By now, I’m pretty sure you’re catching on that quality content is a huge factor in a successful private school website, but did you know that your content needs to be targeted to a precise audience?
Many times, educational facilities hold on to a belief that a broader, generalized approach is better, thinking that greater results will come from reaching more people. Another belief that goes along with this one is that specialized content will reduce results because fewer people will relate to it.
Traffic for the sake of traffic is useless in digital marketing. Click To TweetHowever, private schools should be creating content in order to engage personally with their prospective students.
You will quickly discover that your content is not very successful in attracting qualified applicants if it isn’t reaching the right audience.
Fortunately, there is something to be done. Creating private school buyer(or in the case of private schools, “student”) personas can be an extremely useful tool for making sure your content is being delivered to the best possible recipients.
The Benefits of Creating Client Personas for Private Schools
Private school marketing personas are designed to be a semi-fictional representation of an ideal student who could benefit from the services your private school provides. The more detailed your client persona is, the more useful detail you will be able to incorporate into your content, and the more effective you will be in delivering in your content.
If you can publish content that specifically addresses the questions and concerns of your prospective students, their families, staff, and supporters, then you can start to build the personal relationships between your them and your private school. Your content will have greater value if it is targeted towards a specific type of person.
Client personas for private school marketing help school administrators by identifying who their qualified audience actually is. Think about the questions a specific demographic may ask and consider the best approach to answering those questions. Creating personas ensures a better understanding of who you are trying to reach through your website content.
There is some essential data you should collect to narrow the field and target qualified prospective clients. Start with the following questions and expand the details over time.
- How old is this person?
- What is their marital status?
- Do they have children?
- What is their education level?
- What are their interests?
- What are their goals?
- What motivates them?
- What are their behavior patterns like?
A client persona of students in search for a school specializing in the STEM fields may be best qualified for a magnet school.
This student, however, may be unaware yet that a magnet school is what they are in search for. They may not have even herd the term. The path they take towards your private school may be much more complicated.
They may be looking for the best school that offers superior preparation for the STEM field in their area. They may be conducting searches on Google for the STEM curricula of various local private schools.
By now, this individual may be confused as to how the preparation programs of various schools compare with one another, but may not have concluded that they are in need of assistance. By providing relevant information to this individual, you empower them to move forward through the buyer’s journey towards your private school.
By providing content that is specialized and targeted, your private school will achieve a position of authority on the subject, which can then translate into the student enrolling at your facility.
Should Private Schools Create Multiple Client Personas?
Sometimes, private schools can benefit significantly from creating several client personas reaching specific audiences.
The following case is an example where having multiple client personas can be beneficial, and a guide on how to use personas for private school marketing.
A private magnet school specializing in STEM field preparations can find multiple client personas helpful if they are expecting to be delivering information to both teenagers wanting to plan for their future, and parents or grandparents concerned about the future of the children.
Some other technical considerations might be:
What device does your ideal student utilize? A laptop? Desktop? Tablet? The age and work schedule of your potential client may decide what type of device they prefer to browse on.
Younger clients will be more likely to initiate searches on mobile devices, while older clients may choose desktop computers over other devices.
A parent is much more likely to use a laptop or desktop to search for your private school, while the actual student will most likely use a mobile device.
(That is why we each of AdInfusion’s websites are responsive. It is optimized for any screen size regardless of the device accessed from.)
The decision a prospective student’s family makes to contact your private school is not a binary, yes-or-no decision. This journey is made up of steps. And often, the first step can start with an individual who does not even realize they want to attend a private school yet.
Be sure to think about all the possible steps along the journey, and how these steps can vary from student to student, and search to search.
Persona building for private schools helps them keep potential students and their needs in mind, you will be able to create content that is useful to them, and compels them to take action.
AdInfusion Helps Private Schools Do Better Digital Marketing
In 2018, prospective students and their families find private schools online, and effective content marketing is essential to converting those clients. Creating high-quality content and exceptional web design leads your online visitors into becoming your students and turns your private school’s online presence into a valuable asset.
A web presence that is dependable and achieves your private school’s digital marketing goals does not have to break your budget.
To learn more about how AdInfusion can help you take control of your private school’s digital marketing and expand the reach your online, schedule a call with us.
