Most schools now understand the importance of a well thought out digital strategy to engage with their communities and prospective families. Nevertheless, bringing a strategy to life can feel overwhelming and uncertain.
To help schools get set up for success in 2025, we recently hosted a webinar with a panel of experts exploring trends, sharing practical steps to take and uncovering the components of a strong digital strategy. Below you’ll find the key takeaways so you can launch into the new year with a clear digital plan.
Understanding digital presence for schools
Digital presence encompasses all the ways your school interacts with its community online. This includes your school website, social media channels, digital marketing efforts and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. A well-planned digital presence can help your school attract new students, retain current families and build a strong, supportive community. What's not to love about that?
Key elements of a digital strategy
The webinar highlighted three essential components to consider for a successful school digital strategy: branding, digital marketing and website management. Weave these into your digital plan and you’ll be well on your way to a cohesive and effective online presence.
1. Branding: The foundation of your digital presence
Branding encompasses the values, mission and unique characteristics that define your school. Suzanne Oxford, a founding partner of New Word Order, shared details on the importance of a strong brand for schools. “Brand creates the reason for the right parent to choose your school, to stay at your school, and to refer your school. It’s the overarching umbrella under which all of your strategies and plans and actions can live in terms of marketing and in terms of your digital presence,” explains Suzanne. “I like to quote Jeff Bezos who said that brand is what people say about you when you leave a room. It is their perceptions, it's their experiences, it's their memories, it's their interactions.”
“Brands make people feel seen, heard, known and understood.” Suzanne Oxford, New Word Order.
Despite the importance of brand, it’s easy to overlook, and many schools find themselves too snowed under with marketing tasks to properly explore brand strategy. “It’s really easy to get swept up into what I call ‘random acts of marketing,’ because the role of a school marketer is so busy and intense, it’s so easy to be reactive,” continues Suzanne. “If we step back and think, what is our brand? It’s that end-to-end experience from the first moment I hear about a school right through to the moment my child graduates...So, brand is really big. And brand then leads into branding. Branding is your tone of voice. It’s your visuals. It’s your photography. It’s your video. It’s all of those things that you harness in order to shape people’s perceptions and shape their experiences so they’re really aligned and drawn to your school.”
If your school doesn’t have a clearly defined brand, start with the following steps:
- Define your values and mission: Clearly articulate what your school stands for and what makes it unique.
- Create a consistent visual identity: Ensure that your logo, colors, and design elements are consistent across all digital platforms.
- Develop a tone of voice: Establish a verbal style guide that reflects your school’s personality and values. This includes the language you use in communications and the way you speak with your school community.
2. Digital marketing: Reaching your audience effectively
Digital marketing involves using online channels to promote your school and engage with your community. Through the webinar, James Thomson, co-founder of Novaflow Digital, shared valuable insights on effective digital marketing strategies for schools.
“Focus on metrics that matter, not vanity metrics. In 2025, focus on how many tours are coming from your digital ads, how many phone calls, how many open day attendances, how many job applicants if you’re doing HR job ads, how many scholarship applications — those metrics that really matter at the end of the day to your school or college.”
Key digital marketing strategies include:
- Social media marketing: Use platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to share news, events and success stories. Consistency is key—post regularly and engage with your audience.
- Paid advertising: Invest in Google Ads and social media ads to reach a broader audience. Target specific demographics and track the performance of your campaigns.
- Content marketing: Create valuable content that addresses the needs and interests of your school community and prospective families. This can include blog posts, videos and newsletters.
3. Website management: Your digital hub
Your school’s website is the central hub of your digital presence. It should be user-friendly, informative and aligned with your school’s strategic goals. Timo Nieuwoudt, our very own Chief Marketing Officer, highlighted the importance of a well-managed website during the webinar.
"Your website is probably your most strategic marketing tool...everything kind of then feeds in as a central point of truth for both existing and future families,” shares Timo. “For schools that do this really well, the website is often a reflection of the strategic goals of that school. Let's say a school has a very specific strategic goal around new admissions and then also a donations element that they're working on. Those two elements would be very prominently featured on their website versus a school that maybe doesn't have [a strategic plan], where the website is just an information dump of everything in one place. Schools are definitely looking at their website in a more strategic way in terms of what problems it can solve and what questions it can answer."
To optimize your school’s website, consider the following:
- Regular audits: Conduct regular audits to ensure that all information is up-to-date and that links are working correctly.
- User experience (UX): Design your website with the user in mind. Make it easy to navigate and ensure that important information is easily accessible.
- Action-oriented design: Encourage visitors to take action, whether it’s scheduling a tour, downloading a prospectus, or contacting the school.
Trends to watch in 2025
The webinar also highlighted several trends that schools should be aware of as they plan their digital presence for 2025. If competing schools grab hold of these trends and use them successfully, you may find your school a few steps behind.
Digital trends for schools in 2025 are set to include:
- Authentic storytelling: Schools are increasingly using authentic stories and testimonials to connect with their audience. Videos featuring students, parents and alumni can be particularly effective.
- Geotargeting: Using geotargeting to reach specific audiences in your local area is a great plan for ad spend and social campaigns. This can be especially useful for promoting events and open days.
- Security: If your digital platforms are hacked or tampered with, your school’s reputation will be at serious risk. Savvy schools will prioritize security in 2025, implementing two-factor authentication and regularly updating security protocols to protect against cyber threats.
Practical steps to get your school started
Planning your digital presence for 2025 may seem daunting with the many elements involved in a good strategy. Breaking it down into manageable steps can simplify the process. Here are some practical steps to get you started:
- Conduct a digital audit: Assess your current digital presence, including your website, social media channels and digital marketing efforts. Identify areas for improvement and set specific goals for 2025.
- Develop a digital strategy: Based on your audit, create a comprehensive digital strategy that aligns with your school’s strategic goals. This should include branding, digital marketing and website management.
- Invest in training and resources: Ensure that your team has the skills and resources needed to implement your digital strategy. To help team members along, you may consider training in digital marketing, website management and content creation.
- Monitor and adjust: Regularly monitor the performance of your digital efforts and make adjustments where you need to. Use data and feedback to continuously improve your digital presence, remembering that your digital presence deserves more than a set-and-forget approach.
Wrapping up
As competition heats up for private and independent schools, a strong digital presence is more important than ever. By focusing on branding, digital marketing and website management, you can create a cohesive and effective online presence that engages your community and supports your school’s strategic goals. Remember to stay informed about the latest trends and continuously refine your digital strategy to stay ahead in the ever-evolving landscape that is digital marketing!
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