7 Marketing Strategies for Schools

Some people may see a school as an establishment that merely caters to the educational needs of our society’s youth without the intention of gaining profit. Well, they’re partially right. Although some schools register themselves as nonprofit organizations, some schools are pure business, which means they need profit to continue operating. However, that doesn’t mean they just want money from their students’ families. Same as nonprofit schools, they also advocate the same general educational principles.

7 Marketing Strategies for Schools

So, if you’re planning on starting a school business, you must understand the value of gaining revenue and profit. How can you achieve revenue and profit? It starts by adopting effective marketing strategies. Marketing is a business tactic that every company executes, including schools. It’s an excellent method to obtain customers, or in this case, to obtain students. So without further ado, we’ll show you seven marketing strategies to help make your school popular.

Make Parents the Primary Target Market

Yes, students are the customers of your private school. But, in marketing your school to the masses, your primary target shouldn’t be the students. Instead, your primary target should be their parents. Why? Well, it’s the parents who’ll decide which school their children should attend. Plus, they’re the ones who’ll be paying for the school quotation or tuition. Parents have the final say what kind of education their children must receive.

In every marketing material that your school will publish, make sure that their intended audience is parents. Everything from the content of your school’s marketing brochures, flyers, posters, or TV ads should appeal more to parents. Create content that can catch their interest in your school.

Emphasize Your School’s Distinction

When you open your school, it’s not the first school that your locality has. Several other schools, both private and public, have already established a steady footing in your city or state. In that case, your school will encounter fierce competition once you open its doors for enrollment.

To obtain a competitive edge over other schools, you need to emphasize that it makes your school unique. Your educational programs with other schools will be more or less the same. But the distinct way that your faculty staff delivers education to the students could attract attention. And, if your school’s facilities are promising and more conducive for learning, flaunt them to your target market. Make it a part of your business plan to transcend teaching traditions that enhance students’ learning capabilities.

Keep in mind that differentiating a business from competition is an essential aspect of marketing.

Build a Social Media Presence

Almost every business nowadays has a presence on social media. After all, most people are social media users, which means a large chunk of various market demographics is present on social media. Even better, using social media to boost a business’s promotion is cost-friendly, and there’s no need to sign a contract. That said, in making a social media account for your school, you don’t need any funding or an extravagant budget to do so. It’s for free; anyone can create a social media account to market their business.

The very reason why your school should have a social media presence is that it helps to put your school on the map. We all know for a fact that word travels fast on social media platforms. If your school is active on social media, both parents and students will hear about it in no time.

Publish Blogs Through the School’s Official Website

According to a statistic from TechClient.com, businesses that publish blogs can generate 126% more leads than companies that don’t. With that in mind, if your school publishes blogs through its official website, it can garner attention among parents and students. But it won’t just be parents and students, but people in the online community as well.

Just like social media, blogging can also put your school on the map. Educational and informative blogs can become bridges to help your school connect with people. And, don’t do any hard selling in your blogs. Let your advertising materials do that. Blogging should focus on engaging your target audience casually, like two ordinary people talking about important things.

Use Search Engine Optimization Techniques

If you’re serious about marketing your school using its website, you should invest in search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. Blogging is an SEO practice. However, SEO is more than just blogging. You have to do extensive keyword research for your blogs and other written content. And also, you need to be in the know of current trends and hot topics in the market.

Despite the complexity of applying SEO techniques, using them will pay off in the long run. SEO practices help your school’s website obtain a high ranking on search engines such as Google. You can also hire an SEO specialist. Let them conduct an assessment or analysis of your school’s website. Afterward, they’ll execute a checklist of strategies to help boost the website’s ranking.

Use Marketing Automation Tools

Marketing automation tools can help you launch and utilize consistent school marketing campaigns on various platforms without lifting a finger. Mostly, they’ll be doing the heavy lifting in promoting your school to the masses.

Other businesses, not just schools, are using marketing automation tools, and the results were as expected. According to a report in FinalSite.com, companies that invest in marketing automation tools usually enjoy a 77% increase in conversions. What is meant by conversion is the process of successfully turning prospects into customers or clients. Many marketing automation tools are available for purchase online. They’re a bit costly, but we assure you that your money won’t go to waste.

Post Videos

Aside from blogs and other written forms of marketing, video marketing is even more helpful. Videos are more engaging and interactive, which means they’re more interesting. On top of that, not every person is a reader. Some people prefer to find information through visuals and virtual interaction. With those in mind, make it a part of your marketing plan to post videos with useful content. Because your business is a school, the most appropriate content for your videos should be educational topics. You can post videos on social media platforms and Youtube.

Whatever marketing tactic you’ll be using, always remember that providing quality education is the message you need to convey. The knowledge that your school will deliver to the youth is its main selling point. So, start planning your school-building project now. Sooner or later, your school will become a pathway for children to nurture their capabilities.

More in School