Operating a private school can be challenging when comes to student enrollment numbers. According to the California Department of Education, it’s only about 7.3% of students attend private schools in 2020-2021 in California.
If you’re new to this field and want to increase your private school enrollment, you can put your most time and energy into marketing first by providing useful information to parents and students, involving parents, and paying attention to brand establishment.
What makes your school special and the value to parents and students? This is what you need to focus on in your marketing and branding strategy. You have to make parents believe that your school is the best investment for their children’s future among their choices.
Table of Contents
1. School Website
You need to rank related keywords of private schools for your school’s website higher in Google search. For example, if you can rank keywords like “private school in your city”, parents can find you easily when they search these keywords.
You can use SEO and Google Ads to achieve this goal. You’d better publish useful content to students and parents regularly. Therefore, they can remember your school’s name and website.
2. Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool that can help you reach out to more parents and students. Create accounts on popular platforms such as Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Make sure to post fresh and engaging content regularly. You can also run ads on social media to attract more attention.
3. Offline Marketing
In addition to online marketing, don’t forget about offline marketing methods. For example, you can distribute flyers and brochures in local communities. You can also hold open houses or other events to promote your school.
4. Provide Strong Leadership
The right leadership is essential for the success of any organization. A good leader can inspire confidence in parents and staff, and help to create a positive culture within the school.
5. Have a Community Event
One great way to get your school’s name out there is to hold a community event. This can be anything from a fair, to a carnival, to a food drive. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it’s something that will interest and attract families with school-age children.
6. Get the Parents Involved
Parents are an important stakeholder group when it comes to private schools. Therefore, you should try to get them involved in the school as much as possible. For example, you can set up a parent-teacher association (PTA) or hold parent-teacher conferences. You can also invite parents to participate in school events and activities.
7. Follow-Up with Enrolled and Interested Families
Once you’ve enrolled a student, it’s important to follow up with the family to ensure they’re happy with their decision. You can do this by sending them periodic updates about the school, or by inviting them to events and activities. If you have families who are interested in enrolling their children, make sure to keep in touch and provide them with information about the school.
8. Set Enrollment Goals
It’s important to set enrollment goals for your private school. This will help you track your progress and ensure that you’re on track to reach your desired number of students. Once you’ve set your goals, create a marketing plan to help you achieve them.
9. Analyze your Goals and Progress
It’s important to set goals for your private school and track your progress over time. This will help you to see what’s working and what isn’t, and make necessary adjustments. You can use data from enrollment numbers, retention rates, and marketing campaigns to assess your progress.
10. Establish a Good Reputation
It’s important for private schools to establish a good reputation in the community. Parents want to send their children to a school that is well-respected and has a good track record. You can build a good reputation by offering a high-quality education, hiring qualified staff, and maintaining a clean and orderly campus.
The brand of the school is very important. It should be easily recognizable, and it should reflect the values and mission of the school. The branding strategy should be consistent across all channels, including the website, social media, marketing materials, and so on.