Student admissions are a primary source of revenue for schools. However, with numerous schools in the market, how can you ensure that your school stands out? As a school principal or administrator, it’s crucial to attract potential students and parents to your institution for sustainable growth. 

In today’s digital age, having a robust online presence and an effective lead generation strategy is essential to increase your school’s awareness and admission rates. But with so many schools vying for attention, how can you differentiate yourself and attract qualified admission leads? 

This blog discusses strategies that schools can implement to improve their admission rates for the upcoming year. Read on to learn about these strategies.

Identifying Your Ideal Student and Parent: Defining Your Target Audience

Identifying your ideal student and parent group is the first step to increasing admission leads.

You cannot properly address your target audience unless you know their actual needs and requirements. So, how do you  gather this information? One method is to gather input from current students and parents in your institution to determine what they search for in an academic institution.

To save you time, we’ve listed some things that parents look for, but also conduct your research for more personalized information. These include:

• • Quality of education and academic reputation
  • List of academic programmes and extracurricular activities are available.
  • Scholarships, financial support, and what other kinds of support are available.
  • Reputation of faculty and staff
  • Safety and security of the campus and surrounding area
  • Location and accessibility of the campus
  • Opportunities for networking and career development
  • Diversity and inclusivity of the student body and staff
  • Quality of facilities and resources
  • Flexibility and customization of course options
  • Student support services, such as academic advising and counseling
  • Availability of technology and online resources
  • Notable alumni of the institution in the past few years

By knowing what your target group is looking for, you can tailor your messaging and offerings to meet their needs and attract more qualified admission leads.

How to Develop a Strong Online Presence to Attract Students and Parents? 

One of the most important aspects of generating leads for school admissions is having excellent online visibility. To do so, you need to cover the must-have online platforms such as a website and a social media account. 

If you’re not sure about optimizing your online presence, we’ve covered the basics down below.

What steps should you take to improve your institution’s online image?

1. 1. The first step to establishing a strong digital presence is to get a website for your institution, and then get it optimized to make it mobile-friendly since a lot of searches happen on mobiles. As a result, you will have a platform where potential parents can get to know about your institution.
   2. Social media is a great channel for highlighting your institution’s culture, beliefs, teaching staff, infrastructure, alumni, and accomplishments. To increase engagement, set up a social media account and post consistently, engage with followers, and reply to messages as well as comment threads.
   3. Starting a blog is yet another means of boosting your institution’s overall image. You can use it to build trust among visitors by writing on educational topics that are informative or helpful for students and their parents. Not only can you share useful content related to your institution, such as programme updates, student experiences, and events, but you can also use it to gain trust among audiences. 
      1. Search engine optimization is an essential component of blogging (SEO). By attracting more visitors to your website, you can boost your website’s overall SERP position and increase the website’s reputation.

Finally, make sure to highlight your students’ accomplishments through posts on social networks and website updates after each academic year. Create a strong digital presence for your institution using these practices.

Lead Magnets: What are they and How to Use Them for Lead Generation? 

Now it is possible that this is the first time you’ve come across the term ‘lead magnets’, let us discuss what it means. A lead magnet is a marketing tactic where you can offer a free product or service you can offer to parents and students to get their contact information.

But how does this help with lead generation?By providing something of benefit, you not only attract potential parents to your official site, but you also collect their contact info, allowing you to start engaging with them and develop them as leads in the future.

Some examples of lead magnets to increase lead generation for educational institutes like schools, universities, colleges, etc include the following:

• • Ebooks or whitepapers on topics related to education, such as study skills, college admissions, or career planning.
  • Webinars or online workshops on topics related to your institution or field of study.
  • Free trial classes or tutoring sessions.
  • Quizzes or assessments to help potential students determine their strengths and weaknesses.
  • Checklists or guides to help with college applications or financial aid.
  • Infographics or data reports on industry trends or statistics.
  • Online courses or mini-courses that provide value and demonstrate your institution’s expertise.
  • Virtual campus tours or informational videos.

FAQs

1. How would you attract parents and students to enroll in your school?

To do so you need to understand and analyze your target audience, their needs, and then address those online through various online platforms to boost credibility. Then all you need to do is to get their contact information by offering them free resources, and then you nurture those leads to increase student enrollment in your school. 

2. What makes a school attractive to parents?

There are a lot of factors that make a school attractive to parents but some important factors are infrastructure & facilities, good academic culture, and student enrichment programs.

3. How can I promote my school? 

You can use multiple channels such as social media platforms (facebook, instagram, linkedin twitter), communication platforms (gmail, linkedin, google), and offline mediums (flyers, meetups) to promote your school amongst parents and students. 

EndNote 

Attracting potential students and parents for lead generation requires a well-rounded strategic approach that caters to their requirements. 

By defining your target audience, developing a strong online presence, implementing lead magnets, and utilizing modern education technologies like SWEEDU management software and online payment gateways, you can build trust and credibility with your audience and establish your institution as a go-to choice for quality education. 

Remember, the key is to provide value to your audience and prioritize their experience throughout the admission process. With SWEEDU’s marketing tools, lead generation becomes easier and more efficient. 

Want to try it for yourself? Try our FREE DEMO today!