Enrollment Season Starts Today!
Students are cleaning out their lockers. Teachers are preparing for finals. You may be finishing your hires for the next school year and wrapping up final board meetings. And now is the best time for you to start putting together your new campaigns and enrollment strategies for next school year. This may seem like a fall activity, but end of spring and early summer is a key time to build a strategy. Whether you are managing a pre-8th grade or a high school, now is the time to take action to begin to drive your enrollment for the upcoming year(s).
Why start now?
1. Learn What Worked and What Didn’t:
Before you can move forward, we must see what worked and what didn’t. What message stood out to families as they selected your school? What media tactics drove the most engagement and impressions? During our Discovery Sessions, the Fearless Thinkers dig into the data, as well as develop the path forward to reach your enrollment goals.
2. Students and Parents are Looking…Now:
You may think now is the time that families take off from searching, but they don’t. Our research shows that families are looking year round and that students in particular are driving more and more of the decision-making. That means you need campaigns to reach all family members with specific messages. How are you staying top of mind with your potential student and their family?
3. Develop a Plan – and Work that Plan:
TWIST partners with our school to develop a plan for media, marketing, and admissions team members. That plan becomes our roadmap for the year. Yes, sometimes we need to pivot but the plan allows all team members to know what the message, campaign, and tactic will be throughout the year. An example of a pivot? When ed choice or voucher plans change, or in some cases launch, a campaign can be taken to market to target new families.
4. Build Trust Through Consistency:
Consistency is key – in social media, in media plans, and in messaging. By developing a brand strategy now, you can create campaigns that last. Our clients find that their campaigns last for at least two years, only needing slight updates (typically photography of students) and that the messaging creates a sense of trust with families and the community at large (remember – you have multiple audiences: families, students, teachers, donors, and alumni). Building messaging and campaigns that make your audiences proud to be a part of your community helps to increase that trust.
Your enrollment cycle may be during specific seasons (we have some clients who typically receive inquiries and applications in the fall, others in the winter) but regardless of the season, it’s important to build a plan that can be executed on year-round.
Are you ready to create a plan and begin to drive enrollment? Let’s schedule a call to discuss how we can drive your school forward.
