The Dos and Don’ts of School Admissions Marketing

The backbone of every successful school is admissions. Without admissions, your school wouldn’t have enough students, and without enough students, opening the doors becomes difficult.

We all know this. Yet generating enough admissions each and every year to fill a new class of students is getting increasingly difficult.

For a start, the way in which a school needs to advertise itself is continually changing, with the rise of new social media platforms and a new generation of parents for whom taking in the local newspaper, or listening to the local radio, isn’t their main source of local information.

For another, the landscape of education is in a constant state of change, driven by changing birth rates and political ideology.

With so much change across the sector, keeping up can be a struggle – yet it is one that schools must overcome.

In our latest blog, we take a look at the challenges of school admissions in 2022 and beyond, and examine some of the crucial steps your school or trust can take to make sure your admissions marketing works time and time again.

How are admissions changing?

Generating admissions is no longer as simple as advertising in the local paper, or waiting to hear from your local authority how many parents enquired about your school – and there are many reasons for this.

Firstly, there has been a well-documented decline in birth rate throughout the UK in recent years. In fact, it was reported earlier this year that the number of nursery and primary school aged children is projected to fall by more than 300,000 over the course of the next five years, as the children of the ‘baby boom generation’ move into secondary education – that’s about 6.5% of current levels.

That’s a big difference, and it’s likely to affect some areas – and some schools – more than others. For example, a number of primary schools in rural Somerset are already reporting difficulties maintaining their school due to low admissions.

According to forecasts predicted by the council, in their area alone there will be 476 fewer primary-aged children by 2026, reflecting a 8.6% decrease compared to 2021.

In monetary terms, that means the council will receive £16.2m less funding from the Department for Education for primary education.

To add further complications, the new Prime Minister Liz Truss has repeatedly vowed to lift the current ban on the establishment of new grammar schools. However, it seems like this could happen much faster than originally thought, with one senior Conversative reporting to The Sunday Telegraph that this could become a reality in the space of months.

It’s clear that competition for school admissions will only get fiercer as the number of nursery and primary aged children continues to decline, and changes to the education system – such as the creation of new grammar schools and the move to academisation – gathers pace.

So how can your school ensure it remains competitive?

Do: Identify Your Unique Selling Point

Whether your school is flying high, or struggling for numbers, it’s never too difficult to find positive qualities that sets you apart from the competition.

As a more obvious starting point, it could be the promotion of your attainment levels, your Ofsted rating, or the available equipment and facilities that you are able to provide. Still, it’s likely everyone will be raving about these areas, so don’t forget to include others – like updates and successes of school sports teams, after-school clubs, charity fundraisers, and even the incredible talents of your staff!

Ultimately, every school has positive news to share about the important activities taking place nearly every day, but how often do you share this with the outside world?

Successful marketing is about finding and clearly communicating what those qualities are – and, crucially, how these qualities benefit your students.

Do: Always Provide a Call to Action

With any marketing – and in particular, on social media – you only have the attention of your audience for a short period. Therefore, you need to make the most out of this time and ensure your audience is taking immediate action.

Providing a call-to-action – whether that’s a link through to the admissions page on your website, or a phone call to your school’s office to arrange a visit – is critical if you want to capitalise on your audience’s attention.

At Eduprise, we favour paid-for social media marketing, in part because you can include a direct link to school admissions pages. This way, you can get interested parents halfway towards submitting an application, in just one click.

Do: Have a Plan

It can be easy to focus on admissions in the run-up to application deadlines, then breathe a sigh of relief until next year. But don’t fall into that trap!

School admissions marketing should fit into a year-round communications plan for your school. A last minute marketing drive is going to be far less effective if it hasn’t been backed up by engaging communications throughout the year.

Think about it; if your audience has seen an abundance of communications that showcase the best your school has to offer, they will have built a recognition with your brand, and are far more likely to respond favourably when they come across your admissions advert.

On the other hand, without a plan, your year-round marketing will be incoherent and ineffective… and very forgettable. Make it count!

Don’t: Leave It Until It’s Too Late

In the same vein, it’s important not to pin your hopes on a last-minute rush for applications.

Parents tend not to wait long before starting to look ahead to their child’s next step in education, so you need to be prepared. Additionally, competitive schools will work hard to attract parents as early as possible.

And, because the admissions process is relatively involved, getting parents on board early gives your school an advantage.

Your school’s admissions marketing should therefore be an ongoing process from year to year, rather than a last-minute series of advertisements when the admissions deadline is looming.

Don’t: Waste Money on Outdated Marketing Methods

Has your school put out newspaper or radio advertisements in the run up to an admissions day? If so, your school is likely reaching a far smaller audience at a high cost.

As with any successful marketing campaign, you need to make sure you’re talking directly to your audience, on a platform they already occupy and are comfortable with.

With the vast majority of parents and older students using social media far more than they read local newspapers or listen to local radio, we strongly recommend the use of paid social media advertising. By doing so, they are far more likely to remember your school when it comes time to look at possible places for their children.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of modern advertising platforms, such as paid-for social media campaigns, check out our blog: Promoting Your School: Traditional Advertising vs Paid Social Media Advertising.

Do: Talk to Us at Eduprise

At Eduprise, we know that every school and trust is different. That is why we work closely with our clients to develop a deeper understanding of their challenges and goals – setting you up for success from the get-go with a bespoke strategy, just for you.

With a team of specialist education copywriters, admissions professionals and marketeers, we work hard to develop ongoing communications plans and admissions marketing support to give you the best possible chance of increased admissions numbers.

Get in touch with us today to find out more.