In today’s digital marketing, grabbing the attention of potential students is critical. There are many options for marketing trade schools directly online that include social media promotion, website content and traditional advertising. Alternative education is becoming increasingly popular because of the high costs of regular college. Most successful marketing strategies of trade schools share one common denominator – compelling content.
Giving Potential Students the Right Impression
Trade school marketing includes many kinds of content, such as course descriptions, jobs available upon graduation, salary ranges, video content, images and social media links, and creating the right content for each type of content is necessary to engage potential students, explain the logistics of the courses accurately and provide a great overview of the job potential after graduation.
Schools can compete for students at the highest level with content that speaks their language and provides compelling information that excites and entertains. First impressions count, so even an introduction to the school should be composed with first impressions in mind. Other key ways to brand your school indelibly in students’ minds include:
• Create the type of content that students want to read by covering their concerns.
• Design easy-to-navigate landing pages on school websites.
• Track and fine-tune how well your content works with on-page analytics.
• Use modern marketing techniques to communicate with potential students, such as emails, blogs, text messages, tweets and social media pages.
• Provide information about fees and ways to get financial aid or finance the courses.
• Post articles online about how to manage classes while working a regular job or tips on how to develop effective study habits.
• Create a forum where potential students can communicate among themselves and cultivate a network of friends among current students.
Put Your Best Resources on the Job
If you have teachers who have exceptional relationships with students, recruit them for advice on how to generate interest in the school and its courses. You can interview popular teachers, enlist them to write content on the school’s behalf or film actual study sessions in their classroom. If you offer online instruction, some of the course material can be used.
Fewer people are attending four-year colleges because of the costs of traditional education and the need to start earning money is a big concern for many high school graduates. Students at four-year colleges end up with mountains of student debt, and Trade school marketing can provide an appealing alternative for many students. You just have to tell the story with content that attracts attention and compels potential students to take the first step.
