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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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2021 Digital Marketing Checklist for Schools

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A passionate digital marketer with 18 years marketing experience, I’ll work with your school to maximise your online presence. Don’t get left behind — contact me today!


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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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Does your school have good news or an update you'd Does your school have good news or an update you'd like to share? Spread the word faster and further by getting your staff on board!
 
Learn more here: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/106886/use-employee-notifications-on-linkedin-pages?
 
 
#tuesdaytip 
#vmdigitaltips 
#schoolmarketing #educationmarketing #digitalmarketing #socialmediamarketing
Digital marketing is so much more than just having Digital marketing is so much more than just having a school website—and it's always evolving! You may be one of those schools that's lucky enough to have a waiting list, but does Apple ignore digital marketing because their products sell out immediately? They sell out BECAUSE they utilise all the digital platforms!
 
☆ Digital Advertising
☆ Media Marketing
☆ Search Engine Optimisation
☆ Email Marketing
☆ Content Marketing
☆ Video Content
☆ Mobile Marketing
 
Of course, that's not a list of every digital channel out there, but how does your school's list look in comparison? Are you still relying solely on word-of-mouth (NOT to discredit that) and print advertising? If we've learned anything from our current situation, we've learned where our audience is...
 
 
 
#mondaymotivation #schoolmarketing #schooladmissions #digitalmarketing #digitalmarketingtraining #digitalmarketingagency
Would you like to test the #digitaladvertising wat Would you like to test the #digitaladvertising waters but your budget is a little sparse? Then I'd suggest you give Google Display ads a go! Display ads are a great option for your school to expand your brand reach and remarket to those who've previously visited your website. And typically they're much lower than Facebook CPC (cost-per-click). With so much competition online at the moment, even running a small on-going Display campaign is better than nothing. Don't think you can't compete..!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#digitaladvertising
#googleads
#studentrecruitment
#schoolmarketing
#educationmarketing
#digitalmarketing
#digitaladvertisingagency
#tuesdaytip
#vmdigitaltips
Happy International Women's Day to all the amazing Happy International Women's Day to all the amazing, talented, independent and strong women out there! Here's to celebrating how far we've come and to lifting each other to new heights 🥂 We've got this! 💪 👭

(Animated graphic by @libbyvanderploeg. Check out more of her brilliant art @ https://www.libbyvanderploeg.com/ )

#internationalwomensday #womensupportingwomen #womeninbusiness #schoolmarketing #educationsector #womenintech #womenindigital
[NEW WEBINAR ALERT] Data-Driven Marketing for Scho [NEW WEBINAR ALERT] Data-Driven Marketing for Schools: Maximising Your Google Analytics Insights. Data is essential for successful marketing regardless of your industry, but this is particularly true for the education sector where resources consistently fall short. Recognising this, many of you have added Google Analytics to your school website but still aren’t clear as to how you can utilise this data to your advantage. Join me for my next #schoolmarketing webinar where I’ll demonstrate how to use Google Analytics to make data-driven, strategic decisions that will help you to reach your marketing targets quicker whilst maximising your ROI.

14 April (it will be here before you know it!)
12:15 - 12:45 GMT

👉Register via the link in my bio or at https://thevirtualmarketer.co.uk/webinars/

#schoolmarketing #educationmarketing #digitalmarketing #datadrivenmarketing #googleanalytics #strategicmarketing #digitalmarketingtraining #studentrecruitment
Have you been 'thinking' about a podcast for your Have you been 'thinking' about a podcast for your school for some time now? Time to stop thinking and start doing! Check out the brilliant service Simon Jones and his team at The Bonjour Agency offer to help schools quickly launch their very own podcast 🎙 Well done Simon 👍👏

https://www.thebonjouragency.com/

#podcasts #schoolmarketing #digitalmarketing #seotechniques #tuesdaytip #vmdigitaltips #edchat #studentrecruitment
Easier said than done. Or is it? The best way to a Easier said than done. Or is it? The best way to avoid thinking of your competitors is to focus on measuring your own marketing tactics. If what you're doing is working for you then who cares what the other school is doing! If it's not, then start looking at alternative marketing strategies and tactics. But ALWAYS be measuring them. Remember you have no idea what resources your competitors may be wasting on something that doesn't work for them. Focus on your own goals and metrics and keep moving forward! 😊

#mondaymotivation
#mondaymood
#smartermarketing
#strategicmarketing
#digitalmarketing
#schoolmarketing
#educationmarketing
#googleanalytics
#datadrivenmarketing
Did you know that 20% of all web searches are done Did you know that 20% of all web searches are done on images? This number may be more geared towards other industries but it doesn't mean your school website couldn't benefit from optimising your images as well. Below are just a few tips to help you:

👉 Ensure your photos are optimised in terms of their size. Consider using WebP images or use a plugin like WPSmush that will reduce your image size and increase your load speed significantly

👉 Use the appropriate keywords in your photo names. Your file name is read by search engines. Don't keyword stuff, instead describe the image and naturally incorporate your keywords within that

👉 Ensure your images are responsive for mobile. This should be something your web developer has already done for you, but if it's been several years since you've had a new website it might be worth checking this out. When was the last time you viewed your own school website on a mobile?

When it comes to SEO every little helps...

#seo #schoolwebsite #digitalmarketing #wednesdaywisdom #vmdigitaltips #schoolmarketing #educationmarketing
We all think we're so tough but sometimes situatio We all think we're so tough but sometimes situations can get to even the strongest of us. If you're having a difficult time coping at the moment remember you're not alone. Why not check in with your peers in one of the many school marketing groups? Here's a few Facebook groups worth checking out. Remember a problem shared is a problem halved...

👉 Finalsite's School Marketing Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SchoolMarketingCommunity

👉 Ambleglow's School Marketing Matters: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolmarketingmatters

👉InspirED School Marketers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/InspirEDSchoolMarketers

Good luck with your week everyone! 😊

#mondaymotivation 
#schoolmarketing 
#educationmarketing 
#mentalhealth 
#supportingschools 
#supportingeachother
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