That is why we consider it urgent to talk to you about how digital marketing strategies with the right approach can help you adapt to the changing needs of your target audience. Therefore, we invite you to continue reading this article before you make any other decision with the marketing department of your school or university.
How to retain your current students?
Through information
First, you need to provide clear and timely information . What is happening at school? Your website and social media are the channels where you should post a communication addressed to the student community. Here you should explain what actions are being taken in response to the contingency to ensure that students continue studying from home. This communication should be updated every time the Presidency and the Ministry of Health give an important update regarding the return to school dates.
Here is an example:
These types of actions will ensure that parents do not withdraw their children from school, nor delay their re-enrollment and tuition payments. In other words, you should maintain communication through different means that help parents and students see what they are doing within the school, for example:
Announcements on the COVID-19 contingency plan.
Teacher training.
Videos of teachers explaining the online class process and their experience.
Testimonials from students about what they gambling data indonesia phone number have learned at school and with their teachers.
Show the recognitions that the school has and receives.
Show the activities that are done to help others, for example, in this situation some schools have taken on the task of collecting medical supplies to donate to hospitals.
And more.
Providing care to current and future students
For this, it will always be ideal to have functional telephones, WhatsApp and emails to resolve the doubts of new students, current students and parents regarding topics such as:
Payments for registration, re-registration, tuition, scholarships and payment facilities in the event of an emergency.
Online classes, assignments, work, materials, report cards, certificates, etc.
Submission of documentation for new admission and re-registration.
Suspension of social service and internships.
As you can see in the following graph, the most prominent online activities of users in Mexico are accessing social networks, sending/receiving instant messages and sending/receiving emails. These are the means by which you should respond to your students.
It is essential that teachers, administrative staff, and support or dissemination staff are well trained to know how to respond in the corresponding area to questions from the student community and parents.
Source: Mexican Internet Association. 15th Study on Internet User Habits
in Mexico 2018
Continuity of classes with online platforms, communication with teachers and a school calendar
Also, make sure that teachers carry out an assessment plan as if they were giving face-to-face classes, preparing work materials, practical videos, theoretical tasks, practical exercises for students, etc. Confirm that teachers give their students their online class schedules, along with the assessment plans for each subject.
Also, share support materials apart from the assignments so that students can:
Concentrate on studying from home.
Support your daily learning.
Consult to carry out your tasks and work.
Have fun in your free time.
Support your community with benefits on tuition, facilities and more
In difficult times, it is important to show solidarity with those in need, particularly with your community, so it is essential to understand what they need to remain in your institution.
Deferred payments
Longer term
Personal attention
Additional extracurricular activities
More technology to ensure learning, etc.
How to generate new students?
Ask yourself if the efforts you are making are the right ones: can you measure each peso invested in a given medium by the number of subscribers generated? If your answer is no, you will need to rethink your marketing strategy.
Where to invest to generate a greater number of students?
You can invest in digital media, offline media, or both, depending on the behavior of your business. However, we assure you that in the current times we live in with this contingency, which accelerated the rise of online processes, it is essential to invest in digital media.
Unlike traditional media (television, radio, magazines, billboards, newspaper ads, etc.), with digital media you have absolute certainty about the people who are interested in your school. You can even obtain their data through web forms. And for those who are more indecisive and just visit and leave, it is also possible to show them special content according to your digital marketing strategies. This way you can convince them to leave their information and go to a direct appointment at the school.
Don't stop marketing
When budget adjustments are necessary, one of the first areas that is wrongly affected is the marketing area, as some educational institutions think about “saving.” They stop these types of investments; however, what they sometimes do not consider is that the goal of growth does not stop.
But, before investing in digital marketing it is essential that you know:
Your buyer persona: the semi-fictional representation of your final or potential consumer. That is, the ideal person for you who needs your services as an educational company. They can be parents or students.
Example of a buyer persona:
2. Your competition: those institutions that offer services similar to yours.
3. Have a sales funnel with conversions from each medium or source of the prospects that are generated.
Learn to differentiate between the sales funnel and the marketing funnel
4. Set SMART goals: these are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals.
From there, you can develop a Marketing plan to track each strategy , generate data on each prospect through a CRM and Marketing Automation software to ensure proper tracking of prospects and convert them into customers.
