There’s no denying the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the education sector. More than 1.2 billion students worldwide had been out of the classrooms due to the pandemic. Children have resorted to online education alongside modular learning and other forms of education.
It’s good that with the mass vaccination and lighter pandemic restrictions, students worldwide have gradually gone back to school, with the Philippines being the last to reopen. While educational institutions have set health and safety protocols for in-person learning in classroom settings, parents have prepared for a seamless transition and safe schooling.
But as a learning institution, you must be robust in your marketing approach. The goal is to get as many students as possible for enrollment. Why? Parents are highly critical and selective in choosing a school for their children, albeit supportive of school reopening. They want to ensure that their kids are safe and protected within the premises.
When it comes to promoting your school and reaching out to children, digital marketing is the key. That said, here are some online marketing strategies for your school amid the pandemic:
1. Website Marketing: Optimize your website and boost its UX
Almost every school worldwide now has a website to maintain and update. It serves as a hub for expanding a school’s brand and building its online reputation. It also displays the school’s curriculum, list of courses, school events, and education-related updates.
In the wake of the pandemic, educational institutions use their websites to provide their students and parents with COVID-19 updates. They also promote the health and safety protocols they have set in place. These include complete vaccination, constant cleaning and disinfecting, social distancing, and health monitoring.
Whether private or public charter schools, optimize your website with the user experience (UX) in mind. Have a well-structured user interface (UI), streamlined elements, easy navigation, a fast loading page, and mobile responsiveness. Most importantly, include valuable content pieces underscoring that your school is safe.
2. Search Engine Marketing: Increase your online presence and site traffic
No matter how highly functional and visually appealing a website is, it won’t matter if it doesn’t have an online presence. As a private or public charter school, you want parents to easily and quickly find your website online. That way, they’ll choose your school among other educational institutions. That’s where search engine marketing (SEM) comes into the picture. For your SEM strategy, here are online campaigns to implement:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Optimize your website, produce relevant content, and build links to augment your online visibility. Plus, don’t forget to boost your local SEO by getting your school listed on online directors. That way, your school will rank the highest in the search engine results pages (SERP).
Pay-per-Click (PPC):
Make sure to create ads about your school enrollment and the courses you offer. From there, bid for their placements on SERP to increase your website traffic. However, you must pay for every successful click.
3. Digital Content Marketing: Produce and publish valuable content pieces
Content is powerful. That’s why it’s called king in the digital world. It resonates well with people. It has the power to educate, persuade, and influence people
In business, digital marketers use content to boost their brand, market their business, promote their products or services, and reach out to their target market. That’s where content marketing comes into play.
In education, schools can use forms of content like insightful articles, striking images of facilities, and compelling promotional videos. That said, here’s how to implement your content marketing strategies for your school:
- Start a blog where you can regularly produce and publish valuable articles.
- Create and post articles revolving around education and even health and safety protocols in schools.
- Come up with infographics about COVID-19 updates and implications on the education sector.
- Publish images of your school, including its amenities, to entice students.
- Post promotional video clips showing how ready your school is for students amid the new normal.
4. Social Media Marketing: Leverage the use of online channels
Digital marketing won’t be complete without the use of social media. These channels are where people live and breathe. Especially during this pandemic, individuals and families spend most of their time online browsing through social media pages.
If you’re looking to put your school in the limelight, create pages for it. From there, implement these social media marketing strategies:
Create Facebook ads and target them to your prospects based on demographics. Also, post and share relevant content pieces to spark student engagement. Lastly, build an online community of students and mentors via this channel.
Consistently post and publish valuable content pieces on this channel. Doing so will establish your authority as an educational institution. Ultimately, it will attract more and more students into your school.
Build your network through this powerful social media channel. Don’t only connect with your students and parents. Make sure to partner or synergize with organizations and other educational institutions.
Digital marketing is key to promoting your school and boosting your student enrollment. As an educational institution, consider the online marketing strategies above, whether website, search engine, digital content or social media marketing.
As a public or private school, you want to promote health and safety within your premises. At the same time, you want to continue carving learning among your students. These goals won’t be possible if you won’t be robust and critical of your digital marketing. Ultimately, let your old students and prospects know that you are ready to accept and welcome them!