For a parent, choosing the right school for their child is no easy decision. Parents take pride in their children’s education, and when it comes to private schools, they want to know that they’re making a solid investment for the present and the future. With many parents now browsing social media to research options, your school needs a k-12 social media strategy to create and deliver content that appeals to their intent.
How do private schools market? Each private school will have something unique to offer K-12 students: high-quality academics, a boarding experience, or creative outlets. Social media is a chance to bring that personality across while giving parents the necessary information. With platforms suited to sharing fun and visual updates, social media can breathe life into your school’s marketing strategy and keep parents engaged in your community. Here are some compelling ways K-12 schools can market their stories on social media today.
1. Think About What Motivates Parents
A good independent school marketing plan considers who the school tries to reach. For a K-12 private school, that means the parents of children aged 5 to 18. Remember, marketing to parents is a different game than marketing to students. They will likely have many more considerations and more remarkable foresight for their child’s future. Factors such as financial support, student services, proximity, and academic reputation will all weigh into a parent’s decision to send their child to your school.
The best way to understand your target market is to create “personas” for your audience to identify the parents most attracted to your school.
The image below is an example of a persona developed by HEM. It lists the things that might motivate a parent to choose a specific school and any concerns or questions they might have.
Your school can use personas like these to guide its social media posts and ensure it delivers the right messages to its target audience. A strong curriculum, extracurricular activities, and evidence of post-secondary success are common deciding factors for a parent when choosing a private school. With a few personas down, you can get even more specific in the social media messaging for your school. For example, if parents are looking for a multicultural environment, you’ll want to highlight your student demographics. Or if parents are concerned about whether a school provides college counselling, that is another big selling point for your posts.
2. Emphasize Your Branding in Your Social Media Strategy for Independent Schools
The content across your social media channels should support your school’s key messages, values, and image. Private schools come in many different shapes and sizes: day schools, boarding schools, faith-based schools, international schools, and more. Beyond that, each has its educational mission, leaving parents with more choices than ever.
Any social media strategy for independent schools should paint a unique picture of the school to help it stand out from the crowd. Think about your school, its programs, the benefits afforded to students, and what differentiates your school from other independent schools. Perhaps you’re a university prep school, an international school focused on language development or a performing arts school. Your brand identity will ultimately dictate the tone and style of social media content you put out.
Example: The Bishop Strachan School created a Facebook post to celebrate its involvement in International Women’s Day. As an all-girls school, BSS regularly posts content centred on female empowerment to demonstrate the values of its institution.
Source: Facebook
These brand-defining elements are essential to parents because they are evidence of the culture and values that will trickle down to their children at your private school. Beyond that, incorporating the right colours, slogans, and images across your social media accounts will familiarize parents with your school identity.
For example, tweets from Randolph-Macon Academy regularly feature the school’s logo and distinct yellow/blue colour scheme. The tweet below also includes some of the school’s key buzzwords: accountability, grit, and compassion.
Source: Twitter
Parents can instantly recognize your school as a credible institution through consistent branding across all social media platforms. Building this kind of awareness is essential in helping parents form an ongoing connection with your school and what it represents.
3. Showcase the Atmosphere at Your Private School
While your school’s website is a highly informative resource for parents, your social media channels are where they’ll go for an authentic look at your school. Parents want to see life on your campus, so this is your chance to go behind the scenes with more insightful content. As HEM’s Social Media Specialist Natalia says, “Sharing photos of the school’s day-to-day is a must. This allows parents to see what their child will be experiencing: activities, classes, contests, dorms, etc.”
Depending on the type of school you are in, aim to focus on a combination of academics and community activities in your social media posts to give the complete picture of your school. Current students and their experience at your school should take the spotlight here.
Example: A Facebook post from North London Collegiate School celebrates the success of its students in a sports competition. This is not only a testament to the extracurricular activities offered at their school, but it also helps instill a sense of school pride. Parents can see what the school offers its students and how those students benefit from it.
Source: Facebook
The best part about social media is that you can have fun with its visual formats and features. Each platform allows you to deliver content that makes social media marketing for private schools truly engaging. Video is a compelling way to bring the atmosphere at your school to life.
Instagram is a great app for posting short, real-life videos–and now, with over 60% of Instagram users over the age of 25, it’s a great way to get your school seen by parents. For example, the Instagram Highlights feature allows you to categorize and save videos to your school’s profile for parents to view later.
The example below shows a highlight reel from Crofton House School’s Instagram account. The video series is dedicated to the school’s outdoor education program, showing what students get up to on trips.
Source: Instagram
However, when it comes to getting an authentic look at your school, there’s nothing like hearing from first-hand experiences. Sharing testimonials from current parents or students on social media lends credibility to your school and helps create a sense of community. Users can see how current parents are engaging with and supporting your school.
Example: Pear Tree School posted a promotional video on their Instagram account where current parents and students testify to the school’s personalized, nurturing learning environment.
Source: Instagram
Prospective parents can get a feel of the school’s atmosphere while getting reassurance from other parents who have gone through the same decision process.
Introduce Teachers & Alumni in Social Media Posts
Much like parent testimonials, giving the stage to key members of the school community is a good way to bring credibility and personality to a social media strategy for independent schools.
Many private schools pride themselves on delivering high-quality academics with the help of experienced teaching staff. In that case, many parents will want to know who their children will be learning from. Q&As or video interviews with teachers are a good way to help parents learn from and connect with the community at your school. Consider highlighting one teacher monthly to share fun facts about them and their expertise in a subject.
Another great idea is to develop alumni spotlights to give parents an idea of what their children can achieve with an education at your school. You can effectively market your school to new students by highlighting the successes of past students.
Example: South Hampstead High School runs a “Motivational Monday” series on its Twitter page. Each post introduces a successful alumna who discusses their experience at the school and how it helped them achieve their goals later in life.
Source: Twitter
With a true understanding of what an education at your school offers, parents will be ready to take the next step in the enrollment process.
4. Keep Parents Up-to-Date With News & Events
Researching the right school for their child is an extensive and ongoing process for many parents. Social media channels are the easiest way for parents to check up on your school regularly, so you’ll want to update your accounts to nurture that following. More than anything, parents will want to know that they’re sending their children to an engaging and relevant educational community. Regular updates inform parents you’re out there and a solid institution to consider.
When designing a social media strategy for schools, remember to create a consistent posting schedule to keep your school and its activities on the map. Think about any exciting news or upcoming events in your school community and spread the word on your social channels.
For example, Latymer Upper School posted on Instagram to celebrate the exam results of its graduating class. Parents can check in with current students’ performance as they consider opportunities for their children.
Source: Instagram
Similarly, Francis Holland School created a LinkedIn post announcing its award for excellence in educational quality. Content like this helps parents feel confident about the school’s reputation in the private sector.
Source: LinkedIn
Pro tip: Natalia recommends schools consider LinkedIn in their social media strategy. “LinkedIn might be a professional network, but it is worth considering when it comes to reaching potential parents. Remember, graduates grow up to become parents themselves, so it is worth building an alumni network there as well.” By keeping this channel updated with exciting news, you can build a lasting following around your school and its community.
To help your school cut through the noise and stay on parents’ radars, you might want to invest in paid social ads to increase your marketing reach. Social media ads will let you target an audience based on location, connections, and online interests. Here, your parent personas will come in handy to help you tailor your ads to the right audience.
Parents are some of the most vigilant researchers when choosing the right education for their children. Many parents turn to social media to get to know a school beyond the facts and figures. A good social media strategy for independent schools should build transparency, engage with the interests of parents, and bring the campus and its community to life. Every private school is different. By identifying what makes your school unique, you can harness social media to bring creativity and personality to your marketing strategy.
FAQs To Consider:
How do private schools market?
Each private school will have something unique to offer K-12 students: high-quality academics, a boarding experience, or creative outlets. Social media is a chance to bring that personality across while giving parents the necessary information.
