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10 Digital Marketing Skills Every School Marketer Needs in 2020

Feb 03 2020

It’s becoming more apparent each year that digital marketing skills are a necessity for any marketer to compete online—and school marketers are no exception. With so much to learn and so many digital marketing training options out there where do you start? Below are the top 10 skills I’ve learned over the years that I would personally recommend to any friend or fellow marketer.

Digital marketing skills to learn in 2020. Learn how to:

  1. Make Simple SEO Improvements to Your Website

Why? We all know the internet is the first place a parent will go to find or research a new school for their child. So, having a school website that comes up on those important key search terms is essential. SEO (search engine optimisation) is not something that happens overnight so understanding how it works and what you can do to improve it on an ongoing basis is a must for every school marketer.

  1. Effectively Manage Your Social Media

Why? Most schools are now using at least one social media channel to promote their school. As you’re probably painfully aware even one channel can be a handful to manage, especially if you’rea one- or two-person school marketing team. Learning how to use a social media management tool like Hootsuite or Later, will not only save you hours each week but can also be used to effectively track which social channels and which types of content are the most effective in helping to reach your marketing goals. Which brings me to #3…

  1. Build and Track Digital Marketing Goals

Why? If you don’t have digital marketing goals how will you know if 1) you’re going in the right direction or 2) you’re achieving what you’ve set out to do? Creating digital marketing goals is simpler than you may think. This year make a point to learn how to create website goals (that are reflective of your overall marketing goals) and the steps to determine which of your marketing channels and efforts are driving your conversions. Rinse and repeat!

  1. Extend Your School Brand Across all Your Communication Channels

Why? You’ve probably paid a pretty penny for your school website and your prospectus (print or digital), but your school brand shouldn’t stop there. Learn how to strengthen your brand across all your digital communication channels, from your social media to your newsletters and emails. Is your look consistent? Is your tone consistent? Learn how to optimise each of your digital platforms and strengthen your school’s online brand.

  1. Create a Social Media Advertising Campaign

Why? Boosting a post or event in Facebook is easy but it’s also very limiting. Learn how to go beyond the boost to create social media campaigns that target the parents you’re looking to reach not only on Facebook but also on Instagram—even if you don’t have an account! Learn how to add simple tracking to determine the bigger-picture impact of your campaign, discover which audiences and ad styles work best for your school and how to leverage that information for future campaigns.

  1. Create and Optimise Your Google My Business Account

Why? By default, your school is most likely already on Google Maps, but beyond maps is a whole platform to optimise your school for local search results. Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that allows you to manage how your school appears in results. GMB controls where you show up on Google Maps and allows you to reinforce your school brand through images, videos, testimonials and posts. Share your Head’s blog, your upcoming events such as your Open Day and even press releases. Learn how to create – and optimise – your GMB profile or gain access to one that may already be out there.

  1. Create a Google Ads Campaign

Why? Whether your school is already doing PPC (pay-per-click) advertising and you want to have more control by bringing it in-house or you don’t have the budget to pay an agency, learning the basics of PPC advertising is a skill that can take your career to a whole new level. The beauty of Google Ads is they really are ‘pay per click’ so you only pay for those interesting in learning more about your school. Learn how to do your keyword research (also helpful for SEO), create powerful and engaging adverts, maximise the features and of course track your conversions.

  1. Make Simple Videos and Gifs

Why? Videos and gifs are proven to give you the best engagement when it comes to social media, newsletters and even blogs. Don’t use the excuse you don’t have a graphics background or the time to create rich media. Learn how to create simple videos and gifs using tools such as Canva or Filmora. Create video from images, add animation to a photo or create fun gifs from existing video, it can all be done quicker than you think—and you’ll have fun learning how to do it as well!

  1. Come to Grips with Your Analytics

Why? I’m the first one to admit that you can’t measure every marketing success, but I still believe that your analytics can reveal a lot of what is going on behind the scenes. Whether it’s your social analytics or your Google Analytics, learn what metrics you should be looking at – which are important for your goals – and what actions you can take as a result of those insights. Artificial Intelligence didn’t get so powerful on its own, it has data on its side. Imagine how clever you will be with a little on your side…

  1. Partner for Success

Why? Whether it’s partnering with another school marketer or with a digital consultant like myself, two heads are always better than one. Identify where your weaknesses are and join forces with someone that can give you the knowledge and support to achieve your personal and professional goals. Every person is different – as is every school – so understanding yourself and your school is key to finding that perfect match. Ahhh but when you do…💘

Increase your school’s exposure and your own digital marketing skills, contact me about affordable and effective one-on-one training today.

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Alta Justus, The Virtual Marketer

Alta Justus, The Virtual Marketer

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An equally creative and analytical Digital Marketing Consultant with over 18 years education and commercial marketing experience, I'm passionate about helping schools succeed in the digital arena. Read More…

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#tuesdaytip: Have a Google account? Use it or lose #tuesdaytip: Have a Google account? Use it or lose it! Google's recently announced accounts that haven't been used in a couple of years, or exceeded their storage, will be at risk of deletion. If you're like most school marketers you'll probably have a few Gmail accounts and a Google Drive or two that you haven't looked at for a while. Of course, I'd always recommend using a verified school email over a Gmail account but if are using a random Gmail and Drive to store photos or to access your Google Analytics, etc, make a point to check those accounts. It will be a while before your data is deleted, and you'll receive a couple of warnings, but as we all know tasks like this can be set aside until it's too late. Don't risk losing valuable data or photos - review your Google accounts today. And while you're at it why not switched to a Google verified work email so you don't miss any important messages like this one 😁

How to verify your school email with Google: 
Visit my blog via my bio or go to
👉 https://thevirtualmarketer.co.uk/how-to-use-my-school-email-for-my-google-accounts/

#vmdigitaltips #digitalmarketing #googlenews #schoolmarketing #educationmarketing
I love this quote about being productive vs busy. I love this quote about being productive vs busy. And this article — 11 Differences Between Busy People And Productive People — gives some great examples of the differences as well as tips to become a more productive person. I know I'm bad at saying 'Yes' a little too quickly for my own good so a great reminder for me. Who couldn't use a few tips for improving productivity... 😁

👉https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/11-differences-between-busy-people-and-productive-people.html

#mondaymotivation #timemanagementtips #digitalmarketing #schoolmarketing #educationmarketing  #strategicmarketing
I'm so pleased to see an increase in schools reach I'm so pleased to see an increase in schools reaching out for SEO training and support. Yes, digital advertising is the fastest way to get in front of your parents, but you should still be thinking long-term. That may very well include digital campaigns, but ideally, you'll want to grow your organic traffic to the point that you can reduce your advertising spend. At the very least you'll want to maintain your school website's SEO rankings.

When it comes to optimising a website for search engines there are a few things that have remained consistent throughout the years - like these 5 SEO tips. Still relevant after all these years and yet many schools have failed to do them. Why not grab a cuppa, have a read then make a plan to optimise your school website in 2021. Every little helps...

👉 Visit my blog via my bio or copy the link below

https://thevirtualmarketer.co.uk/5-seo-tips-every-school-marketer-can-implement/

#thursdaythoughts #schoolmarketing #educationmarketing #seotips #seostrategy #studentrecruitment #2021goals
Do the computers in your ICT classroom default to Do the computers in your ICT classroom default to your school website? If they do you'll want to filter out your internal traffic from Google Analytics to get a true sense of your data. It's not difficult to do but you'll first want to have a chat with IT to get a list of your IP addresses.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀:

👉 Start by creating a new view. Once you filter traffic out of GA you can't get it back so create an additional view such as 'Filtered Traffic'
👉 Next, create a filter on your new view. Go to Admin > Filters and click +Add Filter
👉 Name = Exclude Internal IPs (or whatever you choose to call it)
👉 Filter Type = Predefined
👉 Select filter type = Exclude
👉 Source = Traffic from the IP addresses
👉 That are equal to = your IP address or range

For more details on how to create your new view or filter visit https://support.google.com/ or ping me a message 😊

That's it! Now you'll be able to see both your filtered and all data dependent on the view you select! 👍📊

#tuesdaytip #vmdigitaltips #googleanalytics #schoolmarketing #educationmarketing #strategicmarketing
I'm not sure about you but I certainly don't belie I'm not sure about you but I certainly don't believe marketing can be learned in a day! And as marketing is continuously evolving, are any of us ever 'Masters'? But I agree with the intent behind the message—marketing is a profession where your training never ends. Or shouldn't! When was the last time you did any training—digital or otherwise? Why not make CPD a priority in 2021! 👍

#digitalmarketingtraining
#socialmediamarketing
#digitaladvertising
#seo
#googleanalytics
#schoolmarketing
#educationmarketing 
#studentrecruitment 
#mondaymotivation
Does your school brand reflect what parents are lo Does your school brand reflect what parents are looking for and engaging with online? The internet has evolved over the years and so have our audiences. They're savvy to sales pitches and blatant self-promotion. What they want is to connect with businesses and people they can trust—especially with their child. For brand authenticity, you need to be perceived as reliable, respectful, and 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡. Does that sound like your school...?

#morningcoffeethoughts 
#brandidentity 
#schoolmarketing 
#educationmarketing 
#contentmarketing 
#socialmediamarketing 
#schoolwebsite
You've probably heard me mention many times the im You've probably heard me mention many times the importance of gaining control and optimising your Google My Business account to improve your search engine rankings.
 
One of the fields that has a direct impact on your SEO is your Business Category. You may currently have one or two added, but did you know you can have up to 10 categories? Google is updating their categories all the time so it's worth looking at this field when you're adding new photos or sharing your latest blog within the platform. 
 
I came across this fab website the other day that can quickly show the different categories available outside of GMB. Select your country and add your term (i.e. 'school') and see all the options available. Of course, you can also do the same in GMB but this may be the prompt you need to add those additional categories and improve your school's SEO!
 
👉https://pleper.com/index.php?do=tools&sdo=gmb_categories
 
Just a note, I'm having difficulties accessing this site this morning (not sure if it's me or them??) but hopefully, you'll have no problem getting in 🤞
 
Not sure what Google My Business is? Have a peek here: https://www.google.com/intl/en_gb/business/
 
#tuesdaytip #vmdigitaltips #digitalmarketing #seotools #seotips #seostrategy #seoservices #schoolmarketing
Since how you think dictates how your week goes, w Since how you think dictates how your week goes, why not start on a positive note?! It's not always easy but there are ways to help you develop a more positive mindset. 

If you have 5 minutes, grab a cuppa and have a read of this article by @womenontopp, 𝟱 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗮 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹:

👉https://www.womenontopp.com/5-ways-to-develop-a-positive-mindset-to-help-you-become-more-successful/

(you can also search 'improve your mindset' in Google to find it) 

There's some great advice in there to help shift your mindset, so definitely worth the read. 

Here's to a fantastic week, everyone! 😊

#digitalmarketing #schoolmarketing #educationmarketing #digitalmarketingtraining #wellbeing #mondaymotivation
I know Monday is the last thing on your mind on a I know Monday is the last thing on your mind on a Friday afternoon but if you can do these few tasks today I guarantee you'll feel so much more positive and in control of your week:

👉 Plan for the week ahead. Tuesdays are apparently the most productive day of the week so schedule any of your big projects for that day and see if that's the case for you.

👉 Keep Monday as your flexible day. Monday is the day that sets the tone for the week and if you pack too much into the day you'll start the week off feeling behind. Schedule smaller tasks and keep as much time open as you can.

👉 Do a little digital housekeeping today. With energy usually low on a Friday afternoon it's a great time to tidy up your computer files. It's easy work, but also immensely rewarding. While you're at it, maybe give your desk a little dusting off as well. A clutter-free desk and mind are the best way to start your week!

I'm off to clear my own desktop files. I'm terrible at 'I'll file that away later'... 😁

Have a fabulous weekend everyone. See you Monday!

#fridayfeeling #organisedchaos #schoolmarketing #educationmarketing #digitalmarketing #digitalmarketingtraining
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