Everything we thought we knew about school marketing and communications has changed drastically in the last few months. As the world started to adjust to remote working and life in isolation, our messages have become more mindful of the times. And in a positive light, we have become more community-focused.
Schools have been asking themselves whether or not they should continue posting on social media and advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Same goes for advertising. So if you still have your doubts, we are here to help. We hope to help you move forward and feel confident about your outlook and school presence in the future.
Social media advertising
We recommend that you do not stop advertising. There are a lot of parents at home still planning for next year and hoping for the best. So it is a really good opportunity for your school to be present on social media, where families are spending a lot of their time. By continuing advertising you reassure your audience that you are still present and you’re projecting confidence, a positive outlook and are planning to tackle the next academic year.
If you have a lot of active ads, make sure you do not have any CTAs about visiting campus or about scheduling tours. However, you can tap into virtual tours. So if you do have an extensive virtual tour option built out, definitely capitalise on that. Encourage parents to get that on-campus experience without actually needing to leave their homes.
Something else to consider is what kind of photos you have available. Use anything you have of your campus, your admissions staff and students to build more of a personal connection. Maybe you do not have a virtual tour but have ten really great photos of your campus. You can build these into a carousel so that users can click through and still get that virtual experience.
PPC advertising
Same as with social media ads, we recommend that you do not stop your PPC campaigns. Instead, make sure to just remove any CTAs that mention visiting campus.
If you have ads running right now, it is important to first consider your landing page. If you do not already have a pop-up on your admissions or inquiry pages, we highly recommend adding one. Highlighting something like, “Hey! We have an online inquiry form”, and adding the contact information for your admissions team. Being as specific as possible lets parents know that you are still there and are still active.
And if you have ads about the different divisions of your school, we recommend keeping those ads live. The cycle for parents or prospects to enrol is very long. Some are working from home, some are not. Regardless, they are still in the search for the perfect school.
Key takeaway
While it may feel like you cannot or should not promote your school now, it can be a great opportunity if you execute a well-thought-out strategy. For both social media and PPC, creatively using assets you already have is a great way to introduce your school to prospective families without requiring them to visit in-person.
At faethe.marketing we have been helping schools to successfully get more students through social media and PPC advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic. So if you are looking to recruit more students for your programmes with minimal cost and effort, feel free to reach out to us.