Top 7 Digital Marketing Trends For Private Schools
1. SEO Is Still Essential
Organic search is still the most important traffic source for private schools, and its usage exceeds that of other channels. SEO for search engines will become increasingly vital in 2021 and beyond.
The emphasis on user and search intent is one of the most significant advances in SEO. At their heart, search engines are where people go when they need answers to questions or want to learn about something. Your school will benefit when you understand what parents seek from you, and you can give them the curriculum and answers they need.
Search engines are improving their ability to display results depending on what they judge to be the searcher’s intent. By supplying information that answers the searchers’ questions, you increase the possibility that the search engine will display your content high on the search results page (SERPs), signifying that your site should be ranked higher. Content marketers and SEO specialists who understand how to address searcher intent will succeed for years.
2. Improve the Content Experience for Parents
Today’s parents typically have grown up with technology and are more tech-savvy than ever. They also have certain expectations for content published online. For your content to excel, you have to ensure that prospective students’ parents want to stay on your site consuming our private schools’ content so that they ultimately fill out an inquiry form. An inquiry form, a description of the application process, a tuition calculator, a scholarship application, school calendars, a campus map, admission Q&A on Zoom, sign-ups for campus visits, a blog, videos, resources, and more are examples of outstanding content experiences.
3. Think “Mobile-First”
Today’s parents expect private schools like yours to have mobile-friendly websites. While some people will tell you you need a standalone app, I beg to differ. If you make it easy for parents to find what they are looking for on your site, that is all you really need. Examples of what you should provide are:
- Mobile-friendly calls-to-action buttons and inquiry forms
- Create landing pages that focus on specific topics and geographic locations
- Optimize your website for local searches
- Regularly check your mobile usability metric in Google Search Console
4. Content as Part of the Parent Enrollment Journey
Online content is becoming an increasingly significant part of the parent enrolling process. As I mentioned before, today’s parents are much more web-savvy and use technology more frequently than in the past. And they expect their questions to be answered and addressed on your private school’s website; otherwise, they will keep looking.
5. Design Social Media Stories
Stories is a social media feature in which the video or image disappears after 24 hours. Snapchat was the first platform to launch this format, and it has since been copied by almost all the other social media outlets.
Stories are mobile-friendly forms that use smartphones’ shape and capability. They use videos, audio, animations, images, and text to create highly interactive content.
Try creating Stories using Visme or Canva templates.
6. User-Generated Content
We live in a world dominated by content creators and producers. Whether you realize it or not, you are one yourself. Armed with the smartphone, you’re looking at this one or the one within arms reach; everyone is a content producer. When used effectively, User-Generated Content (UGC) may be a major asset to private schools.
UGC can save your school time and money while increasing your credibility. People can contribute content in a variety of ways, including images, short films, reviews, and video testimonials.
7. Use Social Proof to Instantly Establish Trust
Speaking of reviews and testimonials, this plays into the social proof aspect that many schools may overlook. Your private school can use it in your school’s marketing efforts to earn instant trust by using parent and student reviews. But don’t take my word for it. Take a look at these statistics about social proof and trust:
- 83% of people trust reviews over advertising. (Source: Nielsen)
- 70% of people trust reviews and recommendations from strangers (Source: Nielsen)
- 88% of consumers trust online testimonials and reviews as much as recommendations from friends or family (Source: Big Commerce)
Final Thoughts
By now, you should realize that content marketing is still important for private schools and should be included as part of any private school marketers plan.
Don't hesitate to contact me if you need help with your private school's website or marketing efforts. Here at Cube Creative Design, we have been able to help numerous private schools increase their enrollment. One school, in particular, doubled theirs in two years! If you need help or just wonder if you are doing things right, then reach out to me for a free consultation! I would be happy to help your school grow!
