There are many ways a simple marketing strategy can help you build awareness and increase enrollments. For example, since 2020, schools have had to implement a set of digital tools to provide online learning to most students in the US.  

Schools rarely use a marketing strategy because they don’t have the time or the resources to implement them. Or sometimes, it might look too complicated and time-consuming.  

However, there are a few secrets that I wish to share with you today that will help you set a simple marketing strategy to increase enrollments.  

One of the main tools you need to focus on is social media; they’re the primary digital tools that your school can use at no cost.  

Why? 

Because social media connects people every day, they’ll help you start a dialogue between your school and families 24/7. Plus, many more benefits like sending traffic to your website, understanding what parents and students like about your school, access to paid advertising, and so much more! 

Let’s talk about one of the most popular social media platforms, Instagram!  

Tip #1 Explore Opening an Instagram Business Profile 

Instagram has over 1 billion users, and it’s the most popular social media platform to date.  

Instagram has a great variety of content formats that can help you reach potential parents and visibility with: 

Instagram Stories 

These are short video formats or static images that last about 15 seconds each. They’re an excellent opportunity to communicate short messages and updates. Also, make sure to take advantage of the additional features Instagram Stories offers, like question boxes, polls, and music, to improve engagement.  

Reels 

This feature came to compete against TikTok short video formats. It is one of the most popular tools because it allows you to record short video clips. You can use trending sounds to jump on the latest trend or talk directly to the camera to show what campus life is all about. Make sure to add additional text to help your viewers stay through the whole video.  

Feed 

Instagram’s feed allows you to share images and videos as well. For example, you may upload content-related events with teachers, parents, and students to demonstrate what you’re doing daily and how the community works together. You can also share graphics to promote enrollments or share your school’s core values. Don’t forget to use relevant hashtags to appear in the search section of your target audience.  

Story Highlights  

Photos and videos you share to your story disappear from your feed, your profile, and direct after 24 hours unless you add it as a highlight. Make sure to create relevant highlights to save your stories for followers to revisit whenever they want.  

Live Video  

This digital marketing tool has the power to boost your school’s credibility by showing your daily activities, giving a virtual tour, showing how students perform academically, you name it! You can also interact with your viewers in real-time and answer their questions during a live event.  

Tip # 2 Use Hashtags, a Powerful Digital Marketing Tool 

Hashtags fuel your posts! They’ll help you reach a broader audience and, therefore, engagements. But, first, let’s understand what a hashtag (#) does.  

A hashtag serves to tag your content to a thread with similar material to yours. For example, #schoolsinconnecticut, this hashtag will help your posts most likely to appear along with content related to “schools in Connecticut.”  

There’re a few things you must remember when establishing which hashtags, you’re going to use. First, I recommend how many views each hashtag has. You can do this easily on Instagram by typing each one on the search bar.  

Try and use a variety of hashtags.  

• Trendy (up to a million views) 
• Mildly popular (less than 500K) 
• Niche-specific (Hashtags that parents may use to search for a school), and branded hashtags like #yourschoolname so that people can tag you if they take a picture or create videos about your school).  

A quick tip, there’s a debate on how many hashtags you should use per post. Some say that 20 to 30, and others say no more than five. So, I recommend you try and post one with 30 and another with 5 to see which one works best.  

A word of caution, the hashtags you use on IG won’t necessarily work for other social media platforms.  

• For Facebook, use hashtags that are only popular with your audience. One is good, two is ok, and three might be a little too much.  
• For LinkedIn, no more than five. Otherwise, your post might sound spammy to the algorithm. So, instead, combine popular hashtags, Niche-specific, and tailored to your brand.  
• For Twitter, one or two popular hashtags are the sweet spot.  

Tip # 3 Use Email Marketing, One of the Digital Tools to Use in 2022 

Email marketing is not going away any time soon. It’s gained back popularity since online learning, and home office increased during 2020. It’s a powerful tool for you to use if you want to nurture parents, schedule tours, communicate events, or share any valuable information with your community. If you have an email marketing strategy in place, you’ll ensure that parents feel you’re catching up with them and keep the conversation going.  

Tip #4 Set Automated Responses on Facebook 

Following up with parents is challenging. By setting automated responses, you ensure you’re handing out the basic information they need 24/7, 365 days a year. Chatbots are a helpful and innovative tool that helps reduce the time you spend following up on potential parents.  

Tip # 5 Use a Scheduling Tool for School Visits 

This digital tool will help you track tours with parents and avoid no-shows. In addition, you can set up reminders, the days and hours before the visit to make sure parents don’t forget to assist. 

Tip #6 Connect with Local Families Using Google My Business  

There are plenty of benefits from listing your school with Google My Business. The most important is that families near you will locate your school. In addition, you’ll be able to post helpful information like opening and closing hours, a link to your website, recollect reviews and appear on Google local search results. 

There you have it, the six vital digital marketing tools you can use to boost your engagement and family experience.  

Have you used these tools before? If so, let me know in the comments if they’ve helped you reach your enrollment goals.  

I’ll write to you soon!