Marketing Schools

Marketing Your Course

The education sector is increasingly competitive and the market for courses in all forms is heating up. Full time, distance learning, business education – there has never been a better time for students to start studying. On the reverse side of this, engaging potential students and course attendees has become harder and harder. We have worked with many schools, colleges, universities and institutions and are some lessons of our own on how to market the business of education effectively.

1. Make Everything Match

First impressions last. Signing up for a course is a major investment so it does not take much to scare people away. Do not cheap out on anything that a student or potential attendee comes into contact with. Your brochures should have a slick feel, your signage should be polished at visiting day and your email signatures should match the schools colors. Branding is all about consistency so make sure everything matches and this will engender a feeling of organization and style that will stand out in the crowd.

2. Decide What Message You Want to Project and Get it Out there!

Every school has a vision of what they would like to achieve and every school usually has this written out there in some form. Now we are not talking about reproducing some latin memorandum in all your marketing but creating an impression is what marketing is all about.  So if you put your students at the heart of what you do then how about highlighting some quotes from your students on your marketing material? If your focus is on providing cutting-edge facilities how about showcasing them in your giveaways. If your course is about motivation then how about providing interested students an alarm clock with a statement that motivates them?

3. Make Your Marketing Entertaining

The best marketing is entertaining. Schools and educational institutions frequently come across as boring and corporate. Learning requires focus and focus requires the user to be entertained. Students know this and generating an impression of fun and illumination can create a very enticing impression for students.

4. Get Your Message Out Through Your Students

The best adverts for your course are your current students. Once they have completed their studies then a positive effect from them in their workplace or community demonstrates the experience has been positive. Once you have loaded them up with knowledge, load them up with a variety of giveaways to generate brand awareness.