A school is a place of learning, where the children are educated to have a bright future. We want our School have a good reputation, be well regarded for what it offers, and to be attractive to students and their parents.
Here are few tips that can help you promote your School. They are not expensive but rather just require careful planning.
1. Constitute an advocacy group with parents.
Identify the parents who want to promote your School. Ask such parents to join school tours and to participate social events in various neighborhoods. Involve these parents by following up on the letters sent home to prospective families.
Plan community works involving positive minded parents and students. Such parents can help to identify prospective students and their parents. The advocacy of existing parents and students is the best publicity for your School.
2. Organize Open days
Send postcards to prospective communities detailing the dates of open days, and send a follow-up letter signed by Principal.
Advertise Open Days widely using local radio, community notice boards and newspaper advertisements.
3. Become involved in local associations and charities
Be an active partner in local associations, and participate in their activities. It is good idea submit regular articles for their newsletter and other local publications. Send articles to the local news reporters.
Develop a program which enable students to participate in Charities. Students will benefit by contributing their time, the Charities will benefit, and your School’s reputation will also be enhanced.
4. Implement Shadow Days
Have a well-coordinated schedule of the shadow days by involving the High School students of your school with the students of the targeted Primary Schools. Publicise shadow days by sending letters to the local community. Ask the targeted Primary Schools to publish such information in their newsletters.
5. Develop school information brochures
Distribute the school brochures, highlighting your School and its unique selling points. Include the school website URL along with the contact numbers of some parents that are ready to attend to calls from parents of prospective students.
Use local estate agents, resident associations, local shopping centres and sports associations to help distribute School brochures.
6. Work on the school website.
You may have a nice looking school website, but the quality of content is equally important to make it effective. Place content on the website that is eye catching, correctly written and has easily manageable links to other sections. Make liberal use of photos
Regularly update the data with current info on recent programs, open day dates, planned recreational and sports events, and achievements by children at your School
7. Use Parent Teacher Meetings.
Parent teacher meetings or group presentations give scope to highlight positives about your school. Talk about student achievements, student support services, parent/ teacher support groups, community support groups, details of extracurricular activities and other initiatives undertaken by students and teachers.
9. Create a “Marketing Club” which is the responsibility of the students
These are the times of creative entrepreneurship and being an educational institute it is your duty to train students in the field through hands-on learning.
You can use this window by involving students in developing strategies to promote your school and then work on to implement them. It will develop the students and at the same time will enhance the standing of the School.
10. Ensure everyone gets involved
Marketing the school is not the sole responsibility of management or the school principal. The staff has to understand that they play a significant role in creating a healthy environment in school. Educate your staff about all the positive points about your school and ensure that they are up to date with such information. As the school staff is usually the first point of contact of any prospective parent, so a well-educated staff will help a lot in focused school marketing effort.
11. Work on effective marketing material.
Marketing material for parents should include the school’s vision and mission statement, the support that the school provides to students and parents, testimonials from previous and/or existing students and parents, the photos of the best achievers in different fields, the courses offered, and information about school facilities.
Include the background and experience of teachers highlighting their achievements.
Plan your marketing efforts such that the first impression is the everlasting one.
