[Book] BrandED: Branding Yourself as Your School’s Storyteller

“Branding instead of being branded. Defining instead of being defined. Innovative educators must stand up for their ideas and actions instead of being judged and branded by external agencies using standardized measures.”

The term brand has taken the limelight in every industry. Brand is what people looking for when it comes to rely onto them for any service. Education is one industry where branding wasn’t given as much importance. In this book “BrandED: Tell Your Story, Build Relationships, and Empower Learning” by Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin focuses on the importance of BrandED. 

The author explains the significance of the term as “Brand is about creating a unique identity that relates to a specific audience or stakeholder group. The value of a brand can be defined in many ways. Brands are designed to stand out and ultimately influence the consumer in a fashion that builds trust in the product. Sustaining a sense of trust is an integral component of a brands ability to promise value.”

Further they present the concept of BrandED claiming it, as the educator’s’ unique adaptation of the business term brand. It is a powerful concept that is a part of the progressive view of new educational directions and trends. It represents a digital edge dweller persona. It suggests a mindset of continuous innovation. The BrandED edge dwelling educator is poised for communication change that benefits students. It is about providing that benefit and telling the stories around that worth.  

The book covers many important topics to help you lead in the 21^st century and make BrandED. Some of them are BrandED Innovation, Developing Leadership Presence, Developing Strategies and Sustaining Innovation. An important characteristic of a leader is that they communicate effectively. The book also covers insights on Leadership Tools for Communicating with BrandED; Digital Behaviors and the most important part i.e. ROI in the BrandED School Community.    

A part of the book focuses on importance of social media to make your institution a brand and a continuous discussion on the book is happening over twitter. The one tweet I found interesting is:

Your website, your logo, your mascot isn’t your brand#BrandEDu
Its your intentional message, the feelings/responses evoked @E_Sheninger

— Derek McCoy (@mccoyderek) June 25, 2017

A brand is built around three key elements: image, promise, and result. The power of a brand to communicate all three elements is undeniable, and in today’s digitally connected, social society, schools and school districts have a lot to gain by developing and promoting their own brand identities. BrandED is the groundbreaking guidebook for educators who want to enhance communication with students, parents, and stakeholders to create a transparent record of value. BrandED sends a very compelling message to school leaders that developing and executing a smart, innovative brand strategy can disrupt the best practices’ conventions of the existing school system. 

Follow the tag #brandEDU to follow and tweet your opinion with the same. 

About Authors:

Eric Sheninger

He is a Senior Fellow and Thought Leader on Digital Leadership with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). Prior to this he was the award-winning Principal at New Milford High School. Under his leadership his school became a globally recognized model for innovative practices. Eric oversaw the successful implementation of several sustainable change initiatives that radically transformed the learning culture at his school while increasing achievement.  His work focuses on leading and learning in the digital age as a model for moving schools and districts forward. This has led to the formation of the Pillars of Digital Leadership, a framework for all educators to initiate sustainable change to transform school cultures. As a result Eric has emerged as an innovative leader, bestselling author, and sought after speaker.

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Trish Rubin

Trish Rubin has been a speaking professional for over 25 years. She has traveled 40 states and internationally as a trainer. Her work in education is known nationally. She is the USA Today Education Division National Writing Consultant. Her networking ability has brought her a wide range of clients. Trish’s clients are found in education, business and non-profit circles. Her workshop, facilitation, and coaching sessions have led to positive change in large and small organizations. She has published widely through articles and in her work with curriculum. She is the President of the EdVentures Group, a New York City based consulting company. She is a member of the National Speakers Association, Rotary International, and Business and Professional Women’s International. In addition, she is on the Board of Directors of the World Wide Children’s Foundation.

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So, have you read the book?

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