Engaging a marketing firm is a major decision to make by any school, which could be a private academy, an independent school or a K through 12 school. However, there are numerous choices available and choosing the wrong one is easy.
In Ehtisham Consulting, we have witnessed schools lose precious time, revenue and opportunities, and this was at the expense of asking the wrong questions or rather not even knowing what to ask in the first place. Selecting a marketing agency involved with schools is not about finding someone who does ads. It is more like a long-term relationship with a partner where they know your mission, who you target and your competition.
Let us get to the nitty-gritty of the top 10 mistakes that schools often commit before engaging a school marketing company and what you should do to prevent them.
Mistake 1: Not Defining Clear Marketing Goals
Before contracting with any agency, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
What are we trying to achieve?
Are we looking to boost enrollment, increase retention, or build our brand?
Otherwise, when you do not establish your goals, your agency will not be able to make a strategy contributing to these goals. Once your goals are defined, your agency can align your messaging, campaigns and platforms with actual KPIs rather than vanity.
Pro Tip: The goals must be SMART, which means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
Mistake 2: Ignoring the Power of Digital Marketing for Private Schools
It is not a choice anymore, but a need to be digital.
Another problem that has persisted in many schools is the excessive use of traditional advertising or word-of-mouth. However, the parents and students today are online, and they demand that their school be online as well.
A digital marketing agency of private schools will be able to assist you in connecting with new families in the places where they are most likely to be found, Google, social media and mobile. Using custom digital marketing for your private schools, you will be able to create brand awareness, get leads and enhance the online reputation of your school.
Mistake 3: Underestimating the Value of SEO for Independent Schools
Unless you appear on the first page of Google searches, most families cannot see you.
The process of finding schools on the internet, particularly in a local search using phrases such as the best private school in my area is known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Hiring a PR agency specializing in SEO of private schools or consulting with an expert on SEO of independent schools means that your site will be ranked high and will take a few seconds to load, and it will use the language with which your target audience is familiar.
Did You Know? 75 per cent of searchers do not scroll past page one.
Mistake 4: Spotting out Experience with Independent and Private Schools
Not every agency realizes the peculiarities of the education sphere.
Promoting a tech start-up is a completely different process from marketing a local elementary school. Agencies that handle digital marketing of independent schools understand how to message parents, alumni, donors and prospective students at the same time.
Find a marketing partner that can speak your language, grasp education schedules and knows how to sell trust.
Mistake 5: Choosing a One-Size-Fits-All School Marketing Solution
All schools are unique.
It is an individual approach demanded by your goals, your culture, and your audience.
Shun those agencies that bring cookie-cutter plans before you. A quality school marketing agency will review what you have been doing, what makes you special, and it will be able to create unique campaigns based on what you want to promote.
Keep in mind: Personalization is the name of the game in the 2015 education market.
Mistake 6: Forgetting Social Media Marketing of Private Schools
Social media is not only the place teens hang out to see what they can find; this is where parents research, seek reviews, and have a feel of the culture in your school.
When you aren’t investing in social media marketing to promote your private school, then you are losing a very potent tool for storytelling. Parents want to view things as they see real people in Instagram Reels, Facebook groups and YouTube tours.
Pro tip: Present everyday research, student success stories, events and behind-the-scenes videos.
Mistake 7: Failing to check out School Marketing Consultants carefully
School marketing consultants are not all the same.
request case studies. Ask clients to give a reference. Be familiar with their team division, their turnaround time and their communication approach. They need not be responsive and effective just because they have a flashy website.
Vetting checklist:
Have they worked in schools such as yours?
Are they merely strategic, or are they strategic in planning too?
Is ROI trackable and reportable by them?
Mistake 8: Failing to Assess Data, Analytics, and ROI Tracking
Blind marketing is equivalent to shooting arrows in the dark.
Your agency should provide you with access to real metrics, including website traffic, form submissions, social engagement, conversion rates, and more. Statistics inform you what is going on, what is not and in which areas you need to invest more.
Pro Insight: Enquire whether they are using Google Analytics, heat maps and the monthly performance reports.
Mistake 9: Ignoring the Role of Branding in School Marketing
Your logotype, your tone of voice and your images, too, have a story to share.
A good branding makes your school noticed in the throng. It becomes the foundation of developing trust and emotion. Anything you put on your site, in brochures, or any videos should indicate values and culture in your school.
A consistent brand is not a luxury but a competitive advantage.
Mistake 10: Rushing the Hiring Process Without Researching the Agency
You would not employ a teacher without checking his or her background, and so you should employ a marketing agency without a background check.
Read reviews. Learn about their case reports. Check their past clients and whether they have been able to bring results. An agency that sells schools can be trusted to be both open and constructive in their approach, as well as concentrating in long-term collaboration rather than a short-term retainer.
Pro Tip: Seek agencies that provide free consultation or an audit before they pitch in services.
Conclusion
At Ehtisham Consulting, we specialize in preventing such expensive mistakes by schools.
We are not just another average school marketing agency; we are your strategic growth partner. Need digital marketing for those specific inquiries about the private schools or SEO that is driven by professionals, or individualized social media marketing, then we bring directness, innovation and results to every assignment.
Increase your success, expansion, and peace of mind by helping you tell your story more effectively to the families you want to reach.
Book a free strategy call today and discover what your school could achieve with the right marketing partner.
