2023 Digital Marketing Playbook for International Schools
Times have changed. Both parents and students have changed their behavior and criteria for selecting a school abroad. It is hence essential for the education industry as a whole to keep up and move - always forward.
To attract the new generation of students, international schools must rethink their messaging and recruiting techniques.
The accelerated adoption of digital, in all its forms, in international schools is one positive reality of the post-pandemic times. Certainly one worth building upon. As the “new normal” keeps evolving, 2023 is in full swing and international schools are recruiting students in a global world marked by uncertainty.
The start of a new academic year is right around the corner and there is no going back to the old ways of promoting a school. Times have changed and prospective families have shifted their preferences and criteria for selecting a school. International schools need an updated playbook to attract a diverse student body on their campuses.
The 2022 digital marketing checklist for schools is still valid, containing all the ever green digital priorities and initiatives. Here are the key updates and trends for 2023.
1. Student-centricity is the norm. New messaging is called-for.
Forget your school, it is all about the students: how they are supported and guided, how their learning needs will be addressed, how their future and their careers will be empowered. Shifted priorities require updated messaging. Here is how to go about it.
Plan an overall content revision. Parents and students will look on the websites, across social platforms and printed materials, for clear evidence of the impact studying at a school will have, in terms of preparing students for the unexpected that awaits them. Today’s parents and students are more pragmatic.
Stay open for enquiries 24hrs. A detailed FAQ section, a contact form or email, an AI empowered chat bot, a downloadable brochure or pricing plans - information and answers must be available round the clock.
Be fast in replying. The pandemic has forever changed the communication dynamic between schools and prospective families. Aligning schedules and travels to fit the school’s open days has been replaced by virtual tours, online interviews with student ambassadors and generally any form of digital communication. And a fast return is expected.
Student-centered and personalized. Welcome to the future of education!
2. Keep focus on the channels that have proven to be enrollment drivers.
International schools generally have small marketing teams, not occasionally mixing admissions, marketing and a few other important tasks. In such circumstances, it becomes imperative to focus correctly the limited time and resources. With lots of new digital platforms and promotion options, teams can easily find themselves chasing too many “shiny objects”.
Stay open and curious to what’s new. It is, of course, prudent to keep an eye on the new options. Evaluate, test and in time, integrate what works and what’s manageable within the team. Stretching oneself too thin simply won't do.
Do not shift focus from what’s already working - this is a daunting mistake. Every school should have a fairly good idea of what are the key digital channels and initiatives that drive admissions. The search engine, for example, is still the dominant source used by parents to discover new schools. Hence, a streamlined search engine strategy should rank and remain high on the digital marketing priorities of every international school.
Invest time & resources in proven enrollment drivers.
Keep an eye out for what’s “new” but don’t shift focus from what’s already working.
3. Authenticity is the best kind of marketing.
In the end, being authentic in all its communication, is the only way a school will attract the right kind of students. “To be real” is a requirement for any brand nowadays, schools are not an exception. Videos and “live”, unfiltered communication concepts are best at revealing a school’s true identity. Emotions are, ultimately, the currency of the K-12 education sector.
Enough with the student models and stock images - you know what we mean. The real students on campus are a school’s best chance to attract more students, just like them. You don’t need models, just a professional photo & video shoot. And for true diversity on campus, schools must do the deep DEI work - “fake” images will not go a long way.
More student take-overs on social media accounts - nobody knows better what, when and how to post to “speak the language” of other teenagers, than a teenager herself/himself. Give students your trust, they will repay with a kind of creativity school staff and social media managers might have a hard time to come up with.
Meaningful student and parent testimonials are golden - a central element of your marketing strategy but go the extra mile: organize “lives” on social, involving students and alumni or plan Q&A sessions to enable prospective students and parents to get real school insights from existing and graduated students.
Video everything you can video - a fun virtual campus tour, videos of extra curricular activities on and off-campus, video testimonials, videos from the graduation ceremony. Incorporating them all, across your digital marketing strategy is key.
Witnessing the true in-school culture playing out in front of their eyes, is a tremendous differentiator for prospective students.
And authentic video content does this best.
This list focuses on the first and key stage of the student journey - ensuring that your international school is found online by prospective families, in a way that speaks to them. Even though the examples and action points given aim to support and improve the lead generation phase, these also apply 100% to the subsequent stages of the student journey.
Whether you are looking to bring your own digital marketing strategy up to date or to revamp your overall online lead acquisition strategy, contact us. Our senior consultants are a great sparring partner to brush up and maximise your efforts to boost admissions. Looking for more digital marketing tips and materials? Browse through the education marketing hub.
Image Credits
In order: Ernest Brillo, Bethany Legg, Lukas Blazek Gift Habeshaw via Unsplash.
About Journee - Digital at Ease
Founded by two digital marketing professionals with extensive international experience, Journee GmbH is a female owned digital marketing and technology boutique consultancy.
The founders have multidimensional experience within the Education & EdTech industry, having worked closely with schools and other education providers, for 10+ years, across all facets of digital acquisition: awareness, lead generation, student recruitment and retention.