Content is the driving force behind effective communication, and its significance cannot be overstated. In today’s digital landscape, where students and their families seek information through various platforms and mediums, it is crucial to present your private school’s story in a compelling and relatable way. Instead of relying on marketing jargon, content marketing provides a solution to transform your videos, photos, stories, and blogs into valuable assets that generate leads and ultimately increase enrollments.
What is Content Marketing
Content marketing is a process that involves creating meaningful and informative content to attract, engage, and inform your students and their parents while subtly promoting your school. The beauty of content marketing lies in its ability to sell without overtly promoting your institution. It has been proven that content marketing yields three times as many leads at a significantly lower cost than traditional marketing methods such as print and billboards. Furthermore, 7 out of 10 consumers feel a closer connection to the brands that provide them with valuable content.
This approach is not only engaging and effective but also affordable. To ensure your private school’s content marketing campaigns are successful, here are three simple steps to follow:
- Step 1: Take an Inventory of Your Content
- Step 2: Create More Engaging Content
- Step 3: Strategically distribute content
Increase Enrollments and Leads: The Power of Content Marketing for Private Schools
Step 1: Take an Inventory of Your Content
Content marketing might seem overwhelming, especially for smaller schools with limited resources. However, you may already have a wealth of content at your disposal. By inventorying your existing content and utilizing the content mapping process, you can match each piece to specific personas (e.g., athletes, scholars, parents) and stages in the journey (e.g., prospects, current students, alumni). This helps you identify the target audience for each piece and determine where it fits best. Additionally, content mapping allows you to identify areas where you may need more content and provides insights on how to improve.
Step 2: Create More Engaging Content
Blogs
Based on your content mapping and inventory, you may discover gaps in your content that need to be filled. For example, despite having a stellar STEAM program, you might have plenty of news stories and videos that appeal to donors but lack content that resonates with prospective STEAM students. This is where blogs come into play.
Blogs are vital to content marketing, generating new leads and website traffic. They provide a platform to share authentic stories from your campus regularly, allowing multiple contributors to share their experiences and perspectives. Blogs are versatile and can be created quickly, making them ideal for recruiting students, faculty, and parents who want to share their stories and insights.
News Stories
In addition to blogs, news stories play a unique role. While blogs are more informal and allow various voices to be heard, news stories are often written to promote specific individuals, programs, or events. You can create buzz and generate shares by utilizing both formats effectively.
Downloadable Content
Downloadable content, such as e-books and guides, adds value to your website. You are sharing insider knowledge and providing informational material, which positions your private school as a trusted source. Consider supplementing actions taken on your website, such as requesting more information or scheduling a tour, with follow-up communications containing relevant content that validates the recipient’s engagement.
Infographics
Infographics are another powerful tool for conveying complex information visually. Students and their parents are highly receptive to visual content, making infographics extraordinarily effective and can be repurposed for admission email marketing and social media efforts.
Videos
Videos are particularly compelling and can significantly impact your content marketing strategy. Incorporating videos increases email click-through rates, website traffic, conversions, and brand awareness. Videos are enjoyable to watch, easy to digest, and favored by various social media platforms.
Step 3: Strategically Distribute Content
Personalize Your Private School’s Communication
To maximize the impact of your content marketing efforts, create targeted campaigns and personalize your communication. Craft emails that feel like personalized one-to-one communication, using segmentation and personalization tokens to make recipients feel unique and valued.
Avoid the Sea of Sameness
Avoid posting the same content with the same strategy across every platform when distributing content. Instead, develop a thoughtful distribution plan that aligns with each platform’s strengths and audience preferences.
For example, if you have a professionally produced admissions video, you can leverage it in multiple ways:
- Email the full video to prospective families interested in your private school.
- Create shorter, 15-30 second clips from the video to share natively on social media platforms, capturing attention and driving traffic back to your website.
- Extract content from the video, such as student testimonials, to create shorter, specific videos that can be incorporated into blog posts and news articles, enhancing their impact and engagement.
Remember to Create Content That Represents a Journey
Each piece of content should serve a purpose and answer your audience’s questions at different stages of their private school research, application, attendance, or graduation. Addressing their needs and concerns through your content establishes trust and fosters a deeper connection with your audience.
Feel Free To Brag
It’s also important to offer content beyond showcasing how great your school is. While highlighting your achievements and offerings is important, providing content that discusses industry trends, standards, and benchmarks allows you to position your school within a larger context. This approach demonstrates your expertise and helps prospective students and their parents make informed decisions. When you provide relevant and valuable content, applicants trust your school and are likelier to engage with you.
Incorporate Interactive Elements
Lastly, consider incorporating interactive elements into your content marketing strategy. In addition to providing informative content, encourage your audience to engage with your brand actively. For example, you can create an online calculator that helps families estimate tuition and fees based on their financial situation. This interactive tool empowers them to make informed decisions and establishes your school as a helpful resource.
Conclusion
IIn conclusion, content marketing is a powerful tool for growing your private school’s brand and reach. However, it’s crucial to ensure that all your content efforts lead back to your school’s website. Whether you’re sharing videos on social media, posting blogs on Facebook, or emailing news stories, the ultimate goal is to drive traffic back to your website, where prospective families can further engage with your school and explore all you offer.
By following these steps and consistently producing engaging and valuable content, you’ll be well-equipped to harness the potential of content marketing and connect with your target audience effectively.
Now if you need help with any or all of these steps, I am here to help you and your school with your content marketing efforts. Feel free to contact me to discuss how we can work together.
