Visitors can find themselves on your school’s website through a variety of channels – through social media, internal links on another website, organic searches via Google or by directly entering your website URL. To turn these visitors into followers of your school, it’s important that you engage with them and collect information required to nurture your relationship going forward.
Here are our top three ways to convert website visitors to followers at your school:
1. Blogs and newsletters
If your school has regular articles or news updates relevant to an external audience, create a form on your blog/news page where people can enter their email address and subscribe to a blog or newsletter. Once a fortnight or month, you can send them your top stories from the past few weeks. These newsletters will also provide a platform for you to promote upcoming events or enrolment opportunities. It is important that the blogs or stories are relevant and interesting to an external audience, if the news is too ‘everyday’ then you run the risk of them clicking ‘unsubscribe’.
2. Social media
Ensure that social media icons are easy to find on your website. This makes it easy for prospective parents to click through and view your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and/or LinkedIn pages. Many parents have accounts on these platforms and might prefer to follow your school via social media channels to hear about news and events.
3. Forms and offers
Using forms to capture details where appropriate on your website will help you gather contacts and begin nurturing leads. For example, if your Prospectus is available on your website, create a form for people to complete before they can download the Prospectus. This form can include details such as first name, last name, email address and phone number. It is important to match the information you are requesting to the level of the offer. For example, a parent will be willing to give more information if they wish to download an application form for enrolment at your school than they would to sign up for an enewsletter. You can use these contacts to follow up or to send more information regarding upcoming events or opportunities.
Remember that not all visitors to your website will be ready to commit to enrolling at your school. Focus on building a relationship with them and provide the information they need. That way, when they are ready to take the next step your school will be top of mind.
