1. Start early
If your Open Day is in the Autumn, you will need to be planning your open day promotion now. Gather your team and brainstorm ideas. Focus on what has worked in the past and the improvements that you feel you can make in the future for this upcoming Open Day.
Embrace digital advertising and the control that it affords you. Be present on both paid and organic social to get the word out there to your target audience and to track interest throughout the run up to Open Day season!
Be proactive. If they are making the move up from primary school to high school in 2025, parents and guardians will be eager to plan out any school Open Days as soon as possible.
Students and parents will equally be keen to understand when their prospective College and University Open Days are, so that they can synchronise calendars and parents can book time away from other commitments if needed.
Promote your open day with a personal video invitation from you. This will engage your audience, so why not consider using this on any social media, landing pages or emails that are focused on your Open Day?
Welcome parents and students and provide a familiar face so that they know who to look out for on the day. This will also give you the opportunity to provide an agenda for the day or guidance on what to expect from their time with you and your team.
The education of their offspring is understandably one of the most important factors in a parent’s life and a familiar face when they enter the building on your Open Day can really help to evoke curiosity and a sense of familiarity for attendees.
Use an online booking system so that you can track who is attending your Open Day and stay connected along the journey from booking to post-event. Provide reminders and insight into what to expect.
School or campus tours will form part of your open day marketing strategy and will potentially require travel, transport and childcare arrangements for your attendees, so the clearer your booking system the better. Remember to include all key info – where can attendees park their car, will they need to pay to park, how long will the Open Day last, are potential students/siblings welcome or is it a parent/guardian only event?
Be crystal clear on your instructions and you will find that attendees arrive at your Open Day more relaxed and ready to learn all about the fantastic facilities and resources you have to offer.
Combine digital with traditional advertising tactics to promote your open day by sending out leaflets and putting up posters in areas that your target audience frequent.
Will you be handing out prospectuses during the Open Day? Will you be posting a copy of your Prospectus to all registered attendees before the Open Day or as a follow-up? Or perhaps replacing printed copies with a digital version and a QR code?
You can place banners strategically outside your facility, perhaps on the fence of your playground or gardens.
On the day remember to provide directional signage. You could include uniformed car parking attendees (senior students or support staff are perfect for this role) and have branded umbrellas on hand for staff to hold and share with attendees – this can offer a nice touch if the weather is looking a little unsettled.
Your Open Day is the perfect opportunity for you to have an informal chat with parents and potential students outside of the classroom. Will you be offering refreshments at the start or the end of your Open Day? Cold or hot drinks? Perhaps a slice of your most popular ‘school cake’ in your cafeteria to give an energy boost to parents halfway through the tour?
Once the Open Day has finished, send marketing and follow-up emails to your attendees and thank those who attended (check sign-in sheets for accurate attendance information). A detailed follow-up note from the Headteacher of their child’s prospective school will also provide parents and guardians with a personable and tangible reminder of their day. Staying in touch is vital at this point to keep your facility ahead of the competition.
Learning more about what your High School, College or University has to offer is at the heart of offering an Open Day and ideally your audience should now have built a great picture of what your school facilities have to offer.
This could be the perfect opportunity for your team to garner feedback or questions from attendees too.
We hope you find these hints and tips helpful. Grab a notebook and get brainstorming ideas to market your Open Day with your colleagues. We’re sure it will be your best yet!
Get in touch to discuss how our team of experts can help with your open day promotion and make it a real success.
