Marketing with teachers, not just about them – authentic storytelling for schools

Schools often spend heavily on branding campaigns, glossy brochures, and social media ads. Yet the most authentic and powerful voices are already inside the building: teachers.

Just as leading companies leverage their employees as trusted brand storytellers, schools can use teachers’ voices to connect with families and communities in ways that no marketing department alone can replicate.

But there’s an important caveat: teachers should never be treated as “dual-role employees.” Their primary responsibility is teaching and supporting students. When they contribute to marketing, it should be in authentic, low-pressure ways that build trust and showcase their expertise—without overloading them or asking them to do work they aren’t trained to do.

Lessons from Business

Macy’s Style Crew: Macy’s turned store associates into authentic influencers, creating a program that grew from 20 to over 1,000 employees in 18 months. Customers connected more deeply with content created by people who actually worked in the stores because it felt real and grounded.

Randstad’s Employee Advocacy: Staffing giant Randstad empowered over 2,000 employees to share content, resulting in $1.5 million in earned media value. The key wasn’t slick advertising—it was authentic storytelling by those closest to the customers.

Ivanti & Simpli.fi: By encouraging employees to share company stories, these firms cut marketing costs dramatically (Ivanti saved $500,000 annually) while generating authentic reach.

These examples highlight a critical truth: when the people who know and care most about customers speak, audiences listen.

How This Translates to Schools

• Teachers interact with students and parents every day. They:

• See firsthand the impact of learning.

• Create meaningful projects and successes worth sharing.

• Build trusted relationships with families.

• Instead of marketing about teachers, schools can market with them by:

• Sharing teacher-led classroom stories on school platforms.

• Featuring teacher voices in short videos or blogs (with consent).

• Highlighting teacher-driven projects as evidence of school culture and quality.

The Caveat: Teachers First

Unlike corporate employees, teachers are not marketers—and they should not be treated as such. Their workload is already heavy, and asking them to produce professional-grade marketing would risk burnout and resentment.

Instead, schools can create simple, supportive systems:

• Invite teachers to contribute stories, photos, or quotes voluntarily.

• Provide marketing staff to package and polish content.

• Keep contributions aligned to what teachers are already trained to do—share experiences, not design campaigns.

This way, schools capture authentic stories without compromising teacher energy or professionalism.

Conclusion

Authenticity is the currency of modern marketing. Just as Macy’s, Randstad, and Ivanti found success by elevating employee voices, schools can do the same with teachers—showcasing the people who make education work every day.

But the guiding principle must remain clear: teachers are educators first. Marketing should amplify their authentic stories, not burden them with dual roles. Done right, marketing with teachers builds trust, strengthens reputation, and reinforces what families value most—the quality of teaching.