Ever wondered how to get a fresh idea up and running in a new city? We teamed up with Penn Woods Classical Academy, a private school looking to do just that.
Based in Pennsylvania and preparing to open in Fall 2025, their goal was clear: provide a Christ-centered, classical education that focused on both strong values and academic excellence, while building trust and making a name for themselves in the community.
But before they could teach a single student, they needed to reach them. With no existing reputation and a tight timeline, they set out to enroll 100 students before day one. That meant one thing: they had to build trust fast and make a strong impression online that would engage prospective families, while communicating the value of their education.
That’s when they reached out to brandiD to help bring their vision to life and create a brand that families could believe in — before the school’s grand opening.
We’re going to walk you through how we helped Penn Woods create an authentic brand, build an engaging online presence, and develop a strategy to drive enrollment. Whether you’re launching a new business, project, or organization, we’ll share some of the key steps we took that can work for any new venture looking to make an impact and connect with their community.
The Strategy: Building a Brand Families Can Trust
Before jumping into design or messaging, we needed to build a strategy rooted in Penn Woods’ unique identity and enrollment goals. Through discovery calls and collaborative conversations, we uncovered the heart of their mission: to provide a Christ-centered, classical education that cultivates both academic and moral development.
From there, we created a strategy framework that would guide every part of the project. This included:
- Clarifying core messaging that spoke directly to families seeking values-based education
- Defining target audience segments and understanding their priorities and pain points
- Outlining brand values and visual direction to ensure consistency across platforms
- Establishing KPIs and marketing priorities to align creative work with enrollment goals
The result was a clear, actionable roadmap that gave us direction—not just for launch, but for sustainable momentum leading up to the school’s opening and beyond.
The Execution: Crafting an Online Presence That Resonates and Converts
To help Penn Woods Classical Academy get noticed, we kicked things off by designing a fresh new logo and giving their website a much-needed update. We created landing pages that made it super easy for families to get involved, like signing up for Open Houses.
We also connected with prospective families through email campaigns and social media to build relationships in a genuine way. To top it off, we used traditional marketing tools like flyers and local ads to spread the word.
New Logo & Visual Identity
We started by creating a logo that really reflected the academy’s core values. The design was simple yet timeless, representing strength, trust, and faith, and gave the school a solid visual identity that stood out in the crowded education scene.
Revamped Website & Landing Pages
Next, we gave their website a makeover. We moved it from Squarespace to WordPress for better flexibility and added landing pages that made it easy for families to take action—like signing up for Open Houses. The new site highlights the school’s mission and values while being super easy to navigate.
Email Campaigns & Social Media
We used email marketing to keep families in the loop and highlight what makes the school special. On social media, we created posts that felt personal, authentic, and true to the school’s values, helping to build a trusted online presence.
Traditional Marketing & Press Outreach
We didn’t stop there. We designed flyers, digital billboards, and magazine ads to spread the word locally, and even worked with the media to get press releases out, announcing the school’s opening and mission to blend academic excellence with strong values.
The Results of a Strong Online Presence
After execution, their website traffic took off, with visitors jumping by 238% and page views up by 50.38%. The bounce rate also dropped by 5%, meaning people were sticking around longer.
The email campaign was a huge part of our success, with visits growing by 11.39% and page views increasing by 10.28%. On social media, the impact of the branded posts we created was clear—traffic was up by 4.41%, and page views grew by 2.77%.
Dr. Eric Stennett, Head of School, captured it perfectly by saying “We’re beginning to see real momentum with our efforts!” He expressed his gratitude toward brandiD and attributed Penn Woods’ success to God, adding, “Thank you all. It is amazing to see. God is great!”
These results show that our marketing efforts are helping to get the word out and encourage families to take action. By refining their brand, improving their website, and using a smart mix of marketing channels, Penn Woods has built a solid, authentic presence that will only continue to grow and build trust in the community long after the school opens its doors.
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About The Author
Rachel Gogos is a multi-passionate entrepreneur with a strong desire to help people by creating strong personal brands and businesses. She’s personally launched dozens of books, e-products, and services; and hundreds of products and services with her clients. She started her career at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, where she helped create the look and feel for the organization’s first website.
Today, in her current role running brandiD, Rachel channels over 15 years of marketing and communications experience into each and every website for brandiD’s clients.
And check out her book, Build Your Brand: The Distinctive Guide to Soul-Based Marketing. It will help you uncover your personal brand.
