We are continuing our ‘Evolution of School Marketing’ series with a spotlight on how you should be utilising your school website as much as possible within your marketing mix. In light of the lockdowns and restrictions over the past year, we have seen a big shift in the function, role, and importance of a school website.
Your School Website – A Critical Marketing Tool in 2021
Before the pandemic, some schools used their website to simply show more basic information such as key term dates, school uniform rules, or a welcome page from the headteacher.
Even now that the children have returned to school, it’s no longer viable to have your school website act as merely ‘a presence online’. It has evolved into being the depository of information for all news pertaining to your school for students, teachers, and parents, both current and prospective.
From a marketing perspective, it’s important to understand and harness the opportunities that this shift has presented. Your audience of potential parents have been spending more time at home than ever, communicating and learning about your school online. This provides an exciting opportunity to review and improve your school website, and consider how it can better serve your target audience.
Showcase Your School Website in 2021.
With the COVID-19 restrictions that have affected us all, there has been an understandable absence of school events such as open days. These were of course an important staple of any school marketing calendar and a key way to tell your school’s story. With events still currently shelved, a school website is now a parent’s first port of call to investigate, at a time when they would otherwise be visiting you in person and inspecting the facility themselves. As a result, we have seen an influx in the use of technology such as virtual tours and virtual open days as a worthy alternative to the traditional open day. A virtual tour is a highly tailored piece of your marketing puzzle that can really capture the community of your school in a way that copywriting or high-end photography can’t quite reach. To host technology like this on your website shows that you are a forward-thinking, adaptable school that understands the needs of your audience during an unprecedented period.
King Fahad Academy Virtual School Tour
King Fahad Academy Virtual School TourIt’s vital that you evaluate your competitor’s online efforts as well as your own. Many of them will have implemented some of the new features we’re discussing in this article. It’s essential not to be left behind.
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A Long Term Marketing Shift
A lot of the trusted physical marketing collateral such as leaflets, brochures, printed newsletters and even local event sponsorship are no longer as effective as they once were. However, new opportunities have grown in their place, which means that you can still market your school to the right audience. A prime example of this is an online school prospectus, which has become an imperative option to locate on your school website. For more information about our view our School Prospectus Design page. More so than ever before, having an enticing and attractive prospectus on your site will pique the interest of prospective parents who are early on in their decision-making process.
Before the pandemic, a parent would have to attend an open day or declare an interest in your school in order to receive a prospectus. Now however, if a parent types into a search engine “schools near Bromley” for instance, they could be flicking through your school’s dedicated and sharply presented prospectus page in a matter of seconds.
It’s important to also consider other digital marketing channels such as paid social media marketing or Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to make your website rank higher online. Online advertising can successfully work in tandem with your website and act as an effective option for reaching your target audience online.
Your School Website in 2021 & Staff Recruitment
Of course, the benefits of a well-refined school website are not just for parents and pupils. Recruiting suitable school staff has always been one of the biggest challenges facing schools. The school website will always be one of the first place to look for job applicants, and as we learned from our last blog, it takes under 1 second to form an opinion of a webpage after a user lands on it. With this in mind, are you satisfied that your school website conveys the best possible image of your school and would be an attractive proposition for a potential new member of staff?
Looking Forward
In conclusion, it is important to stay positive and look at the marketing opportunities that have been presented since this difficult period began. Although some reliable and trusted marketing channels are being paused for now, there are some remarkable alternatives that have been introduced in their place that can be harnessed via your school website. For our next edition in the ‘Evolution of School Marketing’ series, we will be focusing on how virtual school open days are becoming the new normal and exploring the technology behind the new service.
For more information on how to create a website that impresses your audience in 2021, you can contact our team who would love to discuss with you some of our success stories and case studies. For an initial chat with our expert team, you can reach out today at team@cleverbox.co.uk or on 0208 466 7222.