Why Is School Marketing Essential
In 2024 And Beyond?
Ever-growing, the local and nationwide promotion for UK education facilities entices the need for your school to be competitive regarding how you utilise school marketing.
With both physical and digital marketing power to showcase themselves to prospective students, parents, and other stakeholders, you need to be prepared to encourage people to approach your school.
Often overlooked, school marketing is a subject that gets left to the bottom of the to-do list despite its pivotal role in every school’s journey. In this blog, we’ll explore exactly why school marketing is essential for primary schools, high schools, colleges and universities in 2024 and beyond!
Ask yourself: do you understand how marketing can benefit your school?
So How Can This Help Your School…
Now that we’ve captured the core of marketing, let’s explore the reasons why your school should skillfully market itself. Here are our top five reasons you should begin a range of school marketing practices today!
The Top 5 Reasons Schools Market Themselves?
What Is A School Marketing Plan?
#1 Get Ahead In a Competitive Market
Enrollment figures are an all-important figure for schools. With constant competition in the engagement of new pupils and prospective parents, it is essential that your school marketing is strong consistent and professional from the outset.
Building a reputation and marketing strategy to stand out from the crowd, is key. Capture what is truly unique to your school; recent achievements, excellent staff and well-established curriculums to name a few.
Aim to capture parent’s attention in the same ways you strive to engage your pupils every day and your school will shine amongst those local to you.
#2 Attract High-Quality Teaching Staff
Ethos and values within your school not only allow your pupils to embark on their life journey with a good outlook on life, but they also showcase how your teachers carry themselves through the educational journey.
When a teacher is looking to progress in their career they will be looking to align themselves with your school, sharing in educational beliefs, learning standards and determination to succeed.
If your marketing is well thought out and consistent your school will be more likely to portray a forward-thinking, success-driven enterprise. As a result, you will be more likely to attract better-quality teaching staff, who are excited about your school and projects.
With competition for pupils being so fierce, the quality of your teaching staff could make or break the number of pupils you enrol.
#3 Connect With Parents
As some of the most important members of your school, current and prospective parents want to feel as though they are a part of something special and they are bringing their children to an educational and fun school.
Creating this feeling can be achieved through well-thought-out school branding and marketing that hooks parents with memorable and effective content and imagery. With people working longer hours, and an increased number of distractions in everyday life, not only are you competing with other schools, you’re competing with the modern lifestyle.
#4 Improving Your School Image
Developing and understanding your school’s unique marketing will naturally progress your branding. As logomarks, webpages and prospectuses are designed and produced you’ll begin to uncover new colour schemes and visual styles that represent your school and begin to find their way into other aspects of your school.
As a result, your school will become more easily recognisable assisting in building trust and portraying a positive brand image. To create consistent school marketing, we will always advise the creation of a clear set of brand guidelines that are used in all current and future marketing efforts.
As a result, your school will become more easily recognisable assisting in building trust and portraying a positive brand image. To create consistent school marketing, we will always advise the creation of a clear set of brand guidelines that are used in all current and future marketing efforts.
If you’re looking to take the next step with your school branding, simply drop us an email at sales@designoffice.co.uk and we’ll be happy to help you along the path of school marketing.
#5 Shine Bright For Ofsted
One of the most influential factors for parents when deciding on a school for their child is its Ofsted result. Beyond the education provided, the branding carried across the school website, signage, and social media presence, plays a pivotal role in this process
Think about introducing interactive curriculums to your website, and fully utilising your school’s branding.
During the pre- and post-Ofsted visit, inspectors will come across your school’s various marketing materials. When these materials are well-thought-out and of higher quality, they portray your school as a professionally managed and forward-looking institution.
Start Your School Marketing Journey
How Do You Create A Marketing Strategy For A School?
A comprehensive marketing plan is essential for any school in the UK looking to attract new students, engage with parents, and stand out in an increasingly competitive education marketplace.
From launching new school websites to comprehensive letterheads, building and focusing on an array of school marketing materials allows you to explore new advertising avenues and reach new people.
Create A School SWOT Analysis
Commonly used in business SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis is a framework used to evaluate a company’s competitive position and give them a jumping-off point in reworking and developing both internal and external factors.
As we discussed earlier “think of your school as the cool thing you want to share”, using SWOT analysis allows businesses to see their working processes in this manner, breaking down each component to its base form for an easier understanding and routing out the “cool thing” they want to share:
- Strengths are internal factors that give your school an advantage over others.
- Weaknesses are internal factors that may put your school at a disadvantage compared to others.
- Opportunities are external factors in your environment that could potentially benefit your school.
- Threats are external factors that could potentially harm your school.
Once complete the school SWOT analysis can be used to inform your marketing strategy and to target areas that need improvement in the eyes of prospective parents and Ofsted.
Define Your School Brand
As with any business, establishing a robust brand identity is paramount for effective school marketing. Being able to articulate your school’s core values, mission, vision, and culture in a manner that is both eye-catching and resonates with your intended audience assists in boosting your overall appeal as well as creating building blocks to work from for all of your school marketing.
A school’s brand extends beyond mere visuals like logos or taglines; it encompasses the overall perception and reputation of the institution. It embodies what individuals think and feel when the school’s name is mentioned.
Crafting your school’s brand necessitates introspection into its fundamental principles. What are its core values? What is its mission and vision for the future? Addressing these queries found within your SWOT analysis shapes the school’s identity and lays a solid groundwork for marketing endeavours.
What are the aspirations and requirements of the students and parents you aim to attract? By aligning the brand with their values and aspirations, a profound emotional connection can be forged, fostering trust. Get in touch with us at 01270 252106, email us directly at sales@designoffice.co.uk and we can begin your school branding journey together.
Unleash The Power Of Social Media
Five billion people discover, learn, follow, and shop on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin daily.
With such a widespread audience available, the power of social media is not just limited to influencers and large brands advertising to users. For schools, these social sharing platforms have revolutionised the way you can connect and communicate with pupils, parents and alumni.
Through crafting engaging content and actively engaging with followers, schools can spark interest and cultivate a dedicated online community. Social media platforms serve as invaluable tools for disseminating vital updates, spotlighting student accomplishments, showcasing faculty expertise, and publicising upcoming events.
These platforms also offer a chance for paid advertising at crucial times of the year. Proving the ability to promote the school to more people during enrollment periods or upcoming open days. Take a look at the success Orley Farm School had with their social media campaign working with Design Office.
Tell Your Story With School Photography
One of the best ways to showcase and market everything your school has to offer is by capturing those special moments that happen in and around the classroom.
Crafting visual stories that set your school apart in a competitive landscape allows you to explore a full range of additional marketing. Whether online or print media, professional school photos give people a look into the environment your staff have put all their passion into.
At Design Office, our mission is to collaborate with you to tell your story through the lens. As you entrust us with your visual identity, we ensure that every shot narrates a unique tale that resonates with your audience. Through our lens, your products, events, and moments become vivid stories, engaging viewers and leaving a lasting impression.
ENGAGE PARENTS WITH SCHOOL VIDEOS
In the realm of successful marketing strategies, video marketing stands as another vital ingredient that shouldn’t be overlooked. Once you’ve crafted your compelling written content, it’s time to turn your attention to creating captivating visual content.
School videos hold immense power in conveying a wealth of information to prospective parents without requiring them to read through the extensive website content. Through these dynamic visual narratives, you can effectively showcase the essence and ethos of your school, leaving a lasting impression on your prospective parents.
At our school marketing agency, we understand the significance of video marketing, which is why we produce a diverse range of engaging school videos. Our promotional school videos exude the vibrancy and uniqueness of our educational institution, offering a glimpse into the transformative learning experiences we offer.
Take a look at our full range of school photography and videography services here. We even offer 3D school tours!
Empower Your School With The
School Marketing Essentials Of 2024
At Design Office, we take pride in our reputation as Cheshire’s premier school marketing agency, dedicated to delivering exceptional marketing services to educational institutions ranging from schools to colleges, universities, and training environments.
With an impressive legacy spanning over three decades in design, print, and web marketing, we possess the expertise to handle a diverse range of print materials, including school books, planners, prospectuses, signage, stationery, and more. You can trust us to meet any deadline with the utmost professionalism.
Our creative team goes above and beyond by immersing themselves in your environment and learning alongside you, ensuring that we capture the perfect image for your school marketing.
Reach out to us at 01270 252106, email us directly at sales@designoffice.co.uk, or simply fill out our contact form below. We are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to collaborate with you and elevate your school’s marketing efforts to new heights.