Covid-19 and the pandemic may have hit the pause button on many of our leisure activities, social interactions and even business transactions, but one sector which continued to push on throughout and turn adversity into innovation, was education. And, with the Summer term now upon us and schools all over the country having returned to normality, attention is beginning to turn to the new school year for our clients, and the rise of the virtual school open day.
With over 20 years’ experience as an education-focussed creative design agency, Cleverbox are big on delivering the most innovative, engaging, and informative experiences for schools across the nation, with school prospectus’, virtual school tours and websites heading up some of our major services. Not only that, but we have also expanded to include another area of focus: the virtual school open day.
So, what does a virtual open day look like, what are the benefits, and why should schools be acting now, to stay at the forefront of the industry?
What does a virtual school open day look like?
As we re-emerge from a time where restrictions and social distancing measures made large gatherings near impossible, the concept of hosting a traditional open day is still simply not feasible.
Virtual school open days present the opportunity to move the entire experience online, providing brochures and prospectus’ via email, inviting parents and teachers to engage in online Q&A’s and conference talks, and delivering full school tours through an online system.
For us, a Cleverbox virtual school tour is an opportunity to showcase every aspect of the school; including areas which many prospective parents might have chosen to bypass during a traditional tour, but which all build towards an overall picture of the school, and what it offers. You have never had more control over your school’s first impression. In addition, you can get creative with your virtual tour by successfully embedding pupil and teacher interviews and testimonials. You can even create individual information points which parents and potential pupils can click on to learn more about specific subjects, activities, and areas of interest in the curriculum.
In short, for the schools who are committed to using this opportunity to their advantage, a virtual school open day presents a chance to show the school off in the very best light.
The Benefits of a Virtual School Open Day
The first and most obvious benefit of the virtual school open day is that it allows schools to reach out to and engage potential pupils and their parents, as we continue to navigate life after the pandemic.
For schools, a virtual open day also allows them to showcase their finer points in the best way possible – putting time and effort into creating a tour and corresponding resources which will answer the most common questions posed by parents and pupils, whilst giving teachers a platform on which to share specific subject information and detail for the benefit of pupils.
However, it’s important to note the benefits which look beyond the pandemic, and which may solidify the concept of a virtual school open day well into the future.
- A virtual tour of the school, backed up with relevant resources, brochures, and curriculum outlines, is a fantastic marketing resource to house on the school website. It instantly gives parents and potential pupils information about what is taught and how teaching is delivered and puts a central area of focus on the website.
- Having a virtual tour on your website will drive engagement in key metrics, such as average session duration and bounce rate, and will make your website a more successful and valuable tool for the growth and development of the school.
- A virtual tour and corresponding information is not just great for parents and pupils, but also for prospective teachers. Show that you’re the best, and you will attract the best.
- Hosting a date-specific and organised virtual school open day, supported by your online virtual tour, broadens the likelihood that parents will engage with you. It creates an outlet for those who wouldn’t normally attend a traditional open day. The level of admin and planning involved in attending a school tour is greatly reduced for the modern, busy parent if it is easily accessible online. In turn, this greatly increases the parent’s opportunity to (virtually) experience the school around their busy schedule. This, more than anything, highlights the incredible long-term value of a virtual school open day – provided you get it right.
How to make sure your Virtual School Open Day effective
The concept of the virtual school open day is nothing new – in fact, schools all over the nation, in your area and further afield, have been employing this technique to support their open day activity already. So, if you want to level up the playing field and really reap the benefits of an accessible online open day outlet, now is the time to act.
Here at Cleverbox, our Virtual School Open Day service works with you to bring your school to life on screen, through the delivery of high quality virtual tours, video testimonials and content, corresponding brochures and resources, and information hotpots – all completely branded and designed around your specification.
To see an example of one of our platforms in action, check out our dedicated Virtual Open Day webpage: https://www.cleverbox.co.uk/school-virtual-open-day/ or e-mail us today on team@cleverbox.co.uk.