Three School Marketing Trends Set to Dominate 2019

 

1.  The Traditional Enrollment Funnel Has Changed
 

No longer is enrollment marketing focused only on moving a prospective parent through the funnel. We are now creating experiences that promote your school's brand affinity — and even advocacy.

The funnel is becoming more of a continuous cycle that focuses on ongoing engagement versus transactional relationships with families. This increased focus on nurturing, especially post-inquiry, makes prospective parents more likely to answer your call, reply to your email and even give recommendations to family friends.

 

2. The Rise of Conversational School Copywriting
 

I first talked about conversational school copywriting in last year’s marketing trends round-up. This year, I am realizing that it is not a trend but a complete methodology that is on the rise.

School copy is particularly guilty of being tedious to read -with long sentences and too many adverbs and adjectives.

There’s this misconception that parents wish only to be informed about the facts of your school -as if they are robots that have no emotion, don’t smile at puppies, don’t watch movies or sing to music in the car and live in a plain white box.

Conversational copywriting can be distinguished from traditional copywriting by its lack of focus on 'selling'.
Instead, the conversational copywriter seeks to guide a parent through your school's story in a clear and delightful way.

Your school's copy should sound and feel like there is a human behind that digital screen.
So, you need experienced creators that breathe life into your school's story while also creating meaningful conversations with your prospective parents.

 

3. Text Messaging is Dominating the Parent Follow-up Game

 
How many unread emails versus texts do you have right now?

According to Mobile Marketing Watch, 98% of all text messages are opened compared to 22% of emails. (via HubSpot)

A separate study found that parents read nine out of 10 texts within three minutes of delivery.

The days of following up with email or a simple phone call are fading fast. In today’s fast-paced world, parents expect instant responses as they move through the enrollment funnel.
They do not have the time to front-load their decision making with hefty batches of information; be it a 30-minute phone call or a long-winded email.

It is more convenient for them to receive frequent, short and simple text messages as questions arise.
So text and live chat can be phenomenal channels for getting on parents' radars and staying top-of-mind throughout their enrollment journey.