As the competition among international schools intensifies, the necessity for effective marketing strategies has never been more crucial. To help schools thrive in this competitive landscape, this comprehensive guide explores the top 9 marketing strategies to boost enrolment and raise their profile.
1. Develop a Robust Brand Identity
The Power of Branding
Creating a strong brand identity is not merely about having an eye-catching logo or a catchy slogan. It’s about defining your school’s essence, the core values it stands for, and the unique offerings it provides. It’s the narrative you tell to the world about your school’s mission, vision, and ethos. To put it simply, your brand is your school’s identity, and it influences how your school is perceived by parents, students, and the broader community.
Branding and School Identity
To create a compelling brand, start by identifying what makes your school unique. Perhaps it’s your innovative curriculum, your focus on holistic development, or your commitment to diversity and inclusion. Whatever it is, make sure it clearly resonates through all your communication channels.
The Role of Leadership in Branding
School leaders play a crucial role in shaping a school’s brand. They are the torchbearers of the school’s vision and values. Their leadership style, approach to education, and their ability to foster a positive school culture significantly impact the school’s brand image.
2. Streamline Your Digital Presence
The Importance of a Strong Online Presence
Today, the digital landscape serves as the primary platform where prospective parents and students gather information about schools. Hence, having a strong online presence is key to attracting and retaining students. This involves having an informative and user-friendly website, maintaining an active presence on social media platforms, and leveraging digital advertising.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
SEO is a digital marketing tool that enhances your school’s visibility on search engines like Google. By strategically using keywords related to your school and its offerings, you can improve your school’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs), making it easier for prospective parents and students to find you.
International schools face unique challenges in regards to SEO. Like any bricks and mortar business, local visibility is important, however, most international schools want to attract families from overseas that may be looking to relocate to your area.
Social Media Marketing
Social media platforms offer a powerful way to connect with your audience, share your school’s stories, and build a sense of community. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter allow you to showcase your school’s achievements, share updates, and engage with your audience in a more casual and personal way.
3. Implement Inbound Marketing Techniques
Understanding Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is a strategy that involves attracting potential students and their families through the creation of relevant and helpful content. Instead of pushing out generic promotional content, inbound marketing focuses on providing value to your audience, addressing their needs and concerns, and guiding them through their decision-making process.
The Role of Content Marketing
Content marketing is a key component of inbound marketing. This involves creating and sharing valuable content such as blog posts, case studies, e-books, and videos. The aim is to establish your school as a reliable source of information and an authority in the field of education.
Creating great content that displays the benefits of your school at each stage of your potential families’ customer journey is crucial for nurturing leads from awareness, to retaining families.
Personalised Content and Segmentation
To make your content marketing more effective, consider personalising your content for different market segments of your audience. Incoming families of different nationalities and backgrounds will likely have very different needs, expectations and pain points.
A well-crafted marketing plan should provide the basis of which market segments your school wishes to target.
4. Engage with the Community
The Power of Community Engagement
Engaging with the local community is a powerful way to enhance your school’s reputation and strengthen its ties with potential students and their families. This could involve participating in local events, partnering with local organisations, or hosting community events at your school.
Building a Strong School Community
Building a strong school community fosters a sense of belonging among students and parents. This can be achieved by creating opportunities for parents, students, and staff to interact and collaborate. This could involve organising school events, facilitating parent-teacher meetings, and encouraging parent and student participation in school activities.
The Role of Parent Ambassadors
Parents are a valuable resource when it comes to promoting your school within the community. By empowering parents as ambassadors, you can leverage their networks and influence to spread positive word-of-mouth about your school.
5. Utilise Word-of-Mouth and Testimonials
The Impact of Word-of-Mouth
Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool, and for most school provides the best quality leads. Parents and students trust the recommendations of their peers more than any advertising campaign. Encourage parents, students, and alumni to share their positive experiences and success stories. This could be through testimonials on your website, social media posts, or casual conversations within their networks.
The Importance of Testimonials
Testimonials provide social proof and instil trust in prospective parents and students. They offer a personal, real-life perspective on what it’s like to be part of your school community. Include a variety of testimonials on your website and in your marketing materials to provide a comprehensive picture of your school from different viewpoints.
6. Invest in Digital Advertising
The Role of Digital Advertising
Digital advertising is a potent tool that can complement your organic marketing efforts. It allows you to reach a wider audience, target specific demographics, and deliver tailored messages to prospective parents and students. Platforms like Google Ads and social media advertising platforms offer sophisticated targeting options to help you reach your ideal audience.
When used in conjunction with SEO, digital advertising can really help boost your school’s online presence, increasing awareness and directly generating leads.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a form of digital advertising where you pay a fee each time someone clicks on your ad. It’s an effective way to drive traffic to your website and increase your visibility on search engines. PPC advertising can be particularly effective for schools as it allows you to target specific keywords related to education and your specific school offerings.
7. Leverage Email Marketing Campaigns
The Power of Email Marketing
Email marketing is a cost-effective way to communicate with your audience directly, keep them informed, and nurture leads. By sending regular newsletters, updates, and personalised content, you can keep your school top of mind for prospective parents and students and guide them through the enrolment process.
Much of this can be automated and can help nurture leads, but think about your potential parent’s customer journey and direct them to high-quality content that helps guide their decision through the consideration phase of their journey.
Personalised Email Campaigns
Personalised email campaigns can significantly increase engagement and conversion rates. By segmenting your email list based on various factors such as the stage of the enrolment process, interests, or past interactions, you can deliver highly relevant content to each recipient. This can foster stronger relationships with your audience and increase the likelihood of enrolment.
8. Foster Parent-Teacher Communication
The Importance of Communication
Strong parent-teacher communication is key to student retention and parent satisfaction. By facilitating regular communication through parent-teacher conferences, emails, newsletters, and online portals, you can keep parents informed about their child’s progress and upcoming school events. This can foster a sense of involvement and trust among parents, which can contribute to higher enrolment and retention rates.
9. Set and Monitor Enrolment Goals
Setting Enrolment Goals
Setting clear and measurable enrolment goals can help you focus your marketing efforts and track your progress. Your goals can be based on the number of new enrolments, retention rates, or specific demographic targets. Make sure your goals are realistic, aligned with your school’s mission and resources, and flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances.
Monitoring and Adjusting Your Goals
Regular monitoring and evaluation of your enrollment goals are crucial for understanding the effectiveness of your marketing strategies and making necessary adjustments. By tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, lead conversion rates, and enrolment numbers, you can gain valuable insights into your marketing performance and identify areas for improvement.
In conclusion, implementing effective marketing strategies is crucial for international schools to attract and retain students in today’s increasingly competitive educational landscape. By developing a strong brand, optimising your digital presence, implementing inbound marketing techniques, engaging with the community, utilising word-of-mouth and testimonials, investing in digital advertising, leveraging email marketing campaigns, fostering parent-teacher communication, and setting and monitoring enrolment goals, international schools can achieve their enrolment targets and enhance their reputation.