect that if something looks good and is easy to use, whether is be an Apple

product or a website, it is a legitimate product or service. If we don’t like the way something

looks, it immediately looses credibility in our minds.

Having website credibility changes attitudes and behaviors of online users. If a website

seems credible, online users will “think positively about the site operator,” “feel comfortable

interacting with the site,” and “embrace the site’s point of view” (slide 6). Furthermore, a credible

site will compel the user “to return to the site often” (slide 6). Credibility of a website is mainly

concerned with believability. You may not have a great product or service, but a credible looking

website can alter the opinions, attitudes, and behaviors of consumers. Credibility can also be

based on trustworthiness and expertise, which is something Montessori has in its favor. However,

to people that don’t know what Montessori is, we need to rebuild the website so potential parents

believe it’s a credible organization. Right now, strangers would not understand how unique and

effective the Montessori program is just from their website. We want strangers to immediately

think the Montessori program is based on trustworthiness and expertise from just looking at their

website alone.

Here are 10 steps for designing a credible website (taken directly from slides 13-24):

1. Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate for your purpose).a. People quickly evaluate a site by visual design along. When designing your

site, pay attention to layout, typography, images, consistency issues, and more. Of course, not all sites gain credibility by looking like IBM. The visual design should match the site’s purpose.

2. Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.3. Show that there’s a real organization behind your site4. Highlight the expertise in your organization and in the content and services you

provide.Do you have experts on your team? Are your contributors or service providers authorities? Be sure to give their credentials. Are you affiliated with a respected organization? Make that clear. Conversely, don’t link to outside sites that are not credible. Your site becomes less credible by association.

5. Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.6. Make it easy to contact you.

a. A simple way to boost your site’s credibility is by making your contact information clear: phone number, physical address, and email address[Being available through multiple channels of social media can also benefit the overall brand of the organization.]

7. Make your website easy to use – and usefula. The research shows that sites win credibility points by being both easy to use and

useful. Some site operators forget about users when they cater to their own company’s ego or try to show the dazzling things they can do with Web technology. Websites lose credibility whenever they make it hard for users to accomplish their task at hand.

8. Update your site’s content often (at least show it’s been reviewed recently).a. People assign more credibility to sites that show they have been recently

updated or reviewed9. Use restraint with any promotional content.10. Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.

a. Small errors like misspellings and broken links hurt a site’s credibility more than most people imagine.

Hopefully these steps can assist Montessori in rebuilding their current website. However

it is so crucial that Montessori keeps their website updated; the most technologically advanced we

are getting, the more we expect to know things the second they happen. When a significant event

occurs in our nation, we know it within seconds because of the Internet. According to Fogg’s

research, more people in 2002 had judged a website’s credibility on how it was ofdated than in

1999 (slide 30). It’s safe to say that these numbers will continue o grow. Also according to

Fogg’s research, people associated credibility the most with design look, followed by information

design and structure, and information focus (slide 41).

Next, Fogg dissects the impact of an organization’s credibility, also known as the

“Prominence Interpretation Theory” (slides 47-48). Basically, the impact the Montessori’s

credibility will have on its users will be based on if the user notices something (prominence) and

how the user makes a judgment about it (interpretation). According to Fogg, “To increase the

credibility impact of a website, find what elements your target audience interprets most favorable

and make those elements most prominent.” It is evident that Montessori needs to figure out what the

parents want out of their website. They can in turn base their website design strategy on what the parents

want, and eventually make the website a valuable asset to their organization.

Furthermore, there are four types of credibility that impact consumer attitudes and behavior. There

is presumed credibility, in which consumers’ beliefs are based on general assumptions about the

organization they hold. This is based on the international brand name of the organization, which is an

advantage to Montessori, and how constantly the website is updated, a huge disadvantage to the school.

There is reputed credibility, in that consumers’ beliefs are based on a reference from a third party. If a

parent told another parent that website was unsatisfactory, the parent would automatically be biased

towards the website. Keeping a website updated and professional looking keeps the website credible even

through third parties. There is surface credibility, in which consumers’ beliefs are based on simple

inspection on the website. Humans judge things the second they look at them; if a website looks bad, they

will automatically think negatively about it. Finally, there is earned credibility, in which consumers’ beliefs

are based on past experience with the website. Increasing earned credibility involves giving a quick

response to a customer’s question and the ability to navigate through the website easily. Likewise, earned

credibility decreases when the website has a broken link and there are many downloadable errors.

Montessori should take all four of these credibility factors into account as they build their new

website. Here are two charts fromB.J. Fogg’s slideshow that can help guide the new Montessori website.

CONCLUSION

After we get the survey results from the parents we will know how to go about the new

and improved website. Hopefully my notions on the importance of a interactive website and good

informative design is what the parents want. I also hope the results of the survey show that

parents are open too or even want more social media about the Montessori to help keep them

updated and involved. I really believe that improving the website and taking advantage of social

media and search engine marketing will really help the Montessori’s internal and external

marketing strategy.

At the end of the day, Marketing is about getting people’s attention in hopes of altering

their buying behavior. We want to do this through the new and improved website. Think of the

AIDA model; We want to grab their attention, generate interest, provoke a desire, and ultimately

create an action, i.e. come back to the website for enroll to the Montessori school.

Marketing is a science. It’s about knowing and understanding how people think and what

they respond to; what stimulates them and what suppresses them, and what grabs their attention.

Using WordPress and a Facebook page, we can figure out what the parents want and need as a

whole and on a personal level. An article from Management Science explains that, “Using market

information, defining market segments, and target marketing are now crucial components of the

business plan (Webster 1988). Marketing expertise helps a firm make better marketing decisions

that can improve the performance and profitability of the firm” (Shugan, page 370). Montessori

may be an excellent program, but without someone to market them or maintain a legitimate

website, no one will know who they are. The first step to an excellent business is getting the

name out there and branding your organization. Hopefully through my suggestions Montessori

will be able to strengthen their website and marketing tactics.

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