In the complex world of education, promoting a private school can become challenging when you don't have a well-defined marketing strategy. How can you stand out in a field where seemingly the same services can be obtained for free, or in a society known for its lack of investment in education?
In this article, we will discuss online and offline marketing strategies that you can implement to promote the services of a private school.
Don't forget that if you feel it might become overwhelming at a certain point, a digital marketing agency can always assist you in supporting your business in the online environment.
However, before we start discussing marketing, it is essential to establish a clear and well-defined vision of the values you promote. In the field of education, promoting values is just as important as the quality of education itself. These values should be reflected in the image you project, your activities, and your communication. When parents choose to enroll their child in your school, they should feel a resonance with what you convey to their child and why you are the best option. In this regard, an integrated marketing strategy is a key solution for private schools looking to attract prospective students.
Now it's time to talk about the first steps in an online marketing strategy and practical examples of how you can get closer to parents and children, ranking high in online search results.
First, Make Sure You Have a Well-Designed Website
A website is a crucial component of an effective marketing strategy and serves as your launchpad for visibility. It should provide comprehensive information such as details about the educational program you offer, costs, admission information, your teaching staff, alumni, extracurricular activities available to students, and other relevant details (transportation, meal programs, uniforms, etc.).
From a technical perspective, the website should be well-designed and optimized for search engines and all devices used in searching for a suitable private school (especially for mobile, as 55% of people access the internet from their phones). Ensure a pleasant user experience when someone visits and navigates your website, with fast loading times (ideally under 3 seconds) and well-organized and distributed information. People's patience is decreasing, so try to take that into account.
Create an SEO Strategy
Developing an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy is an excellent way to build credibility and ensure that your school is easily found by potential audiences searching for a private educational institution. The start of a new phase in a child's life comes with a million questions for parents. You can certainly create various blog articles that provide some of the answers parents are looking for.
Best SEO practices for promoting a private school include publishing articles that can address parents' curiosities, using relevant keywords related to education, and providing valuable information about your school and educational program.
Several free SEO tools can help you find the right keywords, generate relevant keyword ideas, or provide insights about your website: Google Ads Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, Semrush, or Seobility.
A Social Media Strategy Can Boost Your Visibility
With a well-defined social media strategy, you can increase your school's visibility and brand awareness. Before you start posting, make sure you have a consistent visual identity and valuable content for each social media platform. Use a combination of images, videos, and written content to convey your messages engagingly and interactively.
Instagram and TikTok can be great platforms to engage and educate the younger generations, while Facebook and LinkedIn are ideal for reaching parents or professionals in the field.
However, throughout this process, don't forget to stick to the values established at the beginning and create content accordingly. We've discussed on our website how you can create a successful strategy on TikTok.
Use Your Advertising Budget Wisely
If you have an advertising budget, you can use paid ads to effectively promote your school to your target audience. Regardless of where you place your ads, it's important to define the target audience correctly, choose the right keywords, and create a landing page on your website that provides relevant information about your school and educational program. At the end of the page, include a form for interested parents to schedule a visit or request more information. A digital marketing agency can assist you with implementing, monitoring, optimizing, and reporting on campaigns based on your needs and budget, to achieve your set objectives.
Is There Promotion Outside the Internet? The answer is yes!
While more and more marketing campaigns are taking place online, offline marketing can still be an effective method to attract visitors and clients in the field of education. You can actively participate in educational fairs, festivals, and specialized conferences to promote your school. Such activities can help you reach your target audience (parents who are involved and interested in their child's education) more easily and even get to know them, see their other interests, and the values they prioritize (which can later be applied to your SEO strategy or targeted paid advertising).
You can also use banners, ads, and brochures to promote your values and services. Display them in places where you believe you can gather the most potential clients, such as at the reception of certain office buildings, multinational companies, or playgrounds.
Whether your school is already well-known in the field of private education or you're starting a new venture in this direction, you need to follow an integrated and efficient marketing strategy that can help you with promotion, increasing visibility, and building brand awareness. If you feel that there are too many things to handle, don't forget that a digital marketing agency in London can always assist you in guiding, supporting, and successfully promoting marketing strategies that reach the target audience and attract new students to your institution.
