Social media ratings, word of mouth reviews and any other references to your school from current or past parents carry so much more weight when choosing a school compared to glossy websites and bus shelter advertisements.
Today’s prospective parents are screaming for authenticity and a community who will recommend your school is a marketing goldmine.
Brand advocates converted from current or past parents are real people that know the ins and outs of your school and can provide insights into the day-to-day experience. They are a credible, as well as a relatable, source of information and it’s these two qualities that prospective parents trust now more than ever.
So how do you go about getting your parents to spread the word of your school? Our 4 step solution will teach you.
1. Get the fundamentals right: ensure your school brand is solid.
It goes without saying – you need to have a base for your brand ambassadors to rave about. If your branding isn’t strong, your messaging is inconsistent, and if your own teaching and administrative staff aren’t advocates for the brand, then you can barely expect your parents to be.
2. Create a community space for interaction.
Engage your parents and make them feel special. A satisfied parent, who feels that his or her opinion is valued and appreciated, will be far more likely to be singing your praises. Show them that they matter to the school by asking for their feedback in the form of surveys and invite them to the school for morning teas.
3. Nurture these relationships.
Keep engaging your parents. It takes continued effort for parents to trust and develop advocacy for the school. At this point, they should not even consider switching to any other school and are firmly convinced that any future children will also be attending your school.
4. Help your parents along this process: make it easy for them.
We’re all time poor, especially parents. Make the ambassador process easy for them by providing ‘share’ buttons for social media and asking for testimonials with pre-prepared questions and direct links. A word of warning though: be careful of doing too much and putting words into your ambassadors’ mouths – you want the experience to be authentic.
