Proven Independent School Marketing Strategies That Work

No matter how successful your school is, marketing is essential. Many people think that marketing and advertising are the same thing.

Schools often worry that people will have the perception that they are trying to “sell” education when they are offering so much more.

The fact is that marketing isn’t “selling;” it is a way to reach new and diverse audiences to inform them of what you have to offer.

The reality is that if people don’t know about your school, they won’t apply.

Letting people know who you are and what you have to offer will help you to build your student body.

It will help you acquire the best teachers, the best students, and more.

Take a look at the following 15 ways to improve your independent school marketing  campaign and expand your reach.

1.    Independent Schools Should Make Use of Short Video Clips on Social Media

Video content is incredibly popular. People are using YouTube, Facebook Live, and more to get their message out. 

Not only that, but people stop and watch these videos.

However, they do not watch long videos; the videos that people stop to watch are almost always measured in seconds rather than minutes.

You can take advantage of this trend in your market by maximizing your social media.

Use the Stories feature on Instagram to show people what your school does in just a few video clips.

You can share between five and ten 15-second clips each day, and you will be amazed at how many engagements you get.

When you share video content on Facebook, share videos of your students engaged at school.

As people scroll, your videos will play, and you should choose something that will get them to stop and watch.

As with Instagram, upload short video clips of your students in action.

2.    Engage in Inclusive Marketing

Inclusive marketing has become very important in the world today. People want to know what a school stands for.

People expect schools to promote diversity, but they want more.

They want to know what your school’s views are on important social issues and how you are working to make the world a better place.

Your message should include your school’s view on social issues such as bullying, poverty, world hunger, climate change, and more.

Interview different students, and show how you and your students are working together to make the world a better place. This will easily improve admissions stats.

3.    Independent Schools should Brand Effectively

When parents choose a school today, they are looking for more than a curriculum, clubs, or sports.

They want to connect with the school and be part of a community. Your brand lets parents know who you are.

Branding in any market is what builds loyalty, trust, and a desire to connect.

When you brand yourself, be transparent. Rather than sharing how you are similar to other schools, show prospective parents what sets you apart.

You should use conversational language to make people feel connected to who you are and what you are doing. People are more responsive when they feel this way.

4.    Improve Mobile Customer Experience

Another important marketing strategy is to make sure that everything is optimized for mobile.

The use of mobile devices is on the rise. According to a recent survey by the Office for National Statistics, 84% of UK adults, over the age of 16, own a smartphone.

In addition, the report states that the use of smartphones is more common among younger adults. 

Brits are spending an average of 2 hours and 34 minutes on their smartphones every day. Nearly half (47%) of people said they check their phone within five minutes of waking up in the morning.

More people use mobile devices for Google searches, Social Media, and more, so you need to have a simple mobile platform.

Make sure that people who view your website on a mobile device can have a great experience.

5.    Optimize Your Content for Voice Assistant Searches

Google predicts that by the end of 2021, 1.6 billion people will be using voice assistants on a regular basis.

People are using voice assistants more and more, and they are asking for information. Schools should have content that is easy to find and easy to read.

If your content is easy to read, Alexa or Siri can read it when people ask.

Make sure that you are following SEO guidelines and using header tags so that these voice assistants can access your information.

In addition, make sure that your tuition and financial assistance policies are easy to find.

Parents want this information, and making it difficult to find might cause them to research a different school.

6.    Use Google Images

Consumers are relying on visuals more than words much of the time. It is important to add images to your searches.

When people search and your school comes up, you should have images linked to the search results. This is important for your school marketing strategy.

You should hire a professional photographer, and catch photographs of your students in action.

Use your pictures to show prospective parents what their children’s school days will be like.

People want to see and visualize your school before they are willing to call you, and you can use Google Images to make this happen.

7.    Data-Driven Marketing

Consumers have changed, and they expect personalized marketing. Sending out your message without personalization doesn’t work any longer.

Data-driven personalization allows you to deliver the right information at the right time.

Machine learning can give you the data you need to use predictive strategies to deliver content.

You can personalize the content based on their activities on your website, your social media pages, or their geographical location, to name a few.

It is important for you to ensure that your content is relevant to your visitors.

The fastest way to gather this data in one location so that you can make informed decisions is to make use of Google Analytics.

8.    Engage in Creative School Marketing Campaigns

Creative concepts are now a huge part of marketing. You need to start with the big picture to capture your audience’s interest.

Your goal is to influence people’s emotional response and inspire them to take action.

You should implement this strategy in your marketing because it encourages people who see your ads to stop and think about your school.

When you engage people, they want to be a part of what you are doing.

Today, people expect to be moved emotionally and drawn to a school before they make a decision.

9.    Create an Offer as an Exchange

Develop premium content that you can offer to prospective parents. It could be a webinar or an eBook that would be of value to these parents.

Offer it in exchange for an email address. This will benefit you when you are focusing on your emailing strategies and lead nurturing.

No matter what content you offer, use your teachers and other school resources to produce it.

Make sure that it is something that people want. You could offer an eBook on a topic that targets your primary target.

Make sure that the information is useful and meaningful to them.

10.    Continue Marketing Year Round

Even though you have application deadlines and your school is full for the year, keep marketing.

In the world today, people expect fresh content all the time. You can post on your blog, share short videos on social media, and find other ways to engage.

Your online presence is your marketing, and you need to always have fresh content.

Do not take a break when enrolment fills up; continue to work on your marketing so that you will have your prospective students for years to come.

The best way to do this is to create a marketing calendar so the entire team is aware of what content needs to be produced, and when.

11.    Track and Assess the Effectiveness of Your Marketing Campaign Continuously

You should always be tracking and assessing how effective your marketing campaign is.

Pay attention to how many clicks you get, how many conversions. Note whether people are following through and requesting information.

All of the data available today shows you where you may need to make changes.

When you have reliable information on user behaviour, you will know where you need to make changes.

Maybe some information is harder to find, or maybe people don’t want to click so many times.

Either way, pay attention to the numbers so that you can improve your website.

12.    Move Away From Print Advertising

This will be difficult for some of you to accept however it has to be said.

You may be able to increase your brand awareness with print advertising, but it is no longer effective for finding your students.

Even if the ad catches a prospective parent’s eye, he or she will go online to learn more about you before calling.

If you are spending a lot of money on print advertising, you should adjust your strategy and invest in online marketing.

Online marketing is more effective and has built-in data that gives you real information on how you are doing.

More important, it is is very difficult to track a customer journey from print advertising through to enrolment. With Digital marketing, you can.

13.    Start a School Blog

There are many benefits to starting a school blog, if you haven't already, however here is the most prevalent.

 According to Statista, 77% of internet users read blogs regularly.

This means that the majority of people who are looking for information about your field are reading blogs, so if you’re not blogging, then you’re missing out on a huge potential audience.

You can offer content and show prospective families what you do and how you think. Highlight students, or teachers, or even discuss community initiatives.

It really doesn't matter as long as you are active and consistent.

It allows you to increase brand awareness and build trust within the community.

Your search performance will be boosted, and it will increase your website traffic.

14.    Use Automation

Another independent school marketing strategy is to use automation.

When you automate repetitive tasks such as emails or social media posts, you can address many different people without spending a lot of time.

This is important because consumers expect constant updates online. If you don’t post for a few days, you may lose followers.

Automating these tasks ensures that you are always showing up in people’s inboxes and newsfeed, while still providing you with the time to focus on the other areas of growing the school.

15.    Make Sure You Don’t Have Duplicate Social Media Accounts

You should only have one of each social media account.

You want to stick with the most popular ones among prospective parents: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

If you have old versions or outdated accounts, delete them so that there is no confusion.

If people search your school, you want it to be easy to find.

We know that to some this may seem like too much, however if you want your school to grow then there are areas that you can not afford to ignore.

If you’re a  proprietor, governor or independent school head who has too many challenges to be able to choose what actions are the most important.

Or if you’re a school marketing manager who needs help with prioritizing your strategies, we can assist!

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