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District communications review spotlights newsletters, video series and questions about mailer tracking
Summary
Marlborough communications coordinator Esmer Gas presented metrics for newsletters, video series and social media growth; committee members pressed for measurable tracking of direct-mail enrollment marketing and Esmer provided recipient counts and agreed to gather more link-tracking data.
Communications Coordinator Esmer Gas presented a midyear report on Marlborough Public Schools communications and media efforts, highlighting new newsletters, student-produced video content and measurable gains on social platforms while acknowledging limits to current direct-mail tracking.
Gas described two newsletter products: a staff newsletter launched in January (53% open rate in its January edition) and the Panther Nation Connection family newsletter (63% open rate in February), both supported by a new tracking tool that currently records open and click-through rates. She said click-through rates for family newsletters so far are in the single digits and emphasized that "open rate" and "click rate" measure different types of engagement.
Gas also reviewed short-form video efforts and student partnerships — Super Saturday (longer-form programming), a new one-minute “Super Six” summary video produced with high-school students, and the Panther Cast podcast produced by the high-school media club — and reported increases in reach and engagement: Facebook views up roughly 38%, Instagram interactions up about 500% versus the prior comparison period, and LinkedIn organic comments up more than 160%.
Committee members questioned whether direct-mail investments were being tracked effectively for enrollment marketing. Esmer said the four-page booklet mailed in October went to 1,269 recipients and a February postcard went to 2,949 recipients, but added that the free link-tracking tools currently in use may not show full attribution data. "We don't know" was the administration's assessment of whether the mailings have yet produced measurable enrollment results; Esmer agreed to gather more data and to explore individualized or distinct QR codes and link tracking to better understand which channels drive enrollment inquiries.
Members cautioned that direct mail is costly and asked for comparison metrics (e.g., website traffic lift after mailings, unique QR-code clicks, and language-access considerations). The communications team said the brochure was mailed in English and the postcard was mailed in English and Portuguese; Esmer said she would return with clearer tracking data and options for more granular measurement.
