Marketing for education can take many different forms. It might be a message to parents, information for teachers, crisis or reputation management or promoting your school/college/university in order to fill places.
Today, there are thousands of education-related apps available, plus videos, books, websites and more. This means that it can be difficult to stand out in this crowded marketplace. Deciding what works best and getting the most out of your marketing can be a challenge.
Here, we share our top tips to ensure that your marketing efforts are not in vain and give you the return on investment you’re looking for.
- Know your audience and target them correctly! A recent Gitnux Marketdata report shows that over 80% of internet users are more likely to click on an ad that is targeted to their specific needs. Avoid sending marketing materials or targeting ads to audiences that are not relevant to your education setting.
- Identify your marketing platforms: Don’t just assume that your audience – both students and their parents/guardians – are on Facebook or X! There are many social media platforms where your audience may be more engaged. From Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat to Instagram, Vimeo or Flickr – don’t be afraid to branch out in order to gain the most engagement.
- Create an integrated campaign: Some of the most successful marketing campaigns involve multiple channels. So it’s useful to find out where your target audience hangs out and create cross-channel campaigns to grab their attention. Make sure your branding and messaging is consistent across all platforms, so that you can be easily recognised by your audience.
- Get your students and their parents/guardians involved: The best way to find out which platforms your audience engages with is to ask them! Take a proactive approach to your marketing campaigns – create innovative surveys to find out where your audience is, what information they’re looking for, how often they like to be communicated to etc.
- Create interesting content: Current and prospective students love to hear about other students. Get creative! Don’t be afraid to innovate and make sure you produce entertaining content that’s also informative – videos and animations work well and are more eye-catching that a still image. Remember to keep your content refreshed so that it doesn’t become stale – don’t just regurgitate the same old messages time and time again.
We understand the financial pressures that school leaders face today. Having to do more with less can be challenging. Getting your education industry marketing spot on can mean the difference between a good ROI or none! As budgets are increasingly tightened, making sure your optimise your marketing strategy for success is key.
Get it right and the possibilities are endless. Get it wrong and you risk having places to fill in an academic year.
For more advice and guidance, talk to one of our experts. The team at The Education Agency is led by parents, so we understand how to communicate effectively and ensure your marketing stays on track. Call today on 0330 1070190 or email [email protected].
