Five Must Have Digital Assets for Your School

From time to time, I will include articles from guest writers who I think do a nice job in school enrollment marketing.  Courtney Allred is the founder of From Out West, a graphic and branding firm.  She is somebody who has done work for me in addition to working with schools to help craft their visual identity and core school marketing assets.  If you like this article and are looking to improve your school’s visuals, you can contact her via her website.

With the rise of digital media, schools struggle to convey their mission effectively and appeal to families across platforms. Having the right school marketing assets means your school can have an impactful online presence that works for you instead of against you. 

Presence across platforms means your school is setting the tone and controlling the narrative for current and prospective families. Here are the five most important assets your school needs to serve families and thrive in the digital age:

Logo Variations:

 

It’s important to have cohesive logos that can be used on different platforms. At the bare minimum, your school should have a primary logo for standard use, secondary logo for alternate use, and brand icon for use on social media platforms and smaller formats. Cohesion is key here since the color and fonts need to be easily recognizable. 

 

Here is an example of a primary logo, secondary logo, and brand icon:

 

   

Email Template for Follow-Up with Visiting Families:

It’s common for schools to have paper handouts that are given to parents after a tour, but it’s even more powerful to have a touchpoint be their inbox. This gives schools an opportunity to highlight strengths and facts that appeal directly to visiting families. Examples include: graduation rates, demographic information, transportation options, and extracurricular activities.

 

Easy to Use Website That Does the Heavy Lifting for You:

 

In a nutshell, your school’s website should do the following:

• Aim to accomplish a primary goal—Most commonly, the goal is to get families to schedule a visit or submit a contact form. Your website should make doing this as easy as possible by giving viewers the opportunity to do so from the Home page of the site. 
• Make enrollment information easy to understand—Enrollment requirements, timelines, and applicable links and resources should be clearly displayed. 
• Highlight what you want viewers to know about your school—The most appealing features of your school (for parents and students) should be prominently displayed “above the fold” on the website.
• Answer questions—FAQ pages aren’t limited to frequently asked questions. Use it as an opportunity to highlight your school’s strengths in question and answer form. It adds a selling feature to otherwise mundane web content. 

 

Email signature:

Your staff should have cohesive email signatures that include any links families may desire. A successful signature should include:

• Staff member’s name
• Position title
• School logo with hyperlink to the school website
• Small social media icons with hyperlinks to all platforms on which your school is active

 

Digital Newsletter:

 

Your school should have a regularly distributed newsletter that is sent via email and available on the website. Sending these monthly is a good way to remain connected with families, keep them informed of the goings-on, and call attention to any noteworthy staff and student success stories. Be sure to include the email signature with hyperlinks at the end of your newsletter.

 

Once these school marketing assets are in place, they require little to no maintenance.

Best of all, they will serve your school while providing a more streamlined experience for families.