What makes this school different than the others in the community? Why would someone enroll here and not there? How can you, as an educator and not a marketer, help to advertise your school's unique characteristics to help grow enrollment?
These are tough questions that directors continuously ask themselves. To help your preschool shine and effectively convey what makes it so special, consider these smart strategies.
Ramp up the website: Most prospective families will visit your website, and for many this will make the critical first impression. Having a professional, informative and creative website is essential. Make sure to include about us, staff and educational philosophy pages. Add lifestyle photography to help give the website personality and a friendly feel. You might even consider adding a blog to the website and having teachers take turns once a month writing a post on a subject of interest. Then promote the blog on social media channels to get more traction.
Focus on staff: Most preschools have inspiring classrooms and fun playgrounds, but when it comes to differentiating your school, it's the staff that really stand out. Update the website, brochures and other documents with information about teachers' experience, passions and personalities. Families want to trust their kids are in good hands. Always have staff available during open houses to chat with families and make them feel welcome.
Create community: Hurried parents don't often have time to chat with teachers or other families during drop-off or pick-up times. This leaves a big opportunity for you to create a community and bring people together. Offer opportunities for parents to get together other times such as sponsored family events on the weekend. You'll boost engagement with current families and have plenty to talk about with prospective families, showing your school goes above and beyond.
Attend local events: Being present in the community is important for brand recognition. That means you must make an effort to get out and be seen. Walk and hand out candy with brochures at local parades. Sponsor a community event and attend with info on hand. Have teachers volunteer locally and wear school T-shirts. Purchase vehicle magnets with the school's name and logo and add to staff's cars when they drive around to each activity. Every event you attend, take pictures and add to social media, the blog and parent chat boards.
Parent testimonials and ambassadors: Word-of-mouth is fantastic for boosting enrollment. Encourage parents to spread the word and offer a small tuition credit if they get a referral when a new student signs up. On the website, add a section featuring parent testimonials. If you have some elated parents, you might even ask them to be official ambassadors. They could be present at open houses to talk with families or simply be available via phone as a reference for people who have questions.
What makes this school different than the others in the community? Why would someone enroll here and not there? How can you, as an educator and not a marketer, help to advertise your school's unique characteristics to help grow enrollment?