Independent schools are often geographically located in a saturated market, competing to attract the same families – whether that be locally or further afield.
Not only do these schools have geography to contend with, but they may have similar facilities, academic offerings and outcomes, and extra-curricular opportunities.
So, it is crucial for schools to determine their USP, and how to “sell” this to prospective families.
Some schools may also be facing issues with historical perceptions in the community – for example, not academic enough, too traditional or on the contrary not traditional enough – and this is why marketing is so important.
Storytelling is an effective marketing technique to help schools stand out from their competition while avoiding the hard “sell” that often turns people away. More than ever, parents are looking for more of an emotional connection between themselves and the schools they wish to engage with; they are looking for a school that they think will be the best fit for their child(ren), a school that shares the same ethos and priorities as them.
While it is important to display facts about facilities, activities and results, what parents really want to know is how a school’s ethos has been developed and what this means for its students.
Schools should look to use their learning communities (past and present) as part of their storytelling across owned (social media channels and website) and earned (media relations) channels.
Alumni and current students, and their parents, are the most effective ambassadors, acting as micro-influencers on prospective families. At Conscious, we always advocate that schools consider using their communities’ voices and opinions throughout their marketing strategies – they are the most authentic selling tool that a school has! This will help to build relationships and trust with both current and potential families, while increasing the overall reach.
A strong video and social media strategy is intrinsic to the success of a school’s approach to marketing. Videos and slick social media graphics (both static and moving) are eye-catching and engaging; a brilliant medium to help a school tell their story and sell their USP. Steer clear from faceless videos and drone footage showing off the school grounds and, instead, focus on individual student stories.
Storytelling also gives schools the opportunity to tailor their marketing approaches, and messaging, to each audience group – a one size fits all never works.
Of course, there are many factors that a school needs to consider when planning their marketing strategy, but one of the most important to focus on is the geographical and cultural ‘pulls’ for each prospective family; segmented between local, regional, national and international audiences.
For example, international families will be most interested in access to UK universities, what curriculum you offer, boarding options and pastoral care, compared to the motivations of local families, which could focus on extra-curricular activities.
So, what is your school’s story? How are you going to tell it?
As Simon Sinek quite rightly said: “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”, so it is now time to invest and share your school’s stories to gain a competitive advantage.
Sophie Baillie is the PR and Marketing Director for Conscious Communications.