Hmm…this can be a topic of discussion, don’t you think? If you are looking for branding your school, you might want to compare and go back in history to understand how things used to work then vs. how the scene of marketing has changed now. 

Let’s begin:

Choosing schools then:

I remember asking my parents how they chose the school that my siblings and I studied in. Their answer was simple.

 “Well, that is where everyone we knew was enrolling their children for an education!” 

My parents had heard enough good things about my school from the parents of other kids who studied in the same school. That is how they decided maybe that school was the right one. Obviously, they relied upon face-to-face and genuine feedback.

I am speaking about an era when schools were few and school authorities never thought of using marketing strategies because their target audience was their medium of marketing. In other words, it was the parents who would unwittingly spread the word because of their good experience with the school.

What is happening now?

Fast forward to today and you find many new schools emerging in the market. The competition is fierce and every school offers all the great facilities and infrastructure parents are looking for. In this case, it has become confusing for parents to choose from a lot of choices available. 

Brand marketing helps schools to stand apart and highlight their strengths in this crowded market. It helps schools to tell their story and fuel perception among people, particularly parents. Brand marketing also brings about more transparency regarding pedagogy followed by the school, what the school has to offer their students, and in what way can the school have a positive impact on their students. That’s the importance of school branding. 

Schools are now actively going out into the world and using various marketing tools to advertise themselves. The most commonly used marketing tools today are school logos seen on school uniforms, buses, and school buildings, prospectus, and other printed material, newspaper advertisements, and websites that give comprehensive information about the school.

Some schools are adopting a few, slightly unusual methods of brand marketing.

• One method is getting the students to speak about the school. Since the students are ones experiencing the school first hand, anything that comes directly from the students speaks a lot about the school.
• The second method is engaging with parents through chat lines and events organized within school premises. Keeping the conversation going between schools and parents ensures the parents know how the school is functioning and if in fact, the school is delivering what it has promised.
• A third method used is to keep everyone on the staff involved in the marketing process. As school staff interacts with the students on a daily basis and is also involved in the daily working of the school, they are potential brand ambassadors for schools.

 

Importance of marketing for schools and how is the digital marketing scenario today?

Along with the offline marketing strategies as mentioned above, schools these days need to maintain a strong digital presence as well. With more than 34% of the population using the internet on a day to day basis for information, schools these days need to showcase their brands on all the digital platforms available.

For example, when Facebook was first introduced, it was used only for personal use such as to connect with your friends, share your life events and achievements with your closed ones, etc. But now the scenario has changed, businesses are making use of these platforms to connect with their target audience digitally. This enables businesses to take their product or service to the national as well as international levels.

Thus, being digitally strong is a necessity for any brand in this age of the internet. The same applies to schools here. With the chaos of competition around, schools need to showcase their brand with effective digital marketing strategies to attract and retain their client base. 

How Can Zedua Help Your School? Read to Know!

Moreover, a considerable number of parents these days are tech-savvy, and while looking for schools online they do check the school’s websites, the school reviews given by other parents online, and also the presence of the school on the different social media channels. A well-thought digital marketing strategy can help any school achieve good deal admissions by just having a strong online brand image. 

This is the era of digital marketing and social media and if you are considering branding your school, you have to make the best use of these marketing tools to increase the admission rates.

So, finally, choosing schools now:  

When the world is shut for a time being due to the coronavirus lockdown, parents who are looking for admissions for the next academic year are highly relying upon the digital information and the online reviews of the schools. Sure, word of mouth still has the relevance as before but the rising competition and the digital dependence, the word of mouth has just become digital. Say, in this 21st century ‘social media is the new word of mouth,’ and at Zedua we know exactly how much and why marketing is important for schools. 

Zedua was founded with the mission of making the admission process seamless for parents and the schools and helping schools all over India build a strong digital image. This is the new age of marketing, hence Zedua is the new-age marketing tool developed specifically for the schools to reach their target audience easily in any part of the country. So, if you are an educator thinking for branding your school, Zedua is always there by your side. 

Once on Zedua, leave all your marketing worries to us. Subscribe to Zedua today!

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