For a number of you, your enrollment is wrapped up for next fall. You are putting the finishing touches on the package of kiddos who will sit in your seats for the upcoming school year.
Others of you may sit at the other end of the spectrum, scrambling, praying, and laboring daily for every single inquiry, hoping that in some way you defy statistics and enroll 100% of those who even ask you about your school.
Both groups have marketing things you can do during the summer months:
DONE – FUN IN THE SUN:
While this group has already wrapped up enrollment, I know you are not taking off 3 months in the summer. In our business, who really gets to do that?! But since you have completed your enrollment, here are 3 things you should do to get a jump start on the fall:
- REVIEWS: the end of the school year can be a great time to ask parents to review your school on Google, Facebook, Niche, Private School Review, and Yelp (because it is linked to Apple Maps app). Be selective because you also may get irritable parents also in need of a summer break! So ask who you know will give you a 5-star glowing recommendation.
- PLANNING: something most people in our business tell me is that they never have time to truly plan their marketing. Take time this summer to walk through the critical steps of your marketing system. Do you have the components of a strong word-of-mouth marketing system? Do you know what your lead-generation system looks like? I love helping schools with this – contact me if I can be of service this summer.
- BACK-TO-SCHOOL WOM: before summer fever takes over, take some time with your team to map out specific events and experiences that will propel your word-of-mouth marketing in the fall. I’m working with a school now to outline a word-of-mouth marketing and retention system. It helps when you think about retention about a year-round effort.
LAST-MINUTE SUMMER SCRAMBLE:
OK, now for the next group. If you are nearing the filling of your final available seat, or if you are desperately trying to do what you can to meet budget, your priorities will be different.
- SOCIAL MEDIA: while things might be crazy, you need to take a few minutes to look at social media for the next 3 months. Plan out themes and develop a list of content that you need captured before the kids leave the campus. Look at any way to incorporate a virtual experience of your campus so your admissions team can show the campus in the summer months when no one is around. Capture videos, QR shows (since most smart phones now automatically read QR codes, it is much easier to incorporate this technology), a podcast, or any other way to tell stories. Even if you need to take a few days for summer vacation, you can use a variety of scheduling tools on various platforms to post your content even while you are away.
- TARGETED PERSONA: while you might be tempted to blanket a “one-size-fits-all” message to anybody and everybody who might be looking at your school, you will be more effective by targeting your message. Create some piece of relevant content targeting young Kindergarten moms who are nervous about putting their little one in the hands of an education system. Make a blog post about the transition years to Middle School and how your school can help ease the move. Videotape students in high school talking about their college readiness which ensures every parent that your college preparatory experience is worth every penny!
- COMBINE THE FIRST TWO: your best bet is to create social media content that targets specific personas and blitz this out for the next 3 months. Batch process some videos of high schoolers talking about how your school has equipped them for college and then dribble this out throughout the summer with a similar message: you come to our school and we turn our confident kids ready for college!
If you want to work together for 6 months or even just 1 month, I would love to visit with you about how to help. Click here to email me and we can discuss customizing a consulting arrangement that is best for your needs.
Randy
