A school can have excellent teachers, strong academics and a great campus. But if parents do not understand what makes the school different within the first few minutes of discovering it online then those strengths may never get a chance to speak for themselves. Today a parent's journey often starts before they ever visit the campus. They may discover a school through Google or social media. They may visit the website and look at photos and videos. They may read reviews and compare the school with several others before filling out an enquiry form. This makes school branding more than just a logo or a colourful brochure. It is about how consistently and clearly a school communicates its values, experience and promise to parents. With the admission planning period becoming especially important for schools should take a closer look at how their brand is being presented online. Here are five common branding mistakes that can quietly affect admissions.