Tired of spending more to get the same yield? As you know. simply generating more leads and applications does not necessarily result in higher enrollment.
This is why Admission and Marketing professionals at Private Boarding and Day Schools need to focus on the actual drivers of yield (enrollments). If you are accurately tracking lead and application data for your school's new enrollments, it will probably reveal the top drivers of yield to include the following:
Internet Searches through SEO tactics and SEM Paid Ads
Referrals from Friends and Your Local Community (social media ads can be useful and cost efficient. Check out YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook Ad Centers.
Referrals from Students, Families, and Alumni
Referral websites such as: Boarding School Review, Private School Review, Niche, Great Schools, and other association websites.
Don't miss out on SEM as a key driver of yield - 5 Benefits of SEM
1. Build Brand Redundancy - If you want to stand out in search, it helps to have Google paid ads for all of your best performing keywords. Beyond finding your brand on the first page of an organic search, you increase the odds of a prospect visiting your site by showing up at least twice on the first page in the paid and organic sections.
2. Make Searches Easy - In an ad, you have an opportunity to distill and differentiate your school from others so prospects avoid time-consuming searches. Ads help prospects know who you are before they check out your site, so include the basics: boarding or day, coed or single gender, grade levels, but enhance with powerful headlines, key messaging, and special programs (e.g. STEM, STEAM, College Prep, Leadership, Lacrosse, Equestrian, etc.)
3. Build Synergy on Platforms - By combining a strong website presence with strategic SEO and SEM, alongside other marketing initiatives that result in yield, you will maximize your budget and time. Think about your top 3-5 drivers of yield and how they interact and complement one another.
4. Refine Target Markets - SEM allows you to define demographics, including: income levels, gender, age, locations, and interests. Unlike print and other outbound forms of advertising, inbound tactics ensure you are reaching the right audience, while reducing costs.
5. Focus on Return on Investment - Some independent private schools question the high cost of paid search ads. However, if you eliminate the expense of low performing initiatives, you can direct funds to SEM efforts without a significant overall budget increase.
To maximize your SEM, it is imperative to have a strong website, as ultimately all traffic lands there. The use of specific landing pages that are highly relevant and rich in content allows users to gather information quickly, navigate easily, and take the next action step.
SEM tactics, when implemented properly, will build brand awareness, help prospects find your school easily on search, attract the right prospects through very specific demographic targeting, and maximize your marketing budget.
Questions? Contact Aperture Advisory for a complimentary consultation.
760.805.5136 or info@apetureadvisory.com
