5 Ways to Increase Your Enrollment with Digital Marketing

There are so many educational options available for families today that many private schools struggle to increase enrollment.

This can be particularly challenging for Montessori schools, especially if you feel like your marketing efforts are intrusive in some way.

However, if increasing enrollment is your goal, then it makes sense to change the way you think about marketing your school. Instead of “bugging” people with your marketing efforts, think about how you’re educating interested families to the benefits of this unique, time-tested philosophy.

In addition to helping you embrace a new mindset about marketing your school to increase enrollment, we also wanted to give you some practical tips you can put into action right now.

1. Place your Call-to-Action (CTA) button above the fold.
   Remember when you actually used to hold the newspaper in your hands to read the latest stories? The biggest news and most enticing headlines were above the fold so you didn’t need to open the paper to get a quick synopsis of what was going on in the world.
   
   In the world of digital marketing, the “fold” is what people see on your website without scrolling down. Even if your website visitors go to your home page and don’t explore further, this is your opportunity to show them the best headlines and information, including your call-to-action button.
   
   We understand you want parents of potential students to stick around and explore your site, but the reality is they might not have a lot of time.

When your CTA is above the fold on your website, you can still make use of the few minutes (or seconds!) website visitors spend on your Montessori school’s site.

How does this work?
Let’s say parents come to your website seeking tuition rates.

If you have a CTA button that says, “Click here for tuition rates” you’ve just made it easier for prospective parents to get what they came for.

When they click that button, it takes them directly to a contact form to fill out their name and email, so you can send them a personalized, automated email or a direct link to downloadable tuition costs. Which brings us to our next tip...

2. Create email automation.
   By now, you’ve most likely heard of email automation programs like Constant Contact and MailChimp.  Maybe you’re already using one of them to send out a monthly newsletter to your existing mailing list.
   
   But did you know MailChimp can automate emails for you and send them out whenever you’d like? MailChimp can simplify and automate a variety of time-consuming tasks like:
   
   • Sending a welcome email to new subscribers
   • Retargeting site visitors with personalized emails
   • Creating and sending emails
   
   So, take “email new subscribers” off your to-do list when you create email automations with your app of choice.

(Hint: We happen to like how easy it is to use MailChimp, so even if you’re totally confused by the thought of automated emails, don’t be scared. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions walk you through from start to finish.)

3. Advertise high-quality content on Facebook.
   High-quality content establishes your school as a leader in the Montessori school sector. Highlight information that is relevant to prospective families.

Choose an inviting image and a notable statistic about how Montessori school students continue to outperform their peers both academically and in social and emotional development.

You can even link back to an informative blog post on your website — and include a CTA button on your Facebook ad that prompts families to schedule a tour of your school.

If you’re not advertising on Facebook, you’re missing out on the potential to reach the more than 2 billion active monthly users of the social media platform. Surely, these people are families in your neighborhood searching for an outstanding educational experience for their children.

Make it easier for them to find your Montessori school.

4. Post relevant, engaging content on Facebook every day.
   This might sound a bit daunting, but it’s worth it. Build a following.

As noted in Number 3, high-quality content in both your Facebook ads and your social media posts, helps establish your school as a leader in Montessori education. Daily Facebook posts have the potential to increase traffic to your website and that ultimately means increasing potential enrollment.

You can also take advice from Number 2 and automate your social media posts using a tool like Hootsuite that lets you schedule posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. You can create and schedule a month of posts all in one shot, and then it becomes a task you plan for monthly rather than daily.

5. Join Nido Marketing.
   It’s free. We offer free marketing tools so you can grow your school with digital marketing.

Matt Hillis, the founder of Nido Marketing, is also the Executive Director of Bergamo Montessori School — and Matt understands Montessori and he understands marketing.

When you join Nido Marketing, you get access to online training courses, live Q&A calls, brochure templates, marketing materials, and a whole community of Montessorians around the country to share ideas and get support.

We hope this helped you get a better idea of how your marketing efforts can directly build relationships and educate your community of interested families, and ultimately, increase your enrollment.

Have questions? Schedule your free consultation today.