Online/Digital Marketing for Schools

Transcription

1 Online/Digital Marketing for Schools February 14, 2018

2 Keys to Success Remember Your Marketing PITCH: - Pride - Constantly remind people including yourself what an amazing place this is. - Intentionality - Move from All Are Welcome to All Are Invited - Teamwork - Delegation is the only way to make your plan happen. - Creativity - Just like students, every parent is different. - Honesty - Talk about what a blessing this role is for you. Your enthusiasm is infectious!

3 Qualities of an Effective Website

4 Basic Elements of a Website 1. Contact Information 2. School Information 3. Directories 4. News & Announcements 5. Resources 6. Calendar

5 Basic Information Most Elements: St. Anne St. Barnabas hools/stbarnabas/ St. Joan of Arc St. Theresa All 11 Elements: St. Mary of the Woods St. Thomas the Apostle

6 Website Content What should you write on your website? Stuck for content? See the following suggestions for help: Tell your schools story Share the experiences of the students, staff, volunteers, parents Discuss a current trend (Google Trends find a hook to connect your school to that trend people search for) Teach others something you want to learn Detail your learning journey on a new subject new teaching tool, new fundraiser, new program, etc. Ask parents, friends and industry peers for advice and share it online Provide a lot information and/or resources Share ideas Re-purpose a popular article that is significant to your school and/or education Summarize your schools events Let your headline be your guide catchy article headlines is key Share your favorite products related to teaching, classroom, fundraisers, programs, etc. Write a reflection post Important lessons learned since becoming a teacher, principal, marketer, etc. Source:

7 Optimal Elements of a Website 1. Parish Information 2. Profile, Volunteer, Programs, Tours 3. Teams, Clubs, Departments 4. Newsletters 5. Events

8 Content for School Websites Checklist here: Printable.pdf version here:

9 Other Good to Notes Involve Local Catholic Schools Provide App for Mobile devices Common Sense Education (Digital Citizenship) AoC/OCS Initiatives Spiritual Life QuickLinks/FAQ Short URL w/.org & easy to recognize Ease of Use (on mobile device)

10 Look and Feel Clean and Clear Drop Down Menus No Deep Diving Images Properly Placed Minimal Distractions Homepage is Main Stage Update Regularly

11 Additional OCS Website Recommendations It is best practice for every school to have their tuition rates posted on their sites. It is best practice for every school to have their admissions requirements and procedures on their sites. It is best practice for every school to have financial aid availability and procedures on their sites. It is also important that financial aid availability be communicated in all flyers, ads, and external communications. It is recommended, particularly in lower income areas, that a rough percentage of students receiving aid also be listed on the site.

12 Website Content Examples There are several different media formats to share your schools information. Try: Videos Photos Calendar of events Teacher Blog pages Teacher Websites Podcast Social Media links

13 Online Interest Forms and Registration Google forms is a great way to create a free online interest form Saves time, money and resources and allows all authorized staff members to access and add information Keep an eye on interest form, update information, and reach out to parents Link your Smart Tuition or Facts account to the end of the application so parents can pay the registration fee Your MEM can provide you with an interest form template Example of an Online Interest Form/Application Note that PowerSchool now offers online re-registration for all returning families and siblings of returning students The OCS is evaluating options for taking online registrations for new families

14 Track Your Data If you use Google Forms, this is how data is collected and stored in a Google Sheet once a parent has completed an interest form. You may add columns such as Notes so that you can track follow-up with families.

15 List of OCS Websites Time to Browse

16 Website Workshopping Take time to take a look at other schools websites. First, open the website checklist: This will allow you to evaluate the site as a marketer Second, ask yourself, If I were a current parent at this school, would this website meet my needs? Third, ask yourself, If I were a prospective parent, would I send my kids to this school based on what I see on this site?

17 Website Workshopping Example Sites Northside Catholic Academy: (Edlio) Infant Jesus of Prague Parish: St. Mary of the Woods: (Educational Networks) Pope Francis Global Academy: St. Joseph Parish (Libertyville): (ecatholic) St. Joseph School (Libertyville): (Edlio) St. Paul of the Cross School: (Strategically Digital) St. Theresa School: (Edlio) Frassati Catholic Academy: (Wix) Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy: (Educational Networks) If you would like, please ask your peers to review your site and offer to do the same for them. Even a cursory look from a new set of eyes can be enormously helpful!

18 Digital Marketing Sara Brown Partner, Browntown Communications St. Benedict School, Blue Island

19 Get the SCOOP Digital Marketing Building Your School s Brand Online

20 WELCOME Meet The Browns Proud St. Benedict Family, Browntown Communications, My B.I.

21 PRESENTATION AGENDA Welcome Get the scoop: Digital Marketing as a Sundae Step 1: The Bowl Step 2: Ice Cream Step 3: Whip Cream Step 4: Toppings Step 5: The Cherry on Top

22 DIGITAL MARKETING AS AN ICE CREAM SUNDAE Building a successful digital marketing presence is a lot like creating a delicious ice cream sundae. The order in which you build is critical to your success. Website: Just like the bowl is to the sundae, your website is the foundation to your digital marketing efforts. Content & Optimization: Often overlooked, creating and posting regular, optimized content is the ice cream, or the workhorse, or your efforts. Free Online Listings: The whip cream! Even if you aren t sharing anything about your school online, a host of directories are tell them what to say. Advertising & Other Activities: Your choices for how you promote your school online are endless, just like your topping choices for your sundae. Purpose: The cherry on top is creating your digital marketing plan with intention and purpose.

23 THE BOWL: YOUR WEBSITE

24 WEBSITE ESSENTIALS #1: RESPONSIVE 80% of Internet Users own a Smart Phone. When a website is responsive, it adjusts to the size of the user s screen. Google penalizes websites that are not mobilefriendly, pushing non-responsive websites lower on search results. FLEXIBLE & WELL SUPPORTED Your website should be able to grow and integrate with developing technology. REPORTING Google Analytics is free, and gives you information about the types of traffic your website is receiving. LEAD CAPTURE & CONTACT INFO What do you want people to do when they visit your site? At minimum, they should be able to contact you and to leave their information for follow-up. MORE THAN ONE PAGE Website pages are best optimized for one key term. Having only one page limits the number of search terms for which you can optimize.

25 GOOGLE ANALYTICS At minimum, look at web traffic overview and acquisition report monthly. EXAMPLE ANALYTICS

26 THE ICE CREAM: CONTENT & OPTIMIZATION

27 CONTENT IS KING Content is royalty in the digital marketing world. Not only does it tell search engines and consumers what you do, but it also affects how well your online advertising will work UPDATE CONTENT REGULARLY A good rule of thumb is 300 words of text, with the keyword in the headline, first sentence, and elsewhere in the text. Copied content is penalized by Google. INCLUDE PHOTOS Every person digests information differently. Include photography on every page that helps explain the content and compels the user to action. VIDEO TOO Video is another great way to present your product or services. As a bonus, Google loves video, so your site will rank better. 04 OPTIMIZE Select a keyword or phrase for every page of content or blog post you include, as well as for your photo and video assets. Use an SEO plug-in like Yoast. REPEAT!

28 WHIP CREAM: SEARCH LISTINGS

29 CLAIM YOUR SEARCH LISTINGS Using website content and photography to claim your free, online search listings. 01 GOOGLE PLACES 02 GREAT SCHOOLS 03 SUPERPAGES 04 MAPQUEST

30 SEARCH LISTINGS CAN HELP YOU STAND OUT

31 TOPPINGS: SOCIAL, ADS & MORE

32 DON T RUSH THE TOPPINGS SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING Begin with basic Google AdWords text ads, build keyword list from user perspective, measure (up to 2 weeks), modify, repeat. MULTIMEDIA Once you have a few video assets, you can easily advertise those videos on YouTube for an average of 11 cents per view. SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest should align you best with your school audiences. CREATE A SCHOOL APP 89 percent of mobile media time is spent on apps. Apps allow you to push messaging via text directly to a captive audience.

33 THE CHERRY ON TOP: PURPOSE & INTENT

34 HAVE A PLAN DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE CONSIDER TRENDS & SEASONALITY EXECUTE, WITH FLEXIBILITY

35 THANK YOU!

36 Online Marketing Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

37 Search Engine Optimization What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? According to Webopedia: Search engine optimization is a methodology of strategies, techniques and tactics used to increase the amount of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a search engine (SERP) -- including Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines. Source:

38 Search Engine Optimization Keywords are the key to increasing your SEO: Use keywords and phrases in your digital content, on your website, and on your social media platforms. Use your Google Analytics (or other stats package) to determine which keywords are currently driving the most people to your website

39 SEO Education Keywords/Phrases According to Hubspot.com there are several tips for keyword research that will help you rank in searches on search engines: Define your objective do you want to attract students, parents? Think beyond branded keywords Think like a prospective parent/student Ask current parents/students and look at trends Choose keywords that will help you rank higher in searches Consistently adjust your keyword list make sure your keywords are still viable Source:

40 SEO Education Keywords/Phrases Primary Key Words: most important words that should be featured on the website Catholic Pre-K Education Financial Aid STEM (Trend) Before Care After Care Academic programming School s location: City, State, name of neighborhood (i.e. Lincoln Park) Secondary Key Words: words that may attract additional visitors to the website Common Core Special Education Certification Events Photo Gallery Contact Information Hours Languages Offered (Trend)

41 SEO - Statistics SEO is a great strategy to ensure visibility for your website and social media platforms. The stats listed below are proof that SEO works: More than 80% of internet users use search 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results (Hubspot) 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine (Rainbow SEO) Search is the #1 traffic driver to sties, beating social media by 300% (B2B Social Media Guide) 42% of all searchers click on the top-ranked result Only 23% click on a pay-per-click (PPC) link (BlogginPro) 39% of customers come from search (B2B Social Media Guide) Source:

42 Online Marketing Online Reviews

43 Online School Reviews As mentioned in the SEO section, prospective families, donors, and others will search the website for information on schools. Remember that more than 80% of internet users use the search engine. The following will appear in the search results. As a result, it is very important your school profile is up-to-date with current data and positive reviews. Online School Review websites: Online Search Engine and Social Media review sites: Yelp Google (and Google Places) Facebook School review sites: GreatSchools.org PrivateSchoolReview.com Wikipedia

44 Online School Reviews

45 Google

46 Facebook

47

48 Private School Review

49 Private School Review

50 YELP!

51 WIKIPEDIA

52 Online Marketing Social Media

53 Social Media Explained 53

54 SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS Social media is a great RETENTION TOOL for schools! Only use each of these sites if you are prepared to maintain it and communicate regularly with an audience. If you can only maintain one platform, go with Facebook. 54

55 CONTENT IS KING Boost Your Brand Through Online Storytelling Employ a compelling narrative that focuses on current and prospective families to ENGAGE and EXPAND your audience. Source: START WITH YOUR BRAND POSITION/VALUE PROPOSITION Also keep in mind The core values of your school Why you are telling your story Your audience Make sure your story is easy to share Involve your families in your story Use video Choose the correct tools Be consistent and authentic

56 Things to Remember Goal remember your value proposition Listen Know your audience to build your audience Target on the right platform Respond Reward Acknowledge/Thank Tell, don t sell Be authentic/sincere 56

57 Quick Tips for Social Media Branding Make sure everyone knows your official page. Ensure 2-3 people have access to accounts Write for skimmers - keep posts short o Use shortened links. Use quality images outilize a high quality camera otight shots, 2-5 people Tag/mention other organizations o ie. SuperKids, Our Sunday Visitor, your local parish Participate in popular hashtags (Instagram) o ie. Throwback Thursday (#TBT), #FlashbackFriday Ads or boosts (Facebook) o Ads should be very targets to be cost effective. o Boosts should get people talking and can be in small increments. 57

58 More Top Tips for Social Media Engagement Pose a question Ask fans to make a choice Post when your fans are online Share relevant images Engage with other brands Crowdsource feedback Include a call to action Boost your best posts Share industry news and hot topics Adjust your post frequency Give people a giggle Rethink hashtag use Respond to everyone Solicit fan content share photos, information, etc. Share content from other channels Go behind the scenes with live video Make an emotional connection Provide value Tap into trending topics Recycle high value posts Celebrate holidays Share valuable curated content Post a quiz or poll Host contests and giveaways

59 Social Media Bingo Taylor Shufford Marketing Director St. Sylvester School

60 Social Media B-I-N-G-O! Taylor Shufford

61 Social Media Bingo Step 1: Which platforms would beneficial to your school? - What social media platforms need more interaction? -What platforms do prospective parents use when researching schools? -What upcoming event would you like your parents to attend?

62 Social Media Platforms

63 Facebook What can your Facebook benefit from? Post Likes Post Shares Page Like/ Follows Invite to upcoming events Parent Testimonies Page Engagements Place the icons on the BINGO sheet with a brief explanation for parents at the bottom.

64 Facebook 1. Like us on Facebook: St Sylvester School 2. Like us on Facebook: Like St. Sylvester Parish on Facebook 3. Leave a google review: Leave a review of St. Sylvester School in the review section 4. Invite 5 Friends: Invite 5 friends to like St. Sylvester School on Facebook 5. Follow us on Facebook: Follow St. Sylvester School on Facebook 6. Alumni Testimony: If you or your child are graduates of St. Sylvester place a memory on Facebook 7. Share on Facebook: St. Sylvester post promoting the school 8. Review us on Facebook: Leave a review of the school on St. Sylvester School Facebook

65 Facebook

66 Facebook Utilize the testimonals from Social Media Bingo for marketing material. Family Testimonies can also be used for strategies such as #TestimonyTuesday.

67 Facebook If your parish has a Facebook take advantage of it! St. Sylvester Parish has 1,017-page likes on Facebook and 975 followers. Interaction with Parish Social Media can: 1. Help promote school events 2. Invite parents to Parish events 3. Create a connection between church and school 4. promote the school to parish members who do not have children attending school

68 Instagram Does your school have a Instagram? St. Sylvester School did not have a Instagram before summer We had no data to run off of to see if parents would take well to the new addition.

69 Instagram 1. Like us on 2. Follow Jr. High

70 Instagram The use of Instagram can go further than just your school's page. 1. Promote events and tag local Instagram 2. Regrammed by other Instagram pages (Chicatholicschools) 3. Tagged in post by those who visit your school 4. Utilize relatable hashtags that will draw attention to page (#TCS, #Scholarship, #AdvanceEducation) 5. Create more than one instagram and allow students to Takeover

71 Twitter Does your school have a Twitter? St. Sylvester School did not have a Twitter before summer We had no data to run off of to see if parents would take well to the new addition.

72 Twitter Follow us on

73 Twitter

74 Twitter Though our Twitter has not been a huge success amongst parents with only 47 followers total. After analyzing the data for post views and shares, it has some benefits and we will try to increase the following with the next round of Bingo.

75

76 Social Media Bingo Results

77 Social Media Bingo Results

78 Social Media Bingo Results

79 Social Media Bingo Mistakes We did not remind parents to submit sheets in weekly newsletter Only six parents returned Bingo sheets to front office Did not invite students to encourage parents Only gave parents four weeks No prizes were given out because we did not have proof of who completed the entire sheet 79

80 Thank you! Kurt Lewis, Director of Enrollment Marketing Noreen Walton-Valle, Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Vicariates 1 and 2 nwalton@archchicago.org Juana Sánchez Graber, Associate Director for Hispanic Outreach Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Vicariates 4 and 5 jgraber@archchicago.org Maura Daly, Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Vicariates 3 and 6 mdaly@archchicago.org Felicia Horton Marketing and Enrollment Manager, Turnaround Schools fhorton@archchicago.org