How Education Marketing Has Evolved in 2024

The year 2024 has seen seismic shifts within the always evolving school marketing sector. Education marketing experts have been navigating the latest Google algorithm updates and exploring ways to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in schools as well as short form promotional films to gain a competitive edge against the competition.

This article uncovers these technological advancements and changes in consumer behaviour that are reshaping marketing for schools. Read on to obtain insight into creating engaging content, increasing website visitors, and developing the strategy behind your school marketing strategy to resonate with today’s audience.

Google SEO Updates

Google is notorious for updating its complex algorithm that combines a multitude of factors to rank pages by relevance for its search results. While the majority of these go unnoticed, some can drastically impact search rankings. 

So far in 2024, there have been two very significant updates; the March 2024 Spam Update and the March 2024 Core Update, of which both introduced policies to combat spam content that was designed to manipulate search rankings. But how can website owners interpret Google’s jargon in an effort to optimise their school website content?

E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) is an acronym used by Google to assess the quality of content on websites. The first ‘E’, Experience, refers to the knowledge of a specific subject or keyword. Google will give more credibility to content created by someone with relevant expertise. While not prohibited, using AI generated content that lacks depth will be looked unfavourably upon by Google, so use it carefully.

As the UK’s leading school website designer, our experts stay up to date with the latest Google algorithm updates to ensure websites are built with SEO in mind and are best suited to the ever changing search requirements. This ensures your school website is optimally designed to meet Google’s user experience standards, ranking your site higher on search engines. 

AI In Schools

While excess use of AI could be detrimental to your SEO efforts, it is hard to ignore the plethora of uses the emerging technology can bring to your education marketing channels.

Firstly, content creation for email, social, or video channels using platforms such as ChatGPT allows you to ideate and generate compelling copy. While the generative text will need a human touch, using concise and detailed prompts is the key to better responses. We recommend this ChatGPT prompt guide by SEMRush is an excellent resource for learning more.

But it’s not just online marketing that can be made easier through the use of artificial intelligence. Editing videos and images is also made easier with newly added tools to platforms such as Adobe Photoshop and Canva. Editing tasks, such as removing backgrounds or people from images, which used to take time and technical knowledge can be achieved with a click of a button, helping your images, signs and print marketing material stand out in a crowded market.

Lastly, chatbots are another AI feature that can be integrated into your school website. Simple queries from prospective families can be answered without the need for pastoral staff, delivering personalised and high quality customer support 24/7. This not only enhances engagement, but also potential conversions for open day places and school events. Speak to our experts today to understand how chatbots can improve your school website design. 

Promotional Films For Schools

Every industry has begun to further embrace and utilise YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. These platforms have provided companies and education institutions with the ability to drastically increase their reach and generate awareness. Similarly, schools and higher education institutions have adopted short form videos to connect with prospective families and engage with current students.

Student and staff interviews, facility tours, and promotional films are just a few ideas that can be packaged up into videos lasting from 10 seconds, all the way up to a minute, to showcase the benefits of the school and overall environment. One example of a school expertly utilising short form video platforms is Global Academy, based in West London. Their content, run by the pupils, spans school events, classes in action, and student testimonials while utilising trends that show off the creative nature of the school.

The shift towards consumers preferring visual content is not slowing down. It’s an opportunity, already being undertaken by educational institutions, to expand reach and improve engagement to attract prospective families. Take a look at our Film & Media offering to learn more about school virtual tours, school photography, and school promotional videos.

Top Tip: While high quality production videos are traditionally slick and work well, audiences are now tending to prefer natural, more authentic videos. If you’re starting with a smaller budget, do consider getting out there and filming with your phone!

In Conclusion

In this blog, we’ve selected just a few topics to emphasise how education marketing has been evolving in 2024. In reality, the list of marketing best practices and emerging tools is endless and always changing. It’s important to stay up to date with advances in technology and changing consumer preferences of your target audience when marketing your school.

If you’re looking to enhance your education marketing efforts, get in contact with our school marketing and branding experts today via email at team@cleverbox.co.uk, or call +44 (0)208 466 722, we’ll be happy to help kick-start your school marketing.