Use of IT to Promote Your School

You may have the best school, the best faculty, brilliant students, etc., etc. But if you aren't exposing it to as many people as possible, your market will be significantly reduced. Here are some 21st century ways of promoting your school. Marketing your school successfully in today's highly competitive environment requires presenting your message in many different ways. Think outside the box. Network like mad. Your school will get noticed.

a.       Professional Web Site

You need a professionally designed, secure website which allows your community and potential families to interact easily with the school and its staff. Online admissions materials and ways to give money to the school are all part of that professional package. If you don't spend the money to produce a great website, you are missing the boat, not to mention, hundreds of potential clients and donations.

In today’s technologically savvy world, a Web site is an essential promotional tool, as well as a great way to build community within your school. In many circumstances, especially with new families moving into the community. A Web site is the first place a parent will begin their search for quality educational institutions. Your Web site should accurately reflect your school’s demographics and facility and be informative enough for parents to assess if a visit is worth their time. Contact information should be prominent, and the site should be up to date in information, technology, and style. Avoid long download times that frustrate visitors and remember: Less is more.

An ideal Web site might have staff profiles, a list of extracurricular activities, a list of educational programs and accreditations, as well of lots of photos of your school in action.

b.       Twitter

Twitter is part of something called social media. Create a Twitter account just for your school. Don't restrict access to the account. All you are going to use this account for is promotional material and public announcements and the like. Confidential information for parents and faculty is best circulated in the usual manner, i.e., via email or printed documents as necessary. Twitter messages are limited to 140 characters just like a text message on your cellphone. But you can tweet photos and links to websites. What do you send out via Twitter? Anything you want the world outside your community to know. Stuff like sports scores and events announcements are the sort of thing schools using Twitter tweet on a regular basis. Who should manage your school's Twitter account? Your public relations staff and/or the admissions staff.

c.        Facebook

Schools are discovering that Facebook is a powerful tool for reaching alumni. Unlike Twitter it is easy to aggregate all your posts on your Facebook site. It's a great place to store photo galleries of alumni events, games and all the other exciting, wonderful happenings and news you want your community at home and abroad to be a part of.

d.       Join Associations

Most schools join their state or regional independent school association. It's also a good idea to join national associations. Keep your contact information and website address current in those listings.

e.        Directory Listings

Listings on sites like this one are free and offer wide exposure to a world-wide audience. Paid listings in old line directories such as Petersons.com and The Bunting and Lyon Blue Book also get you lots of attention especially from education professionals and consultants.

Listings on a website such as  Boarding School Review and its sister site Private School Review are a must these days. Make sure your listing is complete and appealing. It is also worth spending money on their paid advertisements too.

f.        Have a high quality blog on your website

But don’t think of it as “blogging” which often serves as a mental impasse. Approach it like information marketing. The Internet is all about accessing information. Anyone interested in your school will most likely first be looking for basic information about possible careers, salary ranges, and lots of do it yourself tutorials (if applicable). Using your website blog as information marketing will help prospective students find you as well as enhance your authority in the industry by demonstrating your expertise. It’s why large universities have their professors publish books: establish topic authority and prestige for the institution.

g.       Provide Useful Links

Publish great content related to your field (Career, Research, Examination & Results, etc.) people will want to link to. Find other websites that have content related to your industry and comment with a link to your site.