Senior Communications and Marketing Executive, Jessica Alred, plays an active role in Bradford Grammar School’s communications team. As she contemplates a forthcoming move to a fellow HMC school having gained a promotion, she reflects on her work during the pandemic and why marketing is more than ‘just selling’.
‘I joined BGS in 2018 and moved over to the communications and marketing role just before the pandemic. Communications became even more important for the school during this time – we needed to keep showing we were still accessible and open. We created new web pages, compiled stories, produced our termly magazine and annual publications, all with little or no face-to-face interaction with the children or opportunities to photograph them… a lot of Hoc Age spirit went into our communications activity to stay connected around that time! Our open events were particularly challenging. We were unable to host our usual in-person events so had to be creative and bring them to life virtually. The Junior and Senior School Headmasters did their speeches online and teaching colleagues across various departments recorded videos about their subjects. We produced Q&A sessions, including one with Year 7 pupils covering everything from what the lunches were like, to how students got to school. We had an interactive tour of the School and lots of visuals. We had to be inventive and we all really pulled together as part of the BGS family.
‘The majority of my 20-year professional experience reflects business to business marketing, but it’s not just about lead generation, marketing is constantly evolving. It’s about brand awareness, communication, telling stories, and taking people on a journey because they are valued and appreciated and have a voice. It’s about building trust and fostering relationships so parents will be thinking of BGS when they’re ready to choose a school. It’s never a case of saying, ‘I’ve written an article, that’s it, I’m done’, it’s about repurposing it in different ways and reaching people in as many ways as we can. I’m passionate about what I do, and I believe in BGS. I’m keen to tell stories and celebrate the people at our School.
‘At BGS, we’ve moved away from more traditional marketing methods, like newsprint, magazine and billboard advertisements, to digital platforms, ranging from the likes of organic social media and content marketing, to search engine optimisation (SEO) and paid search and social marketing. We tailor our messaging and content to our audience’s preferences, interests and behaviours. There’s a logic and purpose to what we’re doing. We’re not the colouring-in department, there is a strategy!
‘I did leave BGS for 12 months to take up a digital marketing role for a well-known travel brand and when I came back it was with more skills in my tool kit. One aspect that had previously been difficult to achieve was the analytical side of our marketing efforts and the use of data to inform our activity – digital marketing techniques make this much more straightforward to do. We still do some print and train station adverts, for example, but on a smaller scale. There’s still a place for some traditional approaches too.
‘My job is really varied and I love the creative parts of it, finding stories, developing content, producing some nice visuals and sharing it all with others in varied and interesting ways. Results days are always great. It’s an emotional day and it’s vital that we work with authenticity and sensitivity. Ultimately, it’s lovely to see our students do so well, some having overcome adversity. The people we speak to really want to be heard and it’s a rewarding part of the job to give them a voice and tell their stories.
‘I see children joining BGS and I have the privilege of getting to know our wonderful young people. I’m passionate about helping to introduce new families to BGS and shine a light on some of the qualities and happenings that define our very special School family. We particularly love to celebrate students’ achievements, whether it’s at school or out of school, dancing, sport, music – the list goes on.
‘Everyone who works at BGS is an advocate for the School, whether it’s staff talking to their friends at the weekend or supporting their own department’s media output. They all play a part. I rely on my colleagues to let me know if there are any pupils who have stories to tell, and I’m really grateful for that. It has been an absolute pleasure working at BGS, getting to know some wonderful people and I look forward to keeping up with BGS news in the future.’
“I’m passionate about what I do, and I believe in BGS. I’m keen to tell stories and celebrate the people at our School.”
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