It ultimately comes down to marketing when it comes to growing enrollment at a private Christan school. You have to tell your school's story to attract parents, caregivers, and families. The stories you tell need to entice them to join your community.
These families usually have multiple options, from public school, home school, and other private schools in your area. Storytelling and marketing are how you stand out!
Parents typically have a list of questions in mind when they begin their school search:
- What makes your school different?
- What are the criteria for hiring teachers and faculty?
- What is the school's mission, philosophy, and religious affiliation?
- How can we, as parents, be involved?
- What are the expectations for communication with parents?
- What results can we expect if we send our child to this Christian school?
- What are the school's challenges? What are the areas at the school that need improvement?
You may have heard the saying, “We are all singing from the same page.” When marketing your school, you must ensure that all your advertising and marketing materials are “singing from the same page.” Therefore your website, social media presence, and personal interactions should all be consistent when answering the questions listed above.
Make sure that you deliver on what you promise regarding communication and scene-setting. This will reassure parents they are making the right choice. If you do this right, they can see their child or children at your school, in your classrooms, in your seats, learning from accredited Christan teachers if you can paint that picture for them.
Knowing a prospect's motives, in this case, the parent, allows you to create buyer personas and narrow the target of your advertising and marketing tactics.
Why Christian Private School Marketing Matters
As you prepare your school and parents for enrollment, you need to develop a marketing plan.
In today’s world, it isn’t enough for a private school to possess good teachers and programs. If parents aren’t aware of your school, then they can’t be any initial motion or chance to increase your enrollment.
As Christian private school marketers, you must attract and inform prospective students about your school’s experience. Focus on the results and offerings of your school. This should offer a glimpse into a day in the life experience of a student.
As a private Christian school, balancing publicity, tradition, and a legacy story are essential for growing your student body. You must ensure that your long-term marketing goals are fresh, realistic, and doable.
Here are four marketing strategies that Christian private schools should be using to increase enrollment.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ads
Savvy private school marketers can use PPC ads to market to parents actively looking for a Private Christian education for their child. PPC marketing is a highly effective way to drive traffic to your page, where you can focus on getting their contact information and ultimately enrolling the child.
PPC Ads usually have a high conversion rate because someone looking for private school education has already indicated interest. Well-written ads speak directly to the searchers' needs and inspire them to take action on your website.
It’s usually more conversational because someone searching for a Christian private school education has already expressed themselves as a likely lead. Well-written ads speak directly to the searchers’ needs and encourage them to take action on a webpage to learn more.
Social Media Marketing (SMM)
As a private school, you may question how you can use social media marketing (SMM) to help attract and engage prospective families. According to the Pew Research Center, 7 out of 10 American adults use some form of social media if you are thinking about this.
Statista says, "In 2020, over 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost 4.41 billion in 2025.”
With statistics like that, it’s a no-brainer that you should be using social media marketing! The trick with social media is to use it wisely and to your advantage so you can reach out to potential parents and students.
With SMM, you can direct your marketing efforts to specific audiences based on where they live, actions, or behaviors they take on Facebook. For example, suppose you want to run a Facebook ad for your private Christian school in Asheville. In that case, you would target people who have children and identify as Christian in and around Asheville, NC.
Improve Your Website Experience
Your private school website should be viewed through the lens of a business. And just like a good business, you can provide an optimal user experience for the parents of your prospective students.
You need to be sure to include these three things on your website:
- It should be responsive or mobile-friendly. If parents visit your site on their mobile device and if it's hard to navigate and explore. They will unlikely take the time to find what they're looking for eventually. Then you have a high likelihood of having lost them forever. As the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
- Your website has to be fast. It should be fast. According to Think with Google, “The probability of bounce (someone leaving without going to a second page) increases 32% as page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds.”
- If a visitor is seeking a specific form, policy, or department contact, they do not want to spend 5 minutes looking for it. Make sure your site is simple to use and that the user can achieve their goals in as little time and clicks as feasible.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization or SEO should be the basis of your marketing strategy. Begin by utilizing long-tail keywords and phrases to optimize your website and content. This will boost your rankings on the search engine results pages (SERPs), allowing potential parents and students to find you when conducting their research.
Content Marketing
Many schools avoid content marketing activities like blogs because they can be complicated and time-consuming. However, content marketing can be one of the most valuable marketing strategies. It identifies your school as an industry thought leader. The higher the quality of content produced by your private school, the higher your SEO rankings will be.
Final Thoughts: Tell Your Story
Parents are interested in more than just statistics regarding how good your school is. Parents want to know that your school is the right choice for their child, which means you need to meet them where they are and how they want to be communicated with. This means using all the techniques I mentioned above. Every school has a story. It is now your job to use these tools to tell that story. Now, if you find this overwhelming or would prefer to talk with someone, contact us! We will be happy to talk with you and advise you on what might be best for your school.
