Parents today have more options than ever when it comes to deciding which school to enroll their children in. The most important factor driving enrollment is family engagement. So how exactly do you keep families engaged? By incorporating the four below tools into your marketing strategy.
1. Add a Chat Feature to Your School’s Website
Whether parents are just beginning to enroll their child in your school, or their child has been attending your school for years, questions will inevitably come up that go beyond the teacher. That’s where a chat feature can help. A chat feature on your school’s website simplifies parent inquiries, provides them with quick answers to their questions, and gives your administrative staff time to focus on other tasks.
Specifically, the ThinK-12 Chat has a custom-built Artificial Intelligence (AI) information engine that gets smarter over time, answering parents’ questions increasingly more quickly. But they get more than fast answers to their questions through an online chat – parents also build confidence in your school.
2. Create Family Ambassadors
Parents want to feel connected to the school their child attends. By creating family ambassadors, you give parents another family to speak with about the school. This not only helps parents receive the information they need about which programs the school offers, teacher-to-student ratios, or school culture, but it gives them instant community, which is a powerful tool for staying engaged.
Family ambassadors also create a space for potential families to learn firsthand about the school from other parents. This approach is much more authentic and personal than simply having parents read informational handouts. When prospective parents speak with family ambassadors, they learn what makes your particular school unique and can envision their child finding success by attending your school.
3. Upgrade Your Staff Directory
When most people think of a staff directory they think of an email address, short bio, and photo, although many directories contain even less information. But a staff directory can and should be so much more. Digitizing the directory and adding more information about staff members that includes their passions, interests, and commitment to students humanizes them. You can also add custom features that make it easier for families to connect and communicate with teachers and administrative staff.
4. Q & A Videos
Videos are a powerful way to connect with prospective parents and students. Not only are you able to address frequently asked questions through videos, but you’re also able to personalize the answers. Rather than offering stale questions and answers on a website page, videos give you the ability to show families a glimpse of your school’s culture and the personality of the staff, other parents, or students.
Take control of your enrollment and retention by utilizing the above tools. You’ll show families you offer robust programming and community for them and their children, keeping them engaged for years to come.
About ThinK-12
At ThinK-12, we believe in developing school communities that engage families, students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders. Through our web-based application, we provide and continually create content to engage prospective and current families, teachers, and school staff. Our technology helps keep schools and families connected through tools designed to educate, inform, and bring education stakeholders together both in the virtual and real worlds. When put into practice, the result is a welcoming, innovative educational experience that meets the needs of all stakeholders.