Many enrollment and admission directors are feeling tremendous pressure to deliver on lofty enrollment goals in an increasingly competitive independent school landscape. As a former director of admission, I know this pressure almost too well. At the same time, marketing and communications directors are facing similar demands as it relates to attracting the number of mission-aligned students and families admission teams need, while also fostering a sense of joy and community that assists in retaining those families for the long haul. So, I was quite surprised to learn that some schools continue to lack alignment between these two departments!

Enrollment and marketing directors must focus on creating a strong, aligned foundation within the school to ensure that enrollment and marketing strategies are sustainable, well-coordinated, and effective. Here are five ways your school can achieve this: 

Investing in paid search ads is a vital marketing tactic within independent schools looking to maintain or increase enrollment. Parents are increasingly using search engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo to gather information about where to send their children to school. However, ranking organically for terms like “all-girls boarding schools” or “best private schools near me” can be difficult for schools that don’t have exceptional SEO with high-quality content. Search Ads on Google or Microsoft platforms provide a significant opportunity for schools to advertise on the top search engines in the exact moment parents are looking. Here are some best practices for getting started on boosting your brand and building awareness with search ads:

There are a number of digital marketing avenues independent schools should explore to assist with recruiting international students. While in-person travel, virtual fairs, and leveraging education consultants are tried and true and should remain part of your comprehensive strategy, improving your digital marketing footprint is critical to building a pipeline of quality prospects. Here’s how your school can get started on building an international digital marketing presence.

Enroll Media Group compiled data from the Google Ads accounts of over 100 independent schools to establish benchmarks and averages across day, boarding, and summer programs. 

QR codes offer a fast and convenient way to share valuable content about your school with parents and students. With a scan on their smartphone, parents and students can easily engage with your school to learn more about your academic programs and admission process, or even register for an event or donate. Here are some tips for independent school marketers looking to enhance communication and increase engagement via QR codes:

Setting up your school’s digital marketing strategy for the busy admissions season ahead requires all hands on deck. Here are 10 digital marketing strategies your school should consider as you get planning underway:

Tracking the performance of your school's online presence is crucial for optimizing engagement and improving communication with future students, current families, alumni and donors. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) offers a powerful, free platform to monitor and analyze key events on your school's website.  

Here’s how to set up Key Events on your website to measure marketing efforts:

As one of the most trusted social media platforms, it’s no surprise schools are leaning into LinkedIn Ads to support enrollment and fundraising efforts. There are several components to a successful LinkedIn Ads campaign, but defining and refining your target audience is the foundation for building a successful strategy to ensure you deliver the right message at the right time to the right person. 

Are your Google and social media accounts secure? Do you have a transition policy in place? Social media and marketing tools are constantly evolving, and as employees take time off or move to new positions, it's easy for account access to become unclear. Here are essential tips to ensure your school implements best practices for account security.

Earlier this year Google introduced an experimental AI search feature called Search Generative Experience (SGE)  via its Labs platform. Combining traditional Google Search with a conversational function similar to Microsoft's ChatGPT or Bing's Copilot, SGE uses AI to synthesize information from the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) into an easily digestible summary at the top of the page, and allows the user to ask follow-up questions directly within Google Search.