Increasing student enrolment is probably a top aim for every educational institution hoping to prosper and expand. What makes enrolling students important? Strong enrolment numbers are important for reasons more than just filling seats; they also affect the institution’s reputation, financial stability, and capacity to provide dynamic and varied programs.
Schools must constantly innovate and put plans into place that cater to students’ changing wants and preferences if they want to stay ahead of the competition. The goal of this article is to offer practical advice on five essential tactics that will help you boost your student enrolment.
These strategies, which range from improving internet visibility to utilising data-driven marketing, are intended to assist educational establishments in navigating the challenges of student recruitment and achieving long-term success.
They can be modified to suit your particular situation and assist you in drawing in the best students for your programs, regardless of whether you are an administrator at a big institution or a small private school. They are given below:
Make your website mobile-friendly
It’s not only students using their phones; so are guardians and parents. In 2020, mobile phones accounted for over half (61%) of all internet traffic, according to Perficient. Each year, that number rises.
You are giving them a bad experience if your website is not mobile-friendly and requires them to pinch or squeeze in order to view it. How can you persuade someone who is dissatisfied with the online experience to enlist in your school?
Additionally, if the majority of the families your school serves are from lower-income backgrounds, be aware that their mobile device frequently serves as their sole source of internet access. You might not have another chance to get their enrolment because they might not have a computer or tablet to read your site more easily.
Take Advantage of Social Media Marketing
Social media is the best way to communicate with potential students and their parents because it has millions of users on sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. However, simply being there is insufficient; your content needs to be relevant to your target audience.
Start by producing engaging, educational content that showcases the special programs, achievements, and school culture of your institution. Give prospective students and their families a genuine sense of what life at your school is like by using videos, student testimonials, virtual tours, and behind-the-scenes content.
Social media provides the ideal platform for interaction. Relationships are cultivated with both present and potential students through interactive content, including surveys, Q&A sessions, and live streams. Additionally, it keeps your institution current and visible to the general public, which naturally sparks interest.
Find Out Who Visits Your School’s Website
After putting a lot of effort into making your school’s website unique, the next crucial step is to collect data on potential families who visit your website. You may proactively contact families and invite them to your school by knowing who is visiting your website. You must devise methods to obtain their data in order to accomplish this.
A lead magnet is one of the most used methods for identifying website visitors. In addition to being widely employed in the business sector, lead magnets are a great strategy for schools trying to boost student enrollment.
An original piece of content on your website that families would find engaging and want to read is called a lead magnet. However, prospective parents must give you their email addresses and contact details in order for them to get this content.
Make a Paid Digital Advertising Investment
Even while SEO and social media marketing are crucial organic tactics, occasionally, a purchased boost will do the trick. Targeted traffic to your school’s website can be effectively increased with paid digital advertising, like Google Ads or Facebook Ads.
Targeting the appropriate audience is crucial, whether they are parents of kids in particular age groups, people looking for educational services, or even people who are curious about the extracurricular activities your school provides. You may raise brand recognition and draw in more quality leads by developing well-targeted advertisements that showcase your school’s distinctive attributes, initiatives, and success stories.
By swiftly addressing a larger, more focused audience, paid advertising can provide your school with a competitive advantage. With the correct strategy, you can get the most out of your advertising investment and produce quality leads that may become permanent members.
Organise Online School Tours and Open Houses
Many families in the post-pandemic environment favour virtual encounters due to their convenience. One excellent approach to promoting your school without having to invite families to come in person is to have virtual open houses or school tours.
Give parents and prospective students an opportunity to ask questions, get to know the faculty, and discover the school’s culture during these events. To host these events, use interactive platforms such as Zoom or YouTube Live. Additionally, you may publish them on your website and social media and record them for later viewing.
Virtual open houses provide working parents with a convenient way to find out more about your school. It is an inclusive event since they can come from anywhere in the world. By providing a personal connection with the teachers and staff, these events frequently enhance interest in and trust in your institution, which in turn increases engagement.
Invite Families to Post Reviews Online
An organisation can succeed or fail based on its online reviews. Without knowing how they are doing on Yelp, no restaurant can thrive. Tripadvisor reviews are essential for travel agencies. The same is true for educational institutions.
Get some reviews after you are featured on review platforms. Request reviews from your employees and family. This is your online word-of-mouth advertising, and it greatly contributes to the development of a favourable impression of your institution.
Urge siblings to enrol as well
Never assume that a family’s sibling or siblings will attend your school just because one of them is enrolled. They already have a child enrolled in your school, so you have an advantage.
You should, however, also aggressively promote to the student’s family the benefits of their siblings attending as well. Determine the siblings of students who are enrolled right now first.
This might be as simple as adding the names and ages of all family members to your student enrolment form. Once you know that, include them in your enrolment marketing process so they may visit your school and see why it’s the greatest option for the whole family.
Schools must keep ahead of the curve by implementing new, creative marketing methods since the education market is more competitive than ever. There are numerous strategies to raise awareness and draw in new students, ranging from social media marketing and website optimisation to virtual tours and community service.
You may establish your school as the best option for potential students by concentrating on the above-mentioned successful tactics, which will guarantee that your enrolment numbers increase annually.
