Let’s be real. As a private school leader, one of your biggest headaches is getting enrollment up every year. You’re not only battling other private schools, but parents now have more school options than ever before – charter, magnet, public, and homeschooling. How do you make your school stand out?

This post will give you proven steps to develop a killer marketing strategy that attracts parents like flies to honey. We’ll use examples from Greenfield Academy, a fictional K-8 private school, to show you how it’s done. Get ready for some marketing magic!

5 Proven Steps to Increase Enrollment at Your Private School

Step 1: Understand Your Target Audience

Before you go plastering your school name everywhere, you need to understand who you’re marketing to intimately. For most K-12 private schools, your primary targets are parents of children in your surrounding region.

Understanding their needs, concerns, and preferences is essential to developing marketing strategies that appeal to them. Researching your audience helps you understand the factors that are important to them.

These may include:

• academic performance
• extracurricular activities
• facilities
• safety
• distance from home

Once you understand your target parents, you will be able to tailor your marketing messages and select the appropriate marketing channels to reach them.

Pro Tip: Survey your current parents and conduct focus groups with prospective parents to uncover their desires and apprehensions.

Step 2: Choose Your Channels Wisely

The next step is to select the appropriate marketing channels to reach your parents. 

Each channel has its own unique benefits and drawbacks, and it is important to select channels that align with your parents and their goals. For instance, social media may be an effective channel for targeting younger parents, while community outreach programs may be more effective for targeting local residents. Selecting the right mix of channels can help you reach your target audience effectively and efficiently.

Here is a simple comparison table summarizing the pros and cons of each marketing channel:

Our fictional Greenfield Academy could leverage Instagram to highlight student experiences and Facebook to announce open house events to their community.

Pro Tip: Determine the best 2-3 channels for your parent audience and develop contingencies for each.

Step 3: Crafting Consistent Messaging

At this point, you understand who you’re speaking to and how to reach them. Now you need to craft consistent messaging that highlights the school's strengths and differentiators. Your messaging should be concise, clear, and compelling. It should communicate the unique benefits of your school and what sets it apart from your competitors. Additionally, your messaging should be consistent across all channels to reinforce your school's brand and messaging. The messaging should reflect your school's mission, values, and culture.

When it comes to messaging, Greenfield Academy should focus on personalized learning, character development, and preparing students for lifelong success. They can back this up by citing facts about their small class sizes, community service initiatives, and achievements.

Pro Tip: Distill what makes your school amazing into concise messaging supported by proof points.

Step 4: Execute Flawlessly

Now that you’ve set the stage for marketing success, this is where the rubber meets the road. This may include creating content such as blog posts and videos, creating social media campaigns, organizing open house events, and creating email marketing campaigns. 

For example, an open house event might be a great way to showcase the school's facilities and allow prospective students and their parents to meet with teachers and current students. On the other hand, a social media campaign might be an effective way to target younger and tech-savvy parents.

Pro Tip: Ensure your team has resources and training to implement your marketing machine flawlessly.

Step 5: Review and Refresh:

Your work isn’t over once activities kick off. Campaigns need continuous review and updates and you should also compare the pros and cons of different marketing channels to determine the best approaches for your school. This will help you evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing tactics and adjust your strategy as necessary. 

For example, you may find that while social media is an effective way to reach younger parents, community outreach programs might be the best approach for targeting potential donors who may be looking to contribute to the school's scholarship programs.

Using Greenfield Acadeny, they monitor social media engagement, email click-through rates, and event attendance. They change things up if needed to keep interest high.

Pro Tip: Analyze your marketing metrics regularly and keep evolving your strategy.

Example Marketing Strategy for GreenField Academy

Content Marketing Strategy

Pros:

• Establishes Authority: By consistently publishing informative blog posts and videos, Greenfield Academy can position itself as an education expert.
• Boosts SEO: Quality content can enhance the school's website's search engine ranking, making it more accessible to prospective parents.

Cons:

• Time-Consuming: Crafting and maintaining high-quality content demands significant effort and time.
• Slow Results: It may take 6-9 months to observe a substantial increase in web traffic or enrollment.

Example: To leverage content marketing, Greenfield Academy should commence a blog discussing educational trends and student achievements and showcasing teaching methodologies during the summer of an odd year to prepare for enrollment in an even year.

Social Media Marketing Strategy

Pros:

• Broad Reach: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer a vast audience reach.
• Engagement: Social media enables two-way communication, fostering engagement with the school community.

Cons:

• Constant Monitoring: Social media necessitates regular updates and monitoring to respond to comments or messages.
• Potential Negative Exposure: Negative comments or reviews are publicly visible and can harm the school's reputation if not handled appropriately.

Example: Greenfield Academy could utilize Instagram to share photos from school events, and student art projects, or behind-the-scenes glimpses into school life.

Email Marketing Strategy

Pros:

• Direct Communication: Email enables direct communication with parents and stakeholders, keeping them informed and engaged.
• Cost-Effective: Email is a cost-effective means to reach parents compared to traditional mail.

Cons:

• Spam Filters: Emails may be filtered into spam folders, reducing their visibility.
• Overcrowded Inboxes: People receive numerous emails daily, making it challenging for messages to stand out.

Example: Greenfield Academy could send out monthly newsletters highlighting upcoming events, recent achievements, and news from the school community. Additionally, they could include prospective students and their families in email drip campaigns to ensure they stay top of mind.

Community Outreach Strategy

Pros:

• Enhances Reputation: Participating in local events and forming partnerships with local businesses can bolster the school's reputation in the community.
• Facilitates Networking: Community involvement provides opportunities to network with local leaders, parents, and potential students.

Cons:

• Requires Resources: Community outreach involves the allocation of time, effort, and sometimes financial resources.
• Slow ROI: The benefits of community outreach may take time to materialize.

Example: To engage in community outreach, Greenfield Academy could leverage the school's sports team or participate in a community service project, demonstrating their commitment to the local area.

Conclusion

Developing an effective marketing plan is crucial to achieving the goal of increasing enrollment for a k-12 private school. By valuing your parents’ needs, fine-tuning your channels and messaging, and executing relentlessly, your school can stand out in the crowd. Use the steps in this guide as a roadmap to elevate your marketing game and attract more students.

If you need more hands-on help building your school's marketing machine, reach out! I offer digital marketing help for k-12 private schools. Book a free consultation, and let's chat!