Marketing your school can slip down the list of things to do, particularly in the middle of a pandemic, but it shouldn’t. Parents have more than one choice when it comes to choosing a primary or secondary school for their child to attend, so marketing the best bits of your school is the only way to appeal to prospective parents.

What are parents looking for in a school?

They’re looking for a safe, caring, social environment where their child can excel.  

A study conducted by NatGen, an independent social research institute, found that the majority of parents (80%) thought it was important for pupils to mix with others from different backgrounds when in school. So, although academic achievements are still high on the priority list for parents, it seems the social interaction plays a vital role in choosing a school, as well.

Find what makes your school different from the rest. Maybe you’ve got great Ofsted results, or you’ve got a fantastic swimming facility, or you’re heavily invested in technology. Whatever makes your school different, you need to lead with that in your marketing materials, e.g. leaflets, brochures and across your social media channels.

Take advantage of local marketing

Local marketing is something your school needs to get better at if you’re going to attract new students. Facebook and Google Business Listings are free channels you can use to promote yourself in your local area. 

Facebook offers you the opportunity to build an open school discussion with your community. Share interesting and relevant news about your school and keep everyone updated on school announcements – keep your audience interested.

Google Business Listings is something you need to set up for your school, so you show on Google Maps. If you’re not present on Google, when prospective parents search for ‘schools near me’, you’re not going to pop up.

Cast an eye over your website

Is your website a little slow and in need of modernisation? Users expect a website to load almost instantly, and when it doesn’t, they’ll press ‘back’ and find a different site to visit instead. 

To attract new students, you need your website to capture the visitor’s attention immediately. To capture and keep their attention, you need a website menu that’s simplistic and easy to use, you need a site that identifies with the parent’s worries and simultaneously wows them with what you’re school could offer their child.

They want the best for their child, and you need to show them that you can deliver the best.

Read more about optimising your website. 

Here at Parentapps, we build beautiful and functional school websites. We can help you increase engagement and improve the usability and design of your site.

Let us help you stand out from the competition. Contact us to book a free consultation.