The world of school marketing is changing. With increased competition for admissions, and tightening budgets across the country, it is more critical than ever that you need an effective school marketing plan.

But where do you start?

At Eduprise, we understand that for many schools, putting together a marketing plan can be a daunting task. It can often seem like an unnecessarily resource-heavy undertaking but it doesn’t need to be if you go about it in the right way.

This is where Eduprise can help you. In this blog, we’ll introduce you to the core steps of creating an effective school marketing plan, and how Eduprise can help you make it a success.

Define your objectives and goals

Every plan should start with a goal; without one, your marketing plan is a ship without a rudder. Setting out the aims of your marketing plan from the outset is crucial, and will help inform the decisions you make as you piece together your plan.

Examples of common goals for a school marketing plan include:

Once you have outlined your goal, make sure everyone has a clear understanding of it. By uniting those involved in the marketing plan, you can better focus on achieving your aim.

Outline your mission statement

You’ll find it difficult to successfully market your school without a clear definition of your values and the right messaging. In any marketing material you promote, you need to ensure that your school’s voice is coming through, and that your audience knows what you stand for.

Be unique and clear. Tell people what makes your school great, and why they should choose you. You may want to highlight your commitment to enrichment, or creating a safe and engaged community. Whatever your message, make it meaningful for parents. What can your school offer their child that they can’t get elsewhere, and why does that matter?

Consider the channels available to you

Many schools still rely on traditional channels of marketing, such as letters, posters, and radio adverts. Your new school marketing plan should also consider modern channels, such as social media and your school website.

The modern-day parent is often more likely to engage with social media and other internet-based channels, and you should carefully consider which of these best meets your requirements.

However, channel preference will vary greatly between school communities. In some areas, the local newspaper will be far more influential, and in others, there might be a local parents’ magazine with a good reach.

The behaviour of your audience should help you decide the channels you prioritise in your school marketing plan. This will broaden the reach of your messages and increase the likelihood of your audience engaging with them.

Prioritise what can realistically be achieved

It’s important that your marketing plan doesn’t overcommit you and your colleagues to too much work. Not only will an increased workload create a significant amount of pressure, but the more you try to do, the less likely you are to be in a position to devote the right amount of time to do the tasks you need to do well.

When planning how much you’re going to take on in your plan, consider the following:

  • Time: how much time are you realistically able to commit to your plan?
  • Resources: do you have all the necessary resources to be able to put your plan in place effectively?
  • Expertise: do you feel that you have the right level of skills internally to put your plan into practice, or are you in a position to outsource? At Eduprise, we can provide the support and expertise you need to help you achieve ambitious goals.

Monitor your progress and reflect on how to improve

You can’t make improvements to your school marketing plan if you don’t know what works and what doesn’t. That’s why it’s crucial to be able to measure results.

When you create your plan, you should determine exactly what success looks like, and how you can measure it. Then, as your plan progresses, you can determine how successful it is. Social media and website analytics are useful tracking tools, but it’s also important to be able to measure engagement driven by non-digital communications.

Following each communications campaign, gather analysis to help inform your overall school marketing plan.

Prepare you school marketing plan

No matter what your marketing goal is, it’s important to carry out proper planning and preparation if you’re going to improve.

At Eduprise, we’re here to help. We will guide you through the preparation process, conducting the planning and research necessary to ensure your school’s plan is a success.

Get in touch today for expert help in developing your school’s marketing plan.