₦airaland Forum

1) Brag a Little!

Share your school's unique advantages with parents
up front! Is your school centrally located in the
community? Is your school committed to keeping
student resources and equipment on the cutting
edge of technology? Those benefits can set you apart
from other schools and help convince parents you
have something special to offer their child. Begin by
making a list of “bragging rights” (the most
impressive aspects of your school), then work
backward by thinking of ways to promote these
points. For example, if you have an exceptional art
program, why not make student art projects the focal
point of your entryway? A student mural would be a
great way to accentuate and advertise such a unique
benefit point to visitors.

2) Address Concerns!

What are the key educational concerns of parents in
your area? Academic excellence? School safety?
Class size? Credentialing? Your qualifications in these
areas will be the main reason parents choose your
school over other private and public institutions.
Since school violence and bullying are obvious
concerns today, why not address the subjects head
on—instead of allowing it to be whispered about and
worried over. Host a parent safety night at the
beginning of each school year so these issues can be
discussed in an open forum and parents can be
invited to be a part of the emergency procedures
your students will be learning. Events where parents
can communicate concerns and staff can answer
questions are invaluable occasions for attracting new
families. Welcoming prospective families shows just
how open and accessible your school truly is.

3) Say It Well!

Does your school have a mission and vision
statement? Does every staff member know and have
a heart for these statements? Your mission and
vision should illustrate the passion of your school and
be purposefully concise in order to be easily
understood by both students and parents. Once you
have identified your critical benefit points, make sure
you and your staff can articulate them clearly.
A mission and vision statement can become
prophetic—the more one reads and understands it,
the more focused one can be in living out the words.
Post the statement on the wall of the office and in the
front hall. Include it in advertisements and on the
bottom of your letterhead. Above all else, make sure
every decision and action taken by your school is
filtered through the words of your mission and vision
statement. These key messages will become part of
who you are as a school and help build your
reputation

4) Say It Often!

Communicate often with your community and let the
people around you know the great things you’re
doing, not just during your enrollment drive.
Frequency in your message—through a variety of
communication methods—is the most important
strategy toward becoming the first name that comes
to mind when Christian education is mentioned in
your community. If your school wins something like
the state spelling bee, for example, why not send out
press releases about this victory to local television
stations, radio stations, community publications, and
Christian publications? Include this good news in
your monthly newsletter, on your Web site, and as a
voice message on your telecommunications system.
In addition, print a banner to display outside your
school. It will not only make students proud of their
academic success, it also communicates to passersby
that your school is active and doing well—thereby
increasing your chances of reaching new families.

5) Get Ready, Company’s Here!

The quality of your facility is under scrutiny,
especially since parents are typically paying extra for
their children to attend a private school. Parents
need visible proof their money is being well spent.
Ideally, your facility should have a clean, welcoming,
professional look. Make sure your main office—the
place a parent’s visit usually begins—is neat and
orderly, since this sets the tone for the rest of their
experience with your school. The children’s area
should be cheerful and inviting, with obvious
attention to cleanliness and safety. Fresh paint once
a year (especially in the bathrooms) and regularly
cleaned carpets are trademarks of an inviting facility.
However, proper signage is also vital, especially if
you are meeting in a church building. Parents should
be able to enter the school and immediately find the
classrooms, office, and bathrooms. If your facility is
organized, friendly, and inviting, parents will assume
your school is too.

6) Schedule Tours!

A tour is typically the first opportunity new parents
have to interact with your school and students and
can also be the most influential factor in selecting
your school. So don’t leave this important and
strategic marketing opportunity to chance! By
scheduling regular tour times, you can make sure the
best parts of your school are ready to showcase. You
may have a really great playground, but it is clearly
not as dynamic if you can’t pass by when kids are
playing on the equipment and interacting with one
another. Try to feature a variety of classroom
activities including academics, creativity, and
technology. Finally, make sure there is a comfortable
place available for you and your visitors to sit and
discuss the school’s benefits after the tour. Giving
parents your undivided attention and a little
hospitality can be the foundation for a positive
ongoing relationship.

7) Leave Your Mark!

Presenting yourself properly and with excellence is
one key to winning the trust of incoming parents. A
well-planned and executed school identity is one
facet of being awarded this trust. From business
cards to memos, pamphlets to logos, your school’s
written communication—both internally and
externally—is important to attracting new parents.
Make well-designed handouts available (on quality
paper stock) which clearly explain your history,
educational philosophy, admissions policy, staff and
administration bios, etc. Everything that leaves your
office or is used in the office should contain your logo
and contact information (don’t forget your Web
address!) as well as any slogan or tagline your school
utilizes. A great logo might include your school’s
mascot, a geographical landmark near the school, or
an artistic representation of your school’s name.
Even though you may send out specific
communications to prospective families, remember:
God works in mysterious ways. Any document that
has your school’s name on it can be a point of entry
for a new student. For example, a woman visiting a
new friend’s home for coffee might notice a child’s
report card hanging on the refrigerator. The woman
may first be impressed by the personal comments of
the teacher, showing how much time and energy is
being invested into the student. Then she notices
your logo on the report card and decides to contact
the school about enrolling her own child. The
outcome of such a situation could be entirely
different if the report card looks dated, doesn’t
contain your logo, or isn’t built to be an informative
tool of communication.

8.) www.YourWebSiteIsVital.com!

In tboday’s technologically savvy world, a Web site is
an essential promotional tool, as well as a great way
to build community within your school. In many
circumstances— especially with new families moving
into the community—a Web site is the first place a
parent will begin their search for quality educational
institutions. Your Web site should accurately reflect
your school’s demographics and facility and be
informative enough for parents to assess if a visit is
worth their time. Contact information should be
prominent, and the site should be up to date in
information, technology, and style. Avoid long
download times that frustrate visitors and
remember: Less is more. You are better off having a
clean and classically designed one-page site with a
simple photo and contact information, than a flashy,
complicated site that is difficult to maneuver and
contains broken links. An ideal Web site might have
staff profiles, a list of extracurricular activities, a list
of educational programs and accreditations, as well
of lots of photos of your school in action. (Note:
Please be cautious about the use of students’ names
and photos on your site. There may be Internet users
who do not have pure intentions.)

9) Campaign for Enrollment!

To boost enrollment, it is vital to execute a strategic
marketing campaign that will raise public interest.
Your fall enrollment campaign should begin in March
or April and should include multiple approaches to
get the word out (see tip #7). A direct mail postcard
campaign is a wonderful way to personally invite
families in your community to learn more about your
school. The postcards should have an “offer” (free
tour, gift, information booklet, etc.) and have an easy
way for someone to respond. But don’t worry about
including all your information on that one card. The
point is not to generate an enrollment from the card,
but to get a qualified contact. To compliment the
direct mail campaign, place a banner in front of your
building, ads in your local parent’s magazines, and
start a referral campaign with incentives for existing
families.

10) Keep ‘em Talking!

The best form of advertising and promotion is word
of mouth. Give parents and students a school they
can be proud of. They will be your best marketers
when they believe in what you are doing. This is
where the excellence of your reputation and Christian
values will make you shine. Make sure to gather any
positive comments you get from parents and
students and include these testimonies in ads, fliers,
and on your Web site. Case studies of students who
have improved grades or behavior are an invaluable
way to prove the impact your school can have in a
child’s life. Keep these studies in a binder in the front
office with photos and examples of each child’s work.
These are the tangible results new parents need to
make an informed decision to enroll their child in
your school.

boladale:
No comments? What a shame. Many growing schools are not doing these things. They are not employing the tactics that other businesses are making use of. Poor promotional strategies, poor marketing, yet they keep lamenting. Good schools expect parents to just walk into their schools without doing any advertisements. Pity, this is the 21st century, people.