If you’re a K-12 private school owner or administrator, you face stiff competition when recruiting new students. The trend toward declining private school enrollment means that schools must find a way to distinguish themselves from the competition to gain sufficient enrollment.
As families survey the private school landscape, they’re often inundated with mission and value statements and sales pitches from admissions personnel that convey similar messaging. Consequently, they have difficulty determining what makes a school stand out from the rest.
Your ability to differentiate your private school is crucial if you want families to choose you over the competition. You can achieve this objective by implementing a strategic approach rooted in the fundamentals of marketing.
Top 3 Ways to Highlight Your School From Others
The following steps can make your school stand out from the rest and make it more appealing to students and families.
1. Identify Your Unique Selling Proposition
In marketing terms, a unique selling proposition (USP) is the primary benefit that makes one business better than the competition. Examples of a USP for a private school could be the high percentage of graduates who go on to attend college, academic programs that other institutions in the area don’t offer, or even the success of its athletic teams.
Whatever you determine is your school’s USP, make it the focal point of your marketing and branding efforts.
2. Highlight Your Culture
Prospective students want to know what it will be like to attend your school every day. Your messaging should convey the guiding beliefs and values that illustrate how your educational institution operates and what makes it different from others.
While this information should be prominent in your marketing materials, you should also invite students and their families to visit during school hours to sample it for themselves.
3. Evaluate the Competition
Your school may be competing against several others for the same students. Take the time to assess these institutions to determine what makes you different, or even better, than the others. Maybe you have smaller class sizes or more stringent hiring standards for faculty members. You can then incorporate these contrasts into your marketing strategy.
Differentiate Your Enrollment Process With Ravenna Software
Streamlining your school’s enrollment process can also make your school stand out. Ravenna offers a premier admissions software solution designed with the needs of families in mind. Schedule a demo today and learn how Ravenna can make a difference in your school.
