It’s not easy to run a school entirely off tuition and donations. But there are over 32,000 private schools in the U.S. that do it! If you need to raise more funds, you need to find more students to enroll. Here are four tips to promote your charity school’s admissions online.
Design eye-catching admission flyers
Graphics are the backbone of any digital marketing campaign. You need amazing graphics if you want to catch the attention of internet users as they scroll through social media, browse your website, or happen upon one of your online ads in the wild.
Of course, you’re busy running a school and likely don’t have time to design incredible graphics from scratch. Luckily, there are thousands of free school admissions flyer templates available online from websites like PosterMyWall.
Simply browse through the flyer designs, choose the one that best fits your school, and customize the information with the easy drag-and-drop editor. You can then download your flyers and upload them to any online platform. It’s the easiest way to get professional-level graphics without needing professional-level design skills (or time to learn them).
Update your website
Before anyone enrolls, they’ll want to know as much about your school as they possibly can. Only so much information fits on promotional flyers or social media pages, so make sure potential enrollees have somewhere they can easily find all the information they could ever possibly want. That’s where your website comes in.
Your school’s website should be the homebase for all your digital marketing efforts. Everything you upload should include a link back to your website where people can read more about your school, find contact information, and maybe even complete an application in just a few clicks. The easier it is for people to complete the entire application process (including research), the more likely they’ll enroll.
Because it’s so important, make sure your school’s website is updated and adequately represents your school. In other words, it needs to look good! Be sure to include all relevant information parents and students need to make a decision and enroll in classes, like schedules, testimonials, tuition rates, contact information, pictures and videos, and anything else that shows how amazing your school really is.
Write plenty of blogs
Finding a charity school you’d want your kids to attend is a big deal. And when starting the search for a new school, an incredible 93% of people start their search for a private school with a search engine. If you really want to boost your admissions, make sure your website shows up at the top of the search engine results.
There are many ways to boost your search engine optimization (SEO), but one of the best ways is by starting a blog. Blogging is a powerful way to add tons of valuable content to your website. Not only does it give your website visitors more information about your school, but it also means search engines like Google will rank your website for more queries.
For example, if you know people are looking for answers to questions like “How to enroll in private school,” you could write an entire blog on the process of enrolling, considerations to help someone choose the right school for their needs, and suggested first steps. Because the content will be so specific and valuable, search engines will promote it whenever someone types “how to enroll in private school” in the search bar.
Users will then click on your blog, read your amazing content, and since they’re already on your website, there’s a decent chance they’ll learn more about your school and maybe even hop over to the “enroll now” page! A blog page is one of the best digital marketing tactics for increasing organic traffic to your website.
Host a virtual school open house
Before someone enrolls in a school, they typically want to see the campus. And since video calls and webinars are all the rage in this modern digital world, why not host a virtual open house to show potential enrollees what going to school at your campus is really like?
It’s not always easy to find the time to get ready, drive to the school, and take part in an in-person open house. With a virtual open house, potential enrollees can simply click a link and enjoy a tour and presentation about your school right from their computer or mobile device. It’s the easiest way to show everyone how great your school really is without planning and organizing an in-person event. No folding chairs required!
Boost attendance rates with effective online marketing strategies
Want to boost your school’s budget? You’ll need to boost your attendance rates! And one of the most effective ways to promote your charity school is with digital marketing. Reach more people with eye-catching graphics and flyers, update your website with plenty of quality information, write a few blogs, and host a virtual open house.
With all your online marketing efforts working together, you might have to start a waiting list to enroll in next semester’s classes!