Marketing

Role Overview

Chairs zera's marketing strategy for the Cambridge (IGCSE) programme, with two objectives: raise brand awareness and generate qualified, quality leads that convert to enrolment. (Marketing covers the Cambridge programme only — Homeschool and PLUS are not marketed.) Owns demand generation end-to-end — paid ads, organic channels, referrals, partnerships, in-person events — plus brand, reputation, and reporting. [[Media]] produces the creative; Marketing directs the brand, distributes, and drives the funnel. Reports to the Administrative Director.

Key Responsibilities

Chair the overall marketing strategy, budget, and brand positioning
Grow brand awareness for the Cambridge programme among our target families and areas
Generate qualified leads through ads, channels, events, referrals, and partnerships
Run one lead funnel: qualify, nurture, and hand every lead to the Admission Office
Manage the school's reputation and own brand consistency
Report on awareness, leads, and conversion; steer budget from the numbers

How the ten processes fit together

One funnel, many sources. Every lead source feeds MKT02, which is the only path to the Admission Office. Brand (MKT10) directs everything; strategy (MKT01) plans it; reporting (MKT05) measures it.

DIRECTION            SOURCES                    FUNNEL                 CONVERSION
MKT10 Brand ─┐   MKT06 Paid ads ─┐
MKT01 Plan ──┼─► MKT04 Channels ─┤
             │   MKT03 Events ───┼─► MKT02 Lead Funnel ─► Admission Office
             │   MKT07 Referrals ┤   (qualify · nurture ·
             │   MKT08 Partners ──┘    single handoff)
             │                              │
MKT09 Reputation & issues (protects it)     ▼
             └──────────────────────────► MKT05 Reporting (measures all)

Rule of thumb: a source process (03/04/06/07/08) never qualifies or hands to Admissions itself — it captures and routes into MKT02. Only MKT02 hands to the Admission Office.

Processes

MKT01 — Marketing Strategy (Chair)

Objective: Set the direction, targets, budget, and calendar that every other marketing process executes against. Scope: Objectives & audiences, the Cambridge marketing plan (channel mix + budget), campaign & events calendar, termly performance review. Out of scope: Authoring brand messaging → MKT10 · executing any channel/campaign → MKT02–MKT09. Frequency: annual plan, termly review · Approval: Administrative Director / Directors · Tools: strategy doc / budget / calendar · Coordinates with: Administrative Director, Admission Office, Cambridge Coordinators

Review last term's results (from MKT05) and run light market/competitor research
Set term/year targets: brand-awareness and qualified-lead numbers
Define our target families and priority areas — the neighbourhoods and towns Cambridge families come from, plus nearby feeder sources (kindergartens, tuition centres)
Build the Cambridge marketing plan — applying MKT10's messaging — with the channel mix, events, and budget
Allocate budget across ads (MKT06), events (MKT03), partnerships (MKT08), and channels (MKT04)
Publish the campaign & events calendar, each activity mapped to a funnel stage (awareness → lead → conversion)
Chair planning/review with stakeholders and get Administrative Director sign-off
Review performance against targets each term and adjust

MKT02 — Lead Funnel & Qualification

Objective: Turn leads from every source into qualified, admissions-ready prospects — the single funnel. Scope: Receive leads from all sources, consent, first-response SLA, qualify & score, nurture, and the one handoff to Admissions; keep the funnel clean. Out of scope: Generating leads / running campaigns → the source processes · enrolment decisions → Admission Office. Frequency: ongoing · Approval: Marketing · Tools: lead tracker / CRM · Coordinates with: Admission Office, all source processes

Receive every lead — ads (MKT06), channels/web (MKT04), events (MKT03), referrals (MKT07), partnerships (MKT08) — into one tracker/CRM, tagged by source and date
Record explicit PDPA consent to contact
Make first contact within the agreed SLA (e.g. same day) — response speed is a top conversion driver
Qualify against fit criteria: age / year-group fit, location, intent, budget
Score and prioritise; flag admissions-ready leads
Nurture not-yet-ready leads with a lifecycle drip (email/WhatsApp) until ready or opted out
Hand qualified leads to the Admission Office with full context — the single handoff — and track status
Keep the funnel clean (dedupe, update stages); review volume and quality weekly with MKT01

MKT03 — Outreach & Conversion Events

Objective: Generate and warm leads through in-person activations. Scope: Plan, resource, and run physical events — shopping-mall push carts, education-fair booths, mini open days / trial classes — and capture leads on-site. Out of scope: Qualifying / nurturing / Admissions handoff → MKT02 · sourcing partner-hosted events → MKT08 (which uses this playbook). Frequency: per the events calendar · Approval: Administrative Director (dates, budget) · Tools: push-cart / booth kit / lead-capture form (QR) / trial-class schedule · Coordinates with: Cambridge Coordinators (trial classes), Operations (logistics)

Select events and slots aligned to our target areas and the enrolment cycle
Confirm logistics: venue/booking, staffing roster, setup, permits, transport
Prepare the on-site offer (trial class, consultation) and the lead-capture flow (form/QR)
Brief and staff the activation; capture every visitor's details with consent
For mini open days / trial classes: coordinate schedule and space with the Cambridge Coordinators and run the session
Do a light on-site interest check, then route all captured leads into MKT02 (do not qualify or hand to Admissions here)
Debrief each event — cost, leads, quality, conversions — and refine the playbook

MKT04 — Organic Channels & Website

Objective: Build awareness and capture inbound leads through zera's owned channels. Scope: Organic social publishing & community management, website content, campaign landing pages + CRO, on-page SEO; route inbound interest into MKT02. Out of scope: Paid ads → MKT06 · creative production → Media · review sites & issues comms → MKT09 · brand sign-off → MKT10. Frequency: social daily; website weekly · Approval: Marketing (routine); Administrative Director (structural site changes) · Tools: social scheduler / CMS / analytics · Coordinates with: Media (assets), Admission Office

Maintain social channels (Instagram, Facebook, XHS, etc.) per the campaign calendar
Schedule and publish assets produced by Media and cleared by MKT10's brand check
Manage the community — comments, messages, mentions — replying within 24h; send anything sensitive/negative to MKT09's issues-comms protocol
Keep the website current: news, events, galleries, programme and enrolment pages
Build and optimise campaign landing pages (clear offer, short form, fast load); run CRO on headlines, forms, and CTAs
Apply on-page SEO (keywords, meta descriptions, alt text) and clear calls-to-action
Ensure every channel and page routes interested visitors into MKT02
Track channel and page performance for MKT05

MKT05 — Reporting & Analytics

Objective: Give Directors one honest view of performance and steer budget from the numbers. Scope: Consolidate metrics from every process; report awareness, leads by source, CPL, CAC/ROI, and cohort conversion; recommend reallocation. Out of scope: Per-channel operational tuning → each source process · enrolment-data ownership → Admission Office (consumed here). Frequency: monthly summary; termly full report · Approval: Administrative Director · Tools: analytics / CRM / spreadsheet · Coordinates with: Administrative Director, Admission Office

Report awareness indicators: reach, audience growth, inbound enquiries
Report leads by source: volume, qualification rate, and cost per lead
Report conversion rate by source, CAC (cost per enrolment), and campaign ROI
Cohort-track with Admissions: leads → qualified → admissions → enrolments, by source
Identify best and worst sources and recommend budget reallocation
Present the termly report to the Administrative Director
Reset targets with MKT01 for the next term

MKT06 — Paid Digital Advertising

Objective: Buy qualified leads and awareness at a target cost through paid platforms. Scope: Paid campaigns (Meta / Google / TikTok / XHS) — targeting, retargeting, A/B creative testing, budget pacing; optimise to cost-per-qualified-lead. Out of scope: Organic channels → MKT04 · ad-creative production → Media (briefed here) · qualification → MKT02. Frequency: campaigns ongoing; weekly optimisation · Approval: Administrative Director (budget/platforms); Marketing (routine) · Tools: Meta Ads / Google Ads / TikTok / XHS / analytics · Coordinates with: Media (ad creative), Admission Office (offer, follow-up capacity)

Set each campaign's objective and budget (awareness vs lead-gen), mapped to a funnel stage
Build audiences: geo-targeting to our target areas, interests, lookalikes, retargeting of warm visitors
Brief Media for ad creative — several variants per campaign for testing
Launch with tracking (pixel + UTMs) so every ad lead lands in MKT02 tagged by source
A/B test creatives, audiences, and offers; pause losers, scale winners
Pace budget across the month; watch frequency and creative fatigue
Optimise to cost-per-qualified-lead (reconcile against MKT02 qualification), not clicks
Report weekly spend, CPL, and lead quality to MKT05

MKT07 — Referral & Parent Ambassador Programme

Objective: Make current families a repeatable source of high-quality referred leads and testimonials. Scope: Referral offer & mechanics, ambassador recruitment, promotion to families, capturing referred leads, and testimonial sourcing. Out of scope: Qualifying / converting the referred lead → MKT02 · producing the testimonial asset → Media. Frequency: ongoing; termly ambassador refresh · Approval: Administrative Director (incentives) · Tools: referral tracker / incentive scheme / testimonial log · Coordinates with: Admission Office, Head of Pastoral (parent community)

Design the referral offer and terms — who can refer, the reward, and when it triggers (on enrolment)
Recruit parent ambassadors from among current Cambridge families
Make referring easy: a shareable link / form / code tied to the tracker
Promote the programme to current families via channels, events, and parent comms
Route referred leads into MKT02 with the referrer noted
Collect testimonials from happy families and brief Media to produce them — coordinate with MKT09 so the same family isn't asked for a review and a testimonial at once
Fulfil rewards on qualified enrolment and thank referrers
Track referral volume, conversion, and cost for MKT05

MKT08 — Partnerships & Community Outreach

Objective: Build a recurring B2B2C lead stream through institutional partners. Scope: Identify and prioritise partners, form agreements, run joint activities, and capture partner-sourced leads. Out of scope: On-the-ground event mechanics → MKT03 playbook · qualification → MKT02. Frequency: ongoing; quarterly partner review · Approval: Administrative Director (formal MOUs) · Tools: partner CRM / outreach tracker · Coordinates with: Admission Office, Cambridge Coordinators

Map target partners whose families fit Cambridge: feeder kindergartens, primary schools & tuition centres, churches, community organisations, and corporates
Prioritise by fit and reach; assign an owner and cadence
Approach with a clear value exchange — talks, joint events, referral arrangement, family discounts
Formalise ongoing relationships with a simple MOU where useful
Run joint activities — for on-the-ground events, use the MKT03 playbook
Route partner-sourced leads into MKT02 with the partner noted
Maintain relationships: regular check-ins, updates, reciprocity
Review partners quarterly (prune or deepen) and report to MKT05

MKT09 — Reputation, Reviews & Issues Comms

Objective: Protect and grow the school's public reputation and control any negative or sensitive public situation. Scope: Monitor & respond to reviews (Google / Facebook / etc.), seed positive reviews, keep listings accurate, and own the crisis/issues-comms protocol across all channels. Out of scope: Routine owned-channel comments → MKT04 (escalates here) · internal complaint resolution → Directors / relevant department. Frequency: monitor weekly; respond within 48h · Approval: Marketing (routine); Administrative Director (sensitive/negative) · Tools: Google Business Profile / Facebook / review alerts / response templates · Coordinates with: Admission Office, Head of Pastoral, Administrative Director

Monitor reviews and ratings weekly (set up alerts)
Respond to every review within 48h — thank positives; take negatives calmly and offline where needed
Own the issues/crisis-comms protocol: for negative or sensitive public situations, pause scheduled posts, hold public replies, escalate to the Administrative Director/Directors, and respond only on the agreed line
Proactively seed reviews from happy families at good moments — coordinate with MKT07 to avoid double-asking
Keep the Google Business Profile and listings accurate (hours, programmes, photos from Media)
Track rating, review volume, and sentiment over time
Feed recurring themes back to Directors and MKT01
Report reputation metrics to MKT05

MKT10 — Brand Management & Positioning

Objective: Own what zera stands for and how it is expressed, so every touchpoint is consistent and on-message. Scope: Positioning, the Cambridge messaging framework, brand direction to Media, brand-consistency sign-off on external materials, annual brand-health review. Out of scope: Producing assets → Media · visual brand application, templates, and the pre-release QC gate → Media MED07 (MKT10 owns what the brand says and the final release sign-off; MED07 owns how it looks) · running channels → MKT04/MKT06 · the plan/budget → MKT01 (which applies this). Frequency: annual brand review; ongoing consistency checks · Approval: Directors (positioning); Marketing (application) · Tools: brand strategy doc / messaging framework / brand guidelines · Coordinates with: Media (asset production to brand), Directors, Cambridge Coordinators

Own zera's positioning and core message — what the school stands for and its promise to families
Author the Cambridge messaging — the IGCSE / academic pathway and what sets zera's Cambridge programme apart — as the single source MKT01 and all campaigns draw from
Maintain the messaging framework and value propositions
Set brand direction for Media (tone, look, do's and don'ts)
Sign off external-facing materials for brand and message consistency before release — the brand check MKT04 publishing depends on
Keep positioning current against the market and competitors (input from MKT01 research)
Guard brand consistency across channels, events, partners, and materials
Review brand health annually (awareness, perception) and adjust