To Catch Many Fish, You Need a Big Net
As a new school year begins, thoughts turn to planning for the next school year. (If you're still stuck in trying to get this year moving along, you'd better hurry, because other schools are passing you by). You may be wanting to increase your enrollment, especially if you've seen students simply not show up on the first day of school this year. I would encourage you to utilize the tools on this site under "Enrollment Essentials" on the home page. You'll note, however, that they're password protected. Please consider joining the eCommunity or signing up for the SchoolAdvancement monthly newsletter, and send an email to admin@schooladvancement.com to receive a username and password after signing up.
But even though you may have the tools to track inquiries, you may have discovered that you have to do something to generate those inquiry calls or emails. That's where marketing comes in. Schools have put their funds into billboards, radio and television commercials, newspaper advertisements and ads in the yellow pages, simply to come to the conclusion that many of those methods are expensive and may not generate the amount of inquiries you need to have a large Kindergarten class.
Let me offer five things you NEED:
- A brochure - which states why your school is a remarkable place to be. When I say remarkable, that means different from every other school around you. If you put a picture of your school on it, for goodness sake, make sure there are kids in the picture. If a picture says a thousand words, then what do you think having a picture of a school with no kids around it and an empty parking lot says. To me, it says, "For Sale or Rent."
- Yard signs - place them in yards in neighborhoods. It works for those seeking office - it will work for those that have higher goals in mind.
- Door hangers - inexpensive. Have your marketing committee find where school age children reside, and go door to door. It works for pizza delivery.
- Positive word of mouth - it's free, but it has to be accompanied by something else. Positive word of mouth give people a good feeling that everything is alright, and may not necessarily lead to a call to the school. More than likely, if a prospective parent hears good things about the school, they're going to check it out a little more thoroughly through...
- The Internet. If you're going to catch many fish, it's the biggest net out there. This is where you spend your marketing dollar first. Make sure you have a good Web site. Strike that - an EXCELLENT Web site. Gone are the days of "It would be nice if we had a Web site." It's where today's parents go to find out more information and check into reviews about your school from other sources. It's where parents of tomorrow will go first, probably before asking neighbors, the real estate agent, or the local parish, about educational choices and options for their children. If you're reading this, you've found that the Internet is a resource for new ideas and support.
Which leads to a self-assessment question - If you're surfing the Web, take a look at your school's Web site, and put yourself in your prospective parents' shoes. Do you find your school's Web site a place where you want to visit, and visit often? Does the information change daily? Does it look professional? Is everything spelled correctly? Are there pictures of students, and do they look happy? Are they high quality photos, and not random group shots, underexposed photos from an assembly or blurred images from a recent basketball game? Your Internet presence is oftentimes today the first visual impression the parent has of your school.
If you want a big catch, think big with your Internet presence. After all, it's a great way to spread the Good News to the whole world - and isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?
© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2009 (Original Publication Date: 20090907)
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