As funding for public education is dependent on the number of students, Census Bureau data showing that K-12 enrollment continued its downward trajectory in 2022 is concerning for all school and district leaders. If it were just a case of declining birth rates, little could be done, but fewer students are enrolling in public schools—87.0% of children were enrolled in public school in 2022, compared to 90.7% in 2012—so the good news is that there is room for public schools and districts to increase their market share.
From charter schools to online schools, private schools to homeschooling, US students and their families have more and more options to choose from when it comes to their education.
But with growing competition, public and private schools are having to work harder to keep student numbers up and safe guard their funding.
The right marketing can make all the difference to enrollment numbers, but few schools have teams of marketing specialists ready to spring into action.
The good news is that by keeping your customer at the heart of your strategy and taking a step-by-step approach, you can create an effective, impactful marketing plan— even with no prior marketing experience.
This article will walk you through a simple six-step plan, including top tips I’ve learnt throughout my marketing career to enable small budgets and small teams to have a big impact.
The most important thing person
B2B, B2C, D2C, digital marketing, ROI, organic — like any industry, marketing has its own jargon and a whole host of specialties within it. But all effective marketing shares one fundamental principle: the consumer has to be at the core of your strategy.
Whether you’re selling a vacation to Hawaii or something as critical as a child’s education, staying focused on the needs, concerns, and priorities of the people you’re talking to is the key to an effective marketing strategy.
A great marketing plan doesn’t start with “what”; it starts with “who”.
STEP 1: Know your customer inside out
Start your marketing plan by channeling that curious first grader—keep asking “why?” over and over again.
Why are parents looking at schools? Why have they rejected other schools? Why are these their top priorities? Why move now?
Keep talking and listening to your customers, asking “why” until you deeply understand their hopes, dreams, and fears.
Combine different techniques to get a fuller picture. For example, surveys are great for broad insights, whereas individual or small group conversations face-to-face can help give context and deeper understanding.
By listening to current and prospective customers, you can build your marketing plan on a foundation of deep understanding.
STEP 2: Know your competition
Once you know your audience, it’s time to get to know the competition.
The aim is to understand what your competitors offer and get a clear idea of their strengths and weaknesses. You need to be able to map out why parents are choosing them. There’s no need for big research agencies or fancy monitoring tools. Start your research by getting online and looking at competitor websites, reviews, and social media.
What are the benefits they’re really emphasizing on their website? How do they describe themselves? What are their strengths?
You could even go one step further and do a “secret shopper” exercise, visiting other schools’ open days to build a picture of how they position themselves and who they’re targeting.
By researching local competition, you’ll have a clear picture of how you compare and where there are potential gaps in the market.
STEP 3: Identify your Unique Selling Points (USPs)
Now you know who you’re talking to and what you’re up against, the next step is figuring out how to make sure your school stands out from the crowd.
Highlighting your strengths is always more powerful than explaining where others fall short. Ask yourself three questions:
1. Where are we first?
What are you already offering that no one else is doing yet? Is there a learning method or school-day structure you’re trialing that others aren’t?
2. Where are we better?
What are the things you do better than some or most of your competition? Where do you often go beyond parent expectations?
3. Where are we best?
What do you do better than any of the competition? This might be awards you’ve won, outstanding exam results, or highly specialized members of staff. Think about where you excel.
The goal is to create a unique space in the market based on your core strengths — something that you can really own and that will differentiate you from the competition.
STEP 4: Craft your messaging
There are aspects to messaging: what you say and when you say it.
The most common mistake I see in marketing strategies is trying to say everything at once.
When that happens, customers get overwhelmed, USPs get missed, and they choose simpler options.
Instead, use the marketing funnel to focus your messaging on the right thing at the right moment, and demonstrate how you can solve a problem or meet an unmet need.
The traditional marketing funnel
If you’ve been researching marketing, chances are you’ve come across the term “marketing funnel”. An acronym extravaganza, there are as many variations as there are colorful diagrams, but most center around three stages: awareness, consideration, and conversion. As popular as it is, these overly technical labels aren’t always that helpful as they don’t put the customer first.
A different take on the marketing funnel
When I was working at Dyson, we used different customer-first terms to humanize the marketing funnel.
It’s an approach that’s just as relevant to my role today at global learning company, Pearson, and the easiest way to help break down your messaging.
The three stages are:
1. Help me discover
At this early stage, focus on your killer USP — one or two things you identified from your research that make your school stand out against the competition. You’re looking to catch parents’ attention, and say just enough to make them want to find out more.
2. Help me choose
In this middle section of the funnel, customers are comparing a couple of different options. Your messaging needs to give them confidence in your credentials, reinforce your points of difference, and address any questions.
3. Help me enroll
The final stage of the funnel is all about turning people from “just browsing” to “enroll me now”. It’s all about creating urgency and immediacy. Whether that’s a bespoke learning plan or a month of free after-school club, think about ways you could add extra value and make enrolling in your school top of the to do list.
At each stage of the funnel, you want to tell people just enough to move them forward to the next stage.
Taking that step-by-step approach helps customers retain more information, have a better experience, and be more likely to continue to the next stage of the funnel.
STEP 5: Spread the word
Once you’re clear on what you’re saying, it’s time to think about when.
Keeping your customer top of mind, create a 24-hour clock to understand what parents are doing and where they are throughout the day. You can then tailor your marketing to make sure your message reaches them.
For example, you could advertise on a local radio station when they’re usually in the car, or time your Facebook ads for the evening when they usually scroll their favorite community page.
After school dance practice? Leave flyers in local community centers.
Grocery shopping at the weekend? Buy a billboard on the busiest route to the supermarket.
Match your marketing to the rhythm of their day.
As well as doing your own advertising, think about people who could spread the word on your behalf.
That could include recent graduates, current parents, or even trusted members of the community like sports coaches, pastors, doctors, or librarians who have that relationship with your school and are willing to endorse it.
Reaching people at the right moment and having that third-party validation will help your carefully crafted messaging be heard and be remembered.
STEP 6: Measure and learn
No matter how small your budget or campaign, tracking results is essential in any marketing campaign. The ultimate measure of success is student enrollments, and comparing current numbers against the same time last year will be the key indicator that your marketing efforts are working. There are also initiative-specific indicators you can track, such as social media likes, email open rates, website visits, or phone calls. These smaller signs are all helpful ways to see which parts of your marketing and messaging are delivering the best results.
And just like your students, keep learning. Try new things and track progress to discover the marketing initiatives that really work for your school and customers.
Over to you
The key to a successful marketing plan is keeping things simple. Rather than putting a small amount of time and money into lots of things, focus your efforts; do fewer things, making them bigger and better so you can really assess whether they work for your organization. Whatever initiatives you try, starting with your customer and keeping them top of mind throughout the whole marketing journey will make sure you’re top of the class.
Rachel Exton is a seasoned commercial leader with extensive experience in brand management and marketing strategy, having worked with top-tier companies like Pearson, Dyson, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, and John Frieda. Currently, as Vice President of Global Marketing for Pearson’s English Language Learning division, she has successfully redefined brand positioning, optimized marketing investments, and achieved impressive ROI on campaigns. During her tenure at Dyson, Rachel collaborated closely with engineering teams to successfully launch a range of products globally, spanning from hand dryers to vacuum cleaners. Her strengths lie in driving product innovation, expanding into new markets, and executing impactful ATL and BTL campaigns. Renowned for her exceptional relationship-building skills and ability to inspire teams, Rachel consistently achieves outstanding business results and fosters a culture of high performance. She holds a BA (Hons) in Business Studies from Bournemouth University.
