The best school marketing strategy is still word of mouth. However, the skills most needed by school marketing personnel are those which keep the school community well informed and supportive of the school, and hence capable of having the word of mouth as a successful marketing strategy within the school marketing plan.

I recently returned to St Mary's School, Goondiwindi, a country school of which I was the first lay principal in the 1980s.

This is the educational setting where I started to develop my school marketing principles and strategies, which now form the basis of my school markeitng e-books.

The basic school marketing startegies back in the 1980s revolved around the success of the community's word-of-mouth support, the school and parish newsletters and the local newspaper.

The community's word-of-mouth support is still critical to this day for all school marketing personnel. The challenge is how to keep the community informed and supportive.

Paul Ryan the present principal is doing a wonderful job. There is a real positive feel about the school. There are also a number of necessary expansions being undertaken by Paul in this thriving school community," said

I was also able to meet with Fr Michael O'Brien PP of St Mary's Parish Goondiwindi.

An enjoyable chat occurred in St Mary's Church while Fr Michael O'Brien rehearsed students from St Mary's School, the local parish school, for their Easter ceremony. Each person at this Sunday afternoon practice was very much enjoying the experience.

The contryside around Goondiwindi, which is 4.5 hours from the east coast of Australia, was showing the positive signs of a drought-break following major flooding in western and southern Queensland.

Photo above shows Paul Ryan, Principal St Mary's School, Goondiwindi, with Bryan Foster, first lay principal of St Mary's School.

Bryan Foster, Author of 'School Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (3rd ed)', 2010, complied this blog post highlighting the importance of the word of mouth as a crtical school marketing strategy in the school marketing plan.