We live in a data-driven world. Nearly everything these days can be measured, monitored, and optimized. Data is incredibly valuable for school marketing because it means we can obtain and understand key metrics like cost per lead, conversion rate, and return on investment. These metrics are important not only for school leaders, but also for teachers, counselors, specialists, parents, and students. Every member of your school community should care about your marketing metrics.
Here’s why:
Whether privately or publicly, schools receive funding for each student enrolled. For this reason, gaps in enrollments are detrimental for schools. The less funding a school receives, the fewer resources it can provide for students. So, when a school has a lower cost per lead and high conversion rates, it increases the return on investment. The larger the return on investment, the more funds a school has to invest back into the classroom where it belongs. That means higher quality resources for students, more professional development for teachers, and improved education outcomes for everyone.
The following question then arises: if everyone in the school community should care about the marketing metrics, what can members do to improve them? While school leaders handle the direct marketing efforts of the school, your school community also plays a significant role in marketing. Here’s what they can do to improve those marketing metrics and get more best-fit students in the door.
#1: Create an Enjoyable Learning Experience
The best thing that teachers can do to improve your school’s marketing metrics is simply being the best teacher they can be! Teachers are the ones who foster relationships with students every day and largely dictate students’ overall learning experience. When teachers excel as educators, they impact their students through genuine connections and can significantly improve the student retention rate. Let’s not forget that student retention is just as important as enrolling new students. It is a lot easier to keep a student enrolled than recruiting new ones.
#2: Get Social
All community members can take part in getting social. Social media makes it easier than ever to engage with prospective and current families and plays a significant role in student recruitment. Encourage teachers, parents, and even students to engage with your schools’ social media, repost videos, participate in contests and challenges, and interact with others on the channel. Remember, your social media must be engaging to entice people to participate, so make sure you are upholding your end by producing high-quality, entertaining, and informative content.
#3: Word of Mouth
Talk travels fast. Word of mouth can be pivotal for families choosing a new school for their child. When members of your school simply talk about your school in a positive light, it can ultimately impact a family’s decision to apply or enroll at your school. Furthermore, when your school’s brand is clear and consistent, those in your community know exactly how to communicate to others what makes you unique.
When your school community cares about your marketing metrics, education outcomes improve for everyone. This is what Schola is all about. By helping schools attract more best-fit students and revolutionizing the recruitment and enrollment process, it frees up funds to be invested back into the classroom where they belong.