What can be better for your ROI than getting a new student enrolled? Maintaining your current ones. We know that acquiring a new student is attractive, but student retention is essential for the long-term success of your school.

Lower student acquisition costs and advocacy within your community are among the most important benefits of student retention. But how can school leaders help increase student retention? Here are three tips for keeping your current students and leveraging your communication:

Keep Parents In The Loop

“Bad human communication leaves us less room to grow.” – Rowan Williams

Communication is key. Start by communicating your plans to parents, let them know what’s happening, and make yourself accessible for them to ask questions or resolve issues. Use the most efficient channels (like social media or email campaigns), be direct with your messages, and approachable with your overall communication. Knowledge inspires growth; use it to your favor.

Instill Confidence

Trust is a powerful thing! Let families know that no matter the obstacle, you have a plan or have identified the proper resources to start tackling it. Be their ally and ensure that you’ve got their needs covered. You can consistently communicate with parents through Schola’s ​​Automated Outreach Campaigns to strategically boost retention and simplify how you follow up with parents.

Thank And Value Current Families

Current families are your best brand ambassadors. Make sure they feel valued as an essential part of your school’s community. Encourage them to get involved in their children’s education and let parents know that their voice is being heard. Nurture your community every step of the way! 

After implementing these recommendations, take some time to calculate your retention rate. If you continue to face hurdles in maintaining your current students and their families engaged, we’re here to help. Schola can assist you to strategize and apply the most effective re-engagement strategies for your unique school. Here are four essential strategies to analyze and boost your school’s retention:

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Always Aim For Higher Engagement

It’s normal to have some inactive members in any community. But why not inspire them to engage more with your school’s content? Create segment-based communication to identify inactive families and generate targeted messages. The more specific your message is to parents, the more powerful your communication will be. 

What About Your Content?

Compare two versions to determine which one performs better through A/B testing. It can be the ideal tool to measure different versions of your content. A/B testing allows you to determine the most effective re-engagement strategy for your community, modify offers, and adjust the tone of your communication to boost retention. 

What To Do With Feedback?

Use it! Survey your families, communicate with your faculty, and monitor student engagement. Discuss with your team and families what areas can improve. Then, use that feedback to make changes and show that they are heard and valued. Get to know the specifics, and start tackling them right away. 

The Best Time To Enroll Is Now 

Stay on track of your re-enrollment forms, and collect them as soon as possible. Do you have a plan in place to make it even easier for parents to re-enroll? Begin your school’s re-enrollment efforts early for the upcoming year and use digital forms to simplify your re-enrollment tasks and help your team stay organized. With Schola‘s Application Integration you can simplify your application process by allowing parents to complete their enrollment forms completely online. 

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The retention and re-engagement of families is an ongoing task. Be strategic, organized, and don’t be afraid of testing new tactics to measure which ones are more efficient with your school’s community. If you need help, Schola offers innovative tools to keep students and their families engaged with your campaigns.

Are you ready to develop your own successful marketing journey? This is the 7th and last article of Schola’s School Leader Success Guide. That means that you now have the tools to create, execute, and analyze your next marketing campaign. At Schola, we are eager to hear all about your results and help you continue enhancing them to reach your enrollment goals.