Building Openhouse’s digital footprint with on-brand content
In March 2020, Openhouse’s two learning centres in Kolkata had to temporarily close. In the next few months, as Openhouse went online, they needed to create a digital storefront via a website and social media channels.
But the challenge was this:
There were enough edtech companies out there. How could Openhouse cut through the noise?
A brand identity for Openhouse to stand out in a garden of edtechs
After understanding Openhouse’s learning philosophy and products, and conducting interviews with all three stakeholders – teachers, parents and students, I created Openhouse’s brand identity and messaging guidelines.
Where other edtech companies spoke about competition, marks and created “FOMO”, Openhouse’s voice was warm and confident. We spoke to parents and students, not at them.
The brand promise was simple – A holistic learning centre where your child can become their best self.
The right content on the right platform
I wrote LinkedIn posts about Openhouse’s learning philosophy and our values for parents, teachers and potential employees. From September 2020 to September 2021, the followers increased by 3.5x, from ~2k to ~7.5k.
I collaborated with graphic designers to create Instagram posts that connect with school students. This included posts about mental health, body positivity, managing money and hosting Instagram lives with students and influencers. In a year’s time, Instagram followers increased by 2x.
I wrote on-brand copy for the website and the web app used by teachers and students for online classes.
Experimenting with podcasts and a campus ambassador program
To amplify Openhouse on Instagram, I built Openhouse’s campus ambassador program with 100 students across 10 Indian schools. Students ran co-branded Instagram pages to celebrate their school’s student community and culture. With 100 ambassadors, Openhouse reached over 2000 new students in schools.
To grow Openhouse’s brand footprint beyond Instagram and LinkedIn, I started the first podcast by an edtech brand in India. Over 20 episodes, The Openhouse Podcast gave students a platform to talk about themes like having an eating disorder and coming out to one’s parents and friends. It garnered over 800 listeners and was streamed over 2000 times.
Outcome
From 2 centres then to 8 centres today, Openhouse’s brand identity draws upon the very first brand document and messaging guidelines created in 2020. Openhouse’s voice and content remains distinct among competitors – a learning company that cares.