Running a private school in today’s digital age has various challenges. One of the most pressing is providing high-quality education while attracting new students and parents.
To solve this problem, you may have tried traditional marketing strategies. However, due to the ever-changing shift in marketing trends, social media marketing techniques have become more effective.
As a result, in this article, we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of social media marketing for private schools. We’ll also provide tips on how to stay competitive in the education industry.
What is School Marketing?
School advertisement refers to the strategies employed by educational institutions to promote their programs, facilities, and services to potential students, parents, and stakeholders.
These strategies include print and digital advertising, social media campaigns, school activities, SEO, targeted emails, and other promotional efforts.
Furthermore, a school marketing plan aims to establish a positive perception of the institution among its target audience, separate it from rival schools, and raise enrollment and funding.
How To Market Your School?
It’s no secret that schools operate in a very competitive environment. With so many institutions competing for the attention of potential students, they must have an efficient marketing strategy to stand out from the crowd.
One of the most effective methods to accomplish this is digital marketing.
But what is digital marketing? Digital marketing for schools promotes educational institutions through various Internet marketing tactics.
So, to be successful in your school marketing strategies, here is a detailed analysis of how to market a school digitally.
Step 1 – Create a Responsive Website
Your school website serves as the front door to your institution. It’s generally the first place prospective families and students search for information about your school, making it an essential component of your digital marketing plan.
If your website is exciting and informative, it can entice visitors to learn more about your school on other platforms, such as social media; plan a visit or contact your office for more information.
So, here are the procedures to follow when developing a digital marketing strategy for private school websites.
- Conduct market research to determine who your target audience is.
- Create a comprehensive website that is visually appealing and easy to explore.
- Create helpful content that appeals to your target audience and highlights your school’s capabilities.
- Make your website mobile-friendly.
- Use SEO strategies to increase the internet visibility of your website.
- Measure the success of your digital marketing efforts with analytics tools and make adjustments as needed.
- Continually refine and update your digital marketing strategy to stay competitive.
Step 2: Make your website SEO-friendly.
Invest in search engine optimisation (SEO) to boost your rankings on search engines like Google and Bing. This strategy will help increase your school’s visibility and attract potential students looking for schools like yours.
Step 3: Email Marketing
Engage current and potential students, parents, and alums via email marketing. Distribute publications, announcements, and events, and promote the admissions process at your school.
Step 4: Paid Advertising
Use pay-per-click (PPC), Google AdWords, and social network ads to reach your target audience. These tools will assist you in attracting leads, increasing your visibility, and communicating with your target audience.
Step 5: Content Marketing
The term “content is king” is well-known in marketing and digital content creation. It refers to the notion that providing high-quality, valuable, and relevant information is critical for attracting and engaging an audience.
How do you generate content?
There are numerous ways to generate content, but the simplest is through crowdsourcing posts.
A crowdsourced post for a school’s content marketing strategy would entail reaching out to school community members, such as students, teachers, alums, and parents, to share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas about the institution.
This post would present the group’s collective viewpoint and bring a human touch to the brand.
Social Media Marketing For Private Schools
The goal of social media marketing for schools is to add value.
But what exactly is value? In social media marketing, value refers to the benefits social media activities can offer the school community, such as increased engagement, a positive reputation, and enhanced communication.
Instead of simply promoting the school, the emphasis should be on giving helpful information, communicating with followers, and establishing a community.
Furthermore, here are some methods to effectively implement a social media marketing strategy for schools:
- Lead generation.
- Lead nurture.
- Lead conversion.
Lead Generations
This objective focuses on attracting new clients and obtaining their contact information through social media.
A typical example of lead generation on social media is launching a targeted ad campaign to catch the attention of a specific audience segment.
For example, as a school brand, you can run Instagram advertisements offering e-books about your teachers’ and students’ success rates. In exchange for the e-book, interested consumers must provide their name and email address, thus turning into leads.
Lead Nurture
Once you’ve captured leads, your next goal is to nurture and create a relationship with them via social media.
This stage entails interacting with leads through personalised content, addressing their pain points, and providing value.
For example, you can start a Facebook group to share study tips, answer questions, and provide members with exclusive information.
Lead Conversion
The final goal is to convert leads into paying customers or clients. Social media plays an integral part in this stage by providing offers, discounts, or promotions suited to the leads’ requirements and preferences.
For example, you can use social media networks like Facebook and Instagram to promote a limited-time admission program with a 20% discount exclusively to your followers.
Note: Leads are more likely to convert into customers with a sense of urgency and a compelling offer.
How to get your dream clients via social media
- Identify your ideal client and the best social media platforms to contact them.
- When using social media marketing for private schools, always include a clear call to action at the end of each post.
- Always reply to comments and messages, ask questions, and share user-generated content.
- Create a memorable brand by developing a motto that connects with your target audience, such as Harvard’s ‘Veritas’ (truth).
- Make a story inventory by brainstorming back-to-school social media post ideas. You must evaluate your origin narrative and any other stories you may have.
- Analyse and quantify the outcomes of your social media advertising activities by tracking data such as engagement, reach, and conversions.
What is the most effective social media platform?
To ensure that your private school marketing strategies bear good fruit, you need to use platforms that allow you to reach your target demographic effortlessly. According to Statista, the following are the best social media platforms for schools:
- With a 93% market share, Facebook is the best social media platform for private and independent schools.
- Instagram – (83%)
- Twitter – (68%)
- YouTube – (55%)
- LinkedIn – (44%)
- Google – (11%)
- Social review sites – (6%)
- Pinterest – (6%)
- Snapchat – (4%)
- Social bookmarking – (1%)
- Forums and geolocations – (0.3%)
The Bottomline
The importance of social media marketing for private schools cannot be overstated. As illustrated throughout this article, using social media platforms is more than just a passing trend; it is critical for success in the educational industry.
Therefore, as a private school owner, you must recognise that social media marketing is a vital instrument that, when used effectively, can deliver excellent outcomes. As a result, it is critical to use the strategies outlined above to maximise social media’s potential and achieve the intended goal.
