How can schools, throughout the multi-touch point enrollment journey, be present at every step and resonate with parents and students alike?

digital strategy for schools, the 3 key channels to targeting efficiently prospective families

It’s complicated. This is, in a nutshell, the description of most buying decisions nowadays.

Paradoxically, it is easier than ever to access information, to start a conversation, to compare and finally to buy (or buy into) a product, brand or service, across any industry. It is the decision making process (including the time needed, the number of factors taken into consideration, and the weight of each, for each of us) that brings complexity into the picture.

When it comes to education, things don't get simpler, on the contrary. Both marketing and technology have evolved a lot proposing constantly new avenues for exploration - all of these can elevate a school’s strategy or, oppositely - make it too complex for teams to manage and confusing for prospective families. This article, drawn from our experience working with lead generation and student enrollment journeys within the private education industry, aims to break down the complexity into workable steps.

Digital strategy for schools - what are the key channels for communication?

Here is a streamlined route including the core channels to reach the hearts and minds of parents and students alike.

1. Both parents and students listen to other parents and students.

Just like in every other industry or even more so, in education - word of mouth, personal recommendations, referrals and generally positive reviews make a difference, a jumbo-sized one.

Delivering a best-in-class admissions, enrollment and in-school experience to both parents and students is the most certain way to get new students and parents coming your way. Quite often, the journey of referred families skips several steps because the trust the school had earned from its previous or existing clients, has rubbed on them too. This article explores further why existing clients are a business’ most valuable asset.

2. Parents Search.

Using the search engine is still a core, (and sometimes the primary) channel for parents during the school research and consideration phases. While it is safe to bet on the search engine in most countries, which search engine to focus on specifically might differ by geography. Google still keeps a strong hold over Search globally, but local search engine variants are essential in some regions like China (Baidu) or Russia (Yandex).

Which search engines to invest in (both for organic and paid ranking), how much to stretch across several search engines, in which languages should international schools develop content and run ads? Which geographies should they target? Lots of choices to be made, each with pros and cons. Here is a deep-dive into putting the basis of a solid and scalable search engine marketing strategy for schools.

3. Students Scroll.

The extensive social media “cruising” gives brands, schools included, a chance to resonate with prospective students while they scroll through their feeds. We include here all age ranges, from the authenticity-seeking youngsters of TikTok, to those (still) scrolling on the FB or Instagram feed and, all the way to the professionals of LinkedIn, who might be attracted by a masters program, an MBA or any kind of lifelong learning program. There is one social media platform for each.

How does the choice of one social platform over another vary by age, country or culture? How can schools better orchestrate their presence and adapt the visually enriched content across social media for maximum impact? Stay tuned, we will tackle these topics in upcoming articles.

Evidently, both parents and students will navigate through several channels and engage with multiple touch points down the journey of enrollment. The digital strategy for schools outlined here above captures the channels sitting at the basis of a scalable marketing plan - one that can incorporate additional channels and cross-channel synergies, while not losing its key focus.

Without a doubt, designing a communication strategy, with a strong digital component, that caters to the pain points of prospective families and focuses on how the school adds value for its students, remains key. Let’s take a closer look at the main players of the student enrollment story.

The Parents: Choosing a school for your child is not an easy task, specially when you aim for an international education, and supremely when the kid is of K-12 age. It is a choice with so many personal and emotional implications that it simply crushes against one’s shoulders.

The Students: A whole set of interests, dreams and expectations is associated to the school. If primary school kids have no involvement in the decision, choosing an international school for a teenager brings, into the already complex equation, a few extra “conditions”. In some cultures and countries, the involvement and influence stemming from the student herself/himself can significantly tilt the balance in favor of one school or another.

The Marketing & Admissions teams: K-12 schools recruiting students globally do not have it easy either, especially when their team is not big enough - which is quite a frequent scenario. The first piece of the puzzle is knowing their audience well and making sure that the polestar of their marketing efforts is well-placed so as to make the best impact possible with the resources available.

Should your team need help revising and elevating the school’s overall student acquisition strategy, explore our digital marketing for school programs or contact us directly to discuss your needs.

Image Credits

John Schnobrich via Unsplash.

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