Capture the Moment

Last weekend I took my two boys for a four-day trip to Orlando. And yes, we went to a water park each day and enjoyed floating in the lazy river.

We also enjoyed going to Hollywood Studios. In fact, you can see a picture of me (front row) with my two boys (back row) riding the Rock and Roll Rollercoaster. This picture captured the moment of the 60 mile per hour launch take-off in two seconds. I actually took a picture of the monitor displaying the photo shot on the ride that they wanted me to purchase to for some absurd price.

On our drive back home to St. Petersburg I noticed that my odometer was about to turn over to 100,000. I quickly got out my smartphone to take a picture of this momentous occasion. It’s not every day that your odometer changes over from 99,999 to 100,000 miles. Once again, this moment was captured in time.

I really like gadgets. In fact, I am close to purchasing my newest toy—an iPad.

With the latest smartphones and iPhones and digital recording devices, you can take still photos and videos whenever the moment occurs. It would have been difficult to capture these moments on the rollercoaster or in my car years ago.

As you think about marketing and telling your school’s story, you have the opportunity to capture the moment on your campus. You should always carry a smartphone, digital camera or video camera.

Pictures and video vignettes provide powerful visuals that tell the story of your school. You can post these instantly on your school’s website, Facebook page, blog, or YouTube channel.

One of the best things about the marketing approach today is that you don’t have to produce something that is polished and professional. We live in a world that is used to the homemade videos and pictures on YouTube and other social media sites. People expect to see events captured in the moment.

As you consider ways to market your school, this strategy is critical to include in your plan.

Soon, when your students arrive back to campus, you will have many moments to capture and share.

Think about the stories you can tell through pictures and video just in the first week of school:

• Introductions of new faculty and staff
• Interviews with faculty and students about their summer and expectations for the new school year
• Comments from new parents on the reasons why they chose your school
• Welcome from your head of school
• Recording of your back to school night
• Sights and sounds of campus

Every faculty and staff member can also help you with this ongoing marketing initiative by capturing the moment as they experience it.

Make it a priority to capture the moment this year.