Top 8 Marketing Plans for Schools and Other Financial Institutions
Jeff Bezos once said- “A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn a reputation by trying to do hard things well.” Though this statement is universal, it best fits the concept of education marketing. A well-crafted school marketing plan helps educational institutions create trust and confidence among students and parents.
With so many options, parents are likely to consider numerous factors before deciding something for their kids. Robust marketing can help you gain visibility but can be overwhelming and expensive.
So, which strategies are apt for marketing your school, and how can you get started?
Keep reading this blog to learn the significance of school marketing and the top eight ways to achieve your goals.
Why Should You Develop Marketing Plans for Schools?
We have encountered several educational institutions that don’t think that they require a school marketing plan to get more students and establish stronger relationships. However, please note that the market size of the education sector in Canada is $44 billion.
Naturally, there is rising competition, and parents expect a lot from schools, colleges, universities, etc. Also, the rise of e-learning has raised the overall service quality—making school marketing strategies more crucial!
Here is how marketing your school works during every stage of the student acquisition and retainment cycles:
- The Top-of-the-Funnel Strategy to Increase Brand Awareness: It doesn’t matter if your school is in a small neighbourhood or a top-tier city. There is always another institution you may need to beat to get more enrollments. Thus, you require a TOFu school marketing plan to put yourself in front of your audiences.
- The Middle-of-the-Funnel Conversion-Driving Campaign: The next step is using MOFu marketing for schools to engage parents and students who already know you. Schools can compile a list of every prospect who visited their Facebook page or dropped an enquiry. They can also re-target audiences ahead of the TOFu campaign for better impact.
- The Bottom-of-the-Funnel Re-Enrollment Campaign: The last stage of a school marketing plan is to get the students to enroll with your education organization and retain them for a long time. Once a family enrolls, you still need to run marketing campaigns, like social media ads, PPC ads, direct mailings, etc. You must constantly communicate about your services and tell student success stories to build a vast network of happy parents.
Top 8 Marketing Strategies for Schools
The most crucial question educational organizations must ask is- how to create a marketing plan for a school. We have a few ideas for you, irrespective of whether you already have an advertising plan or want to develop a new program to boost enrollments:
#1 Direct Mailing
Canada Post research shows that direct mail takes 21% less cognitive effort to process than digital marketing—making this channel ideal for marketing your school effectively!
Here are more statistics that prove direct mail marketing is one of the best channels for your school marketing strategies to get better results:
- 66% of Canadians store mail items they think are helpful.
- 57% feel more special when an organization contacts them via direct mail.
- 64% of Canadians visit the sender’s website after receiving a marketing mailer, making it a must-have for your school marketing plan mix.
You can compile parent testimonials, video links, custom QR codes, etc., to curate the most eye-catching mailers. Also, you may use several mail formats, like newsletters, personalized letters, postcards, school pamphlets, etc. And PostGrid’s direct mail API can help you along the way, ensuring you get positive responses!
Also Read: Best Direct Mail Marketing Companies
#2 Improve Your Website’s User Experience and Design
One of the primary reasons to revamp your website is to match your audience’s expectations. Also, it is one of the best marketing strategies for schools looking to develop better communication with students, parents, investors, and past students.
For example, students expect to get recent updates and notices on their school website. Hence, investing in a school marketing plan and designing your website well is crucial.
Also, parents might want to check out the dates for the parent-teacher meeting conferences online. Likewise, some investors may need to check the blog section to keep tabs on the school’s operations.
All these factors dictate that every school must have a well-updated website that connects the organization with its audience. And the best part about investing in your official website is that it’s a subtle school marketing plan. It helps retain your current students and attract more prospects simultaneously.
#3 Build and Send Email Newsletters
Sending automated emails or conducting email drip campaigns can help you grab your audience’s attention and promote your services.
Emails are one of the most effective and affordable school marketing strategies to:
- Welcome and onboard newly-enrolled families.
- Onboard new staff members and faculty.
- Promote an upcoming school event, like a charity fundraiser, annual day, sports day, felicitation program, etc.
- Remind students and community members of deadlines.
- Promote several school clubs and encourage members to participate.
- Create an extensive parents’ group as part of your school marketing plan to act as ambassadors for your organization.
- Motivate parents and students to refer your school to their family, relatives, friends, colleagues, and neighbours.
- Send personalized messages to improve brand reputation.
Hence, email school marketing strategies can help you fulfill several objectives. The good news is that you can conduct drip campaigns, so you only need to focus on the email content.
Also Read: Go To Market Strategies
#4 Level Up Your Social Media Marketing Game
Gone are the days when only celebrities flaunted their work on social media. Today, all businesses, irrespective of their industry as part of this incredible digital platform. Thus, social media marketing for schools forms a significant section of an educational firm’s operations.
All schools must have at least one page on popular social media channels, like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, as part of their school marketing plan or strategy. Thus, it becomes simple for the community members to receive timely updates and know the school’s workings in-depth.
Also, it is not hard to prepare content for your social media marketing plan for private school because you can post several things, including:
- Pictures from a school event.
- Random imagery of students and teachers in your school.
- Quotes about your school’s mission and vision.
- Details about upcoming inter-school or inter-department events.
- Information on upcoming field trips, industrial visits, etc.
Thus, when discussing creating social media marketing plans for schools- the sky’s the limit! However, draft a calendar ahead of time and automate everything to make the best of your online advertising channels.
#5 Invest In Video Content
Typically, people like watching videos, irrespective of the message. Hence, try using video marketing to talk directly to parents and boost your brand reputation. Employing visual content in your school marketing plan can be expensive, but it is worth the investment.
Also, you can use your video content as part of your multi-channel school marketing strategies, like direct mailing and social media promotions. Here are a few examples:
- You can add the video link to your automated emails to increase click-through rates.
- Also, you may insert a YouTube link to your video in your direct mailers to engage more people. Another idea is to shorten the links or use QR codes, prompting recipients to view your message effortlessly.
- Post videos on all your social media pages to garner more attention and increase followers for marketing your school efficiently. Post a short educational video with the help of AI shorts maker that can help you to grow engagement and branding around students.
#6 Begin a School Blog
Your website should have a separate blog section that increases online traffic. Also, dedicate this page to showcasing your expertise and corresponding with your intended audience daily.
Blogs form an excellent school marketing plan because you can use them in several ways. You can draft and post event-specific blogs or general articles about the education industry.
However, your content must be interactive and lively. Also, you must ask the following questions before developing school marketing strategies around online blogs:
- Who will write the blog content?
- Who is the target audience?
- Can students submit article requests for your blog section?
- What topics will you post?
- Will you include a call-to-action in your articles, and what will it be?
#7 Encourage Members to Post Online Reviews
Your marketing plans for schools must consider creating an impeccable online and offline reputation. Hence, try persuading your students, parents, staff members, teachers, etc., to post online testimonials for everyone else to view.
These reviews shape your brand considerably and decide how many enrollments you get each year. So, try to get more positive feedback under your school marketing plan and deal with negative publicity wisely.
#8 Improve Your SEO School Marketing Strategies
Your search engine optimization programs affect your online traffic and enrollments tremendously. Thus, pay attention to meta descriptions, title tags, keywords, on-page content, etc., to increase your digital traffic and get more inquiries.
We understand that implementing marketing strategies for schools around SEO can take months or even years. However, it is crucial to maintain your online presence and rank on search engines. Any parent or student who searches for a good school in the locality must find your organization’s website and contact you. With that goal in mind, ensure your school marketing plan always covers SEO and other digital promotion strategies.
Also Read: Letterbox MarketingHow Does PostGrid’s Online Direct Mail Solutions Improve Your School Marketing Strategies?
There are several ways in which PostGrid assists schools and other educational organizations promote their brand. It allows them to send personalized, relevant direct mailers to boost conversion ratios. Here’s how PostGrid helps increase the quality of school marketing strategies and direct mailing:
- Bulk mail: Schools might need to send large volumes of mailpieces to their students, like prospectuses, handbooks, report cards, admission forms, etc. PostGrid’s direct mail services enable them to send on-demand and bulk mail to conduct flexible campaigns.
- API integrations: PostGrid helps make marketing plans for schools cost-efficient and productive by offering several API integrations. Thus, you can integrate our print and mail solutions into your CRM and send mailers directly without an extensive technical set-up.
- Unlimited users: You can add multiple users to your PostGrid account—to smoothen your school marketing strategies and accelerate responses. For example, the HOD can print and ship specific documents to parents with one click. Similarly, adding your marketing manager can help send advertising mailers to the right people at the right time. Thus, you can align several teams and ensure consistency throughout the system.
- Lawfully-compliant mailings: Many think only healthcare providers follow the HIPAA and PIPEDA rules. Though these laws are primarily for these organizations, they apply to every business dealing with Protected Health Information (PHI). Hence, PostGrid helps them launch effective school direct mail marketing strategies to promote themselves lawfully.
- Low rates: As said earlier, developing marketing plans for schools is far from easy and affordable. However, using PostGrid helps organizations send result-driving marketing items at all-inclusive pricing.
Also Read: Letterbox Marketing
Conclusion
It is the need of the hour for educational institutions to understand how to develop a marketing plan for a school and become vocal about its needs. They must be proactive about getting new enrollments, boosting charity events, developing strong communication with their audience, etc.
Luckily, PostGrid offers an excellent opportunity for schools to fulfill these motives. Its direct mail services can aid school marketing strategies and guarantee their success!
Contact our sales team now to get more information about our automated marketing plans for schools using direct mail!
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