Summer’s almost up, and you know what that means – the school year is about to kick in in full swing, and there’s no time that’s busier than the weeks leading up to it. If you’re in the education sector, then you know better than anyone what the importance of a sizable student body is.
Increasing the size of your student body is easier said than done. You’ll have to build up a reputation for your school and even then, some parents and students may not even know of you in the first place! So, it’s really up to putting your best foot forward and presenting what an education at your institute will truly give to a child.
And the best way to deliver this message and the manifold reasons why a student should enroll at your school? Email marketing, of course! Emails are a great way to approach parents, and they also allow communication – so it’s a win-win!
Here’s how you can increase school enrollment with email marketing:
1. Write Catchy Subject Lines
First things first, you need to make sure that parents actually open your email! And with the hoard of emails people tend to get in their inboxes on a daily basis, that’s easier said than done.
When parents or potential students are scrolling through their inbox, they’re only going to see your subject line and the start of your email, which is why it’s important to make your subject line one that invites the recipient to engage with it. Think of catchphrases that go with your school values, use first person to build a sense of connection, add dates to prompt curiosity in people, and ask questions to draw a response.
And of course, test out multiple versions until you’re able to gather some data on what’s working best for your school – and then you can leverage it for the rest of your email marketing needs!
2. Refer and Reward
Most people love some healthy competition – and everyone likes rewards – which is why the refer and reward strategy works wonders for email marketing campaigns. Once your emails have been opened, it’s all about keeping your audience engaged and prompting them to take the next step where they actually reach out to the school.
And while a well-written copy is key to achieving that, you can also draw in students with the promise of rewards. Introduce a referral system, where each parent bringing in five more will be given certain privileges – such as a position on the Parent-Teacher Association board or vouchers for money off school supplies.
Once parents see what the school is willing to give them for spreading the word, they’ll put in serious effort to do just that! Of course, it’s a given that the school should be attractive enough in the first place that parents would actually want to send their child there!
3. Become Mobile Friendly
Thanks to these hand-held devices that have practically become an extension of our wrists, people increasingly conduct their online activities via their mobile phones – it’s easy, it’s convenient, and it’s not restricted by time or space.
It’s a given then that to make the most of your email campaigns, they need to be optimized to be mobile-friendly. You might think that all emails are mobile optimized, but that’s not true – and there’s nothing worse than being drawn in with a subject line only to see design havoc once you open the email!
4. Double Down on the CTAs
The end goal of any email is to gain a customer – and in this case, your customer is the student! A guaranteed way to increase customer conversion is by leading your audience onto your other marketing platforms – most noticeably your school website.
Simply add compelling hyperlinked CTAs at the end of your email – as well as at other strategic points – to convince users to explore more. Once you have an email audience member on your website, half the work is done!
5. Email Newsletters are the New Big Thing
Believe it or not, some parents actually look forward to receiving emails from schools – that’s because they’re constantly on the scout for the best educational opportunity for their child. And what better way to keep these parents updated than by sending out a monthly newsletter?
A newsletter is a great place to share any new additions you’ve had to the school’s curriculum – both academic and extracurricular – tell them about upcoming parent-school engagements and any career-building opportunities that the school will provide for your child. And the best part is that you can convey all this and more without having to be too formal, pulling people in by showing what a welcoming and inclusive environment your school offers.
Of course, the content is only part of the newsletter – the rest is on the visuals. Now you might be scratching your head on how to make your school’s newsletter visually appealing. Well, you don’t have to! At least not from scratch. Simply use PosterMyWall’s email newsletter templates and customize them according to your needs.
A breeze to use – seriously, the user interface is off the racks – a wide range of design templates, and with a save and continue option perfect for busy schedules, PosterMyWall’s email newsletter templates are a game changer – and that too without having you spend a dime!
6. Use an Email Marketing Software
Of course, no matter how well written or beautifully designed your emails may be, at the end of the day it all comes down to logistics and execution. After all, if the perfect email never gets visibility or appears to have its structure messed up, then it’s really of no worth at all.
Here’s where email marketing software comes in, and while there’s a whole colony of them in the market, one of the most trusted by far is the PosterMyWall Email Marketing Platform. By allowing users to do everything from email design to optimization to performance analytics reporting, it really serves as the all-in-one email marketing tool that helps your email campaigns reach that next level.
And you don’t even need to know any of the technical stuff – that’s right, no coding, no complicated formulas – it’s all right there for you with PosterMyWall!
So, if you’re looking to bump up your school’s enrollment numbers before the new year rolls around, then email marketing should be your go-to strategy. And with stellar tips like these, you’re sure to see some promising results!