Cottonwood School
Project Details
The Situation: Cottonwood School is a toddler, pre-K, and elementary school with a Montessori focus. They wanted to better highlight the school’s uniqueness in the local community to current and prospective families.
The Problem: Cottonwood School had outgrown their website and internal school database; keeping staff properly trained on both became a challenge. Also, they wanted something that would speak to multiple audiences – prospective parents, current students, and supporters of the school. It was critical to present a professional image while allowing them to update their site and database regularly.
Our Solution: We created a strategy for using technology and marketing tools to improve Cottonwood School’s system efficiency and enhance their online brand with current and prospective families. To improve their system efficiency, we examined their internal and external systems and developed a plan for appropriate changes to both. To enhance their online brand, we conducted a schoolwide survey and analyzed the results. Then, we consulted with school leadership to derive an improved business model and value proposition for each area within the school. We helped Cottonwood select their new website backend, SchoolPointe content management system, and successfully teamed with school staff and the website vendor to create the new design. Also, we created new information architecture based on our findings from our value proposition exercise. We rewrote and re-organized web copy and the menu structure to improve search engine optimization and make it easier for website visitors to find what they need. Lastly, we made the placement of images, files, and calendar events more intuitive.
The Result: Cottonwood School has received positive feedback from parents and staff on the new website. Also, they continue to receive inquiries from families who mention that they found them “on the web”. We continue to work with Cottonwood by collaborating on website management and suggesting ways to enhance their online brand.