Digital Platforms: Connecting Alumni & Attracting New Admissions

“90% trust peers on social networks (even strangers); only 15–18% trust brands.” Danny Brown

I second these thoughts of Danny Brown!

Digital technology has turned consumers into “Wise Men”. Every other person including parents performs the ritual of – “mini research” before even applying for their kid’s admission. The internet is stuffed with zillions of content pages & information; anyone can find anything in the digital space with mere clicks! Why would someone trust “your words” when they’ve got the power & right to find out the truth about your institution? Reviews & followers on popular platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn can give out so much information that the visitor won’t even bother to visit your website.

Makes sense?

That’s why a strong digital presence is a must to rule the digitization era. Let’s explore the top digital platforms that your institution can utilize for connecting to alumni & attracting new admissions in 2020…

1. Your Institution’s Website!

School days are precious to every student. 20 years back, it was a dream for every student to stay connected with their old school teachers & batch mates. They used to write letters in the quest to nurture old relationships. All thanks to the “God of Digitization”, this is not a big deal today. Schools can stay in loop with yesteryears students & even attract new ones simply by building an online presence. Nothing better than developing a school website! A personalized institutional website can be the best digital marketing strategy for schools to give out institution related information to the prospects & alumni batch.

Don’t have your school website yet?

Get started!

Social Media Platforms at Your Service!

1 hundred, 1 thousand, 1 billion…

No. I am not teaching you to count numbers!

It’s the pace at which social media platforms have grown over the years. Be it the most popular Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Quora, Medium, or Twitter, all these social media platforms have emerged as a new face of digital marketing for the following two major reasons –

• Users prefer consuming digital content over other media
• Social media apps are popular among all age groups, especially students

If you are an educator reading this, I am sure you must be following someone renowned from the educational field on your social media. Don’t you?

Why not apply the same principle for your institutional progress?

Even if you are not into social media that much, your prospects are! Most of the students seeking admissions as well as the alumni batch members are on social media. You can embark on the journey by creating a social media handle. You can put pictures of events and functions or write heartfelt messages for students & staff. It’s a wonderful yet easiest way out to communicate with your beloved students & let them know how much you appreciate them!

Slowly, as you get along with the technology, you can immerse in strategic social media marketing (SMM) for targeting new admissions.

3. Content that Speaks on your Behalf!

Merely building a website and being there on social media won’t work. Circling back to my previous point, websites & SMM tactics are indeed helpful but without quality content, you won’t be able to swim & cross the huge river! Seth Godin, the famous marketing Guru once quoted,

“You’re either a purple cow or you’re not. You’re either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice”

It means that to stand out from the crowd, you have to be different!

However, by that, I don’t mean to use “TOUGH” vocabulary. User engagement is often equated with content with fancy language. However, that’s not the case until you're writing a literature book. For an educational website, content that gives out every required info & easy-to-understand format is most likely to drive user engagement.

Simplicity & honesty has its own charm. Write as if it is to be read by a 10 years old kid! Readers need info - Plain & simple! Your content should reflect your vision, mission, and values. Whatever you put across the viewers, students & parents, make sure you mean it & it’s not fabricated for publicity.

Just don’t forget to incorporate keywords & best search engine optimization tips! Yes, writing SEO-oriented content is crucial from Google’s perspective. Whether it’s a small social media post or a blog, you need to think like a school marketer for providing better online experience to parents and students.

Here’s a checklist of the topmost search engine, Google’s likes & dislikes –

1. Google likes originality
2. Google appreciates digital presence
3. Google likes well-optimized & SEO driven content
4. Google dislikes plagiarized or copied content
5. Google hates keyword stuffing

To fulfill the Google quotient, drive effective user engagement & be on the top search results, you need to take care of these basic SEO practices & online marketing tips. This will certainly unlock the doors to new student enrollments over a period. With regular updates and digital marketing strategies, your alumni batch will also feel a sense of pride and honor being associated with your brand. This is why embracing digitization is a simple yet effective method to reach the sky & fly high without going harsh.

To Sum Up

Which set would you choose out of the two?

A) Flyers & pamphlets

B) Website & digital platforms

Even if you are a silver surfer, ideally, you should go with the millennial way & choose the second option because digital platforms are way ahead of the traditional methods when it comes to attaining success. Great online experience help educational institutions –

• Create a positive perception online
• Enhance student retention
• Nurture relationship with Alumni

Therefore, digital marketing for private schools in 2020 is quite imperative in terms of coping with the new-tech hassles & dealing with the tremendous competition out there. One more tip just before I leave - you can also consider adopting a school ERP software to maximize your institutional work efficiency because to handle new admissions in school seamlessly, you will require an efficient edTech worktool!