As a marketer at a school, you play a crucial role in crafting a compelling marketing campaign that resonates with your target audience. One of the key elements of a successful marketing strategy is the creation of personas, which helps you understand your audience better and tailor your messages to their needs and preferences. In this blog post from the Small Films team, we explore how to create personas specifically for school marketing, addressing the importance of targeting parents effectively.
Understanding the Challenges:
School marketers face the unique challenge that, in some instances they need to simultaneously target both students and parents. While students may be the direct consumers of education, parents are often the decision-makers who influence their choices. Before you start considering building personas for your marketing campaigns, then ensure you’ve understood whether you’re targeting parents, parents and students or just students.
For example
Primary school – Likely to be targeting predominantly parents
Secondary school – Likely to be targeting both parents and students
Further education such as university – Likely to be targeting predominantly students
The Importance of Personas in School Marketing:
Targeted Messaging:
Personas provide valuable insights into the motivations, preferences, and pain points of your target audience. By understanding these aspects, you can create targeted messages that resonate with the specific needs and aspirations of students and parents. This targeted approach increases the chances of capturing their attention and fostering a connection with your school.
Enhanced Communication:
Personas help you speak the language of your audience. Whether it’s through digital channels, traditional marketing materials, or in-person interactions, understanding your personas allows you to communicate effectively and build trust. Tailoring your communication to address the concerns and interests of parents and students will establish your school as a relevant and reliable educational institution.
How to create effective personas for your school marketing
Conduct Research:
Start by gathering data about your current and potential student and parent population. Use surveys, interviews, and feedback forms to collect insights into their demographics, interests, values, and decision-making factors. Analyse enrollment data, online interactions, and social media engagements to gain a comprehensive understanding of your target audience.
Identify Key Segments:
Group your audience into meaningful segments based on shared characteristics.
These segments could include
– Age
– Grade level
– Location
– Interests, and
– Parental involvement.
By segmenting your audience, you can create more accurate and effective personas that cater to specific needs.
Develop Student Personas:
Craft detailed personas for different student segments. Consider their age group, interests, preferred learning styles, aspirations, and challenges. For instance, you may have a persona for high-achieving students seeking academic challenges and another for students interested in extracurricular activities. Tailor your messaging and marketing activities to each persona’s unique preferences and motivations.
Create Parent Personas:
As parents play a crucial role in decision-making, understanding their perspectives is essential. Identify common parental concerns, such as academic rigour, safety, extracurricular opportunities, and school preparation. Develop personas for different types of parents, such as those seeking academic excellence, a nurturing environment, or specialised programmes. Tailor your marketing messages to address their concerns and highlight the benefits your school offers.
Validate and Refine:
Regularly evaluate and update your personas based on feedback, data analysis, and market trends. Engage with parents and students to ensure your assumptions align with their needs and expectations. By keeping your personas up to date, you can refine your marketing strategies to meet the evolving needs of your audience.
Creating personas is an invaluable tool for school marketers. By understanding the diverse needs and preferences of students and parents, you can develop targeted marketing strategies that resonate with your audience. We always recommend to regularly validate and refine your personas to ensure they remain correct.
Small Films is a video production company specialising in school films. If you’re thinking about creating a promotional school video, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our experienced team have produced films for many of the UK’s top independent schools from Eton College to Wellington College, and they’d love to hear from you.
