by Dawn Doerr, Marketing Consultant

We’ve learned a lot during these difficult times about how much can be accomplished “virtually” when we are intentional about our presence online. Take some time to strengthen your digital home. Tips for creating a Virtual Open House to use on your website and social media:
 
Create a Virtual Open House Video
A sure way to help showcase your school is to create a video "open house," giving visitors to your website a tour of our building and a chance to "meet" your teachers and staff. But how to do this when the building is closed and your staff is not working together? Here's how:

1. ​Send an email to your entire school community, asking for photos and short clips that people might have on their phones. Suggest anything that shows the inside of your school — the hallways and classrooms — along with videos and photos from your current school year.
2. Give your community an easy way to upload their photos and clips, such as to Dropbox, WeTransfer, or an iPhoto shared folder.
3. Write a script that answers the most frequently asked questions from parents’ perspective. Practice reading it aloud so you can gauge how long it will be. Shoot for no longer than three minutes of narration. Consider having a teacher and/or student record the script (then upload as with photos and video).
4. Use iMovie or a similar program to create your video. SHOW what makes your school special! Highlight events, traditions, and community. Mix photos of teachers, students, activities and smiling parents. (Don't know how to edit video? Ask a student for help!)
5. Keep it short and include contact information.
6. Post your Open House Video to the front page of your Website and to all of your social media platforms. Send the link to your school community so they can share it, as well!

Host a Virtual “Live” Open House
Don't let the circumstances of the crisis keep you from bringing prospective families together with your teachers, staff, and students to learn more about your school. Invite prospects to a live virtual open house! Here's how:

1. Decide on your platform — Facebook Live, Zoom, GoToMeeting, etc. Create your event links. Then, set up a simple landing page with times, dates and a way to sign-up online. This is crucial because you'll want to collect emails and contact information.
2. Plan the format for your live event. Include the principal, a teacher, a parent, and a few students. Provide each speaker with talking points or a script.
3. Advertise your open house dates on your website, social media, through email, in the parish electronic bulletin, parish e-news, community newspaper websites, etc.
4. During the live event, show your school video, answer FAQ’s, open for questions.
5. If the size of the group permits, ask visitor families to introduce their school-age children. Make them feel welcome to your school community!

Virtual Open House Follow-up
Marketing actives such as creating a virtual open house are meant to generate leads. The key to "making the sale" — enrolling new families! — is ongoing communication. Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of this list — it's the key to success in recruitment marketing! :)

1. Create a contact webform or pop-up on the virtual open house page.  
2. Collect email addresses and phone numbers. Let them know that “We will contact you.” Have either the principal, teachers or an ambassador contact interested families as soon as possible. 
3. Make it easy for parents to send you their information.
4. Use a shared Google spreadsheet to keep track of those are interested.
5. Follow up via email/phone until they say no.​

by Marybeth Hicks, Director of Marketing

In a normal school year, early March ushers in the spring break season. This year, due to the outbreak of coronavirus across the country, more than 50 million public and private school students learned that the 2019-20 school year would be upended by St. Patrick's Day. With no alternative but to close school buildings for the academic year, Catholic schools across the country drew on their dedicated teachers, smaller class sizes, and tight-knit family communities to pivot quickly to distance learning programs that have allowed them to keep teaching and to finish out the school year.

Usually, the primary marketing messages that compel parents to seek out information about Catholic education focus on faith-based education, overall excellence, a safe and nurturing Christian environment, and affordability. But is there a way to capitalize on your school's response to the COVID crisis in your marketing efforts? Consider how your school has responded and whether you can tout your success to prospective families:

As you consider how you'll frame your marketing messages in the coming weeks, start by making a list of all the ways your school and community have rallied together and demonstrated the strength of your educational program, your faith-based environment, and the competence and commitment of your teachers. Be sure to include any creative and inspiring ways in which your students have responded, too. Then, write a corresponding message that conveys the essence of each response.

It's likely you have many positive stories to tell about how your teachers, students and families are adapting to the new reality of the 2019-20 school year. Be sure to tell those stories on your website and share them on social media!

Many Catholic schools have not only survived the transition to distance learning, but are thriving despite all the challenges. Strength in adversity is a marketing message you can and should employ!

by Marybeth Hicks, Director of Marketing

In addition to obvious and tragic public health concerns, the COVID-19 crisis has created many other challenges. For Catholic school administrators, one of those is the challenge of enrollment and retention for 2020-21 at a time when many families are facing economic hardship and uncertainty.

Catholic school marketing already is a difficult task without the added weight of a post-pandemic economy. However, many Catholic schools have excelled through the crisis in ways that other educational institutions have not. The ability to be facile and responsive, to tap into the power of the Catholic school community, and to mobilize families who already view themselves as educational partners of the school has made a tremendous difference. These successes offer great opportunities for positive and appropriate messaging despite the current circumstances. 

We've created free resources for Catholic schools to achieve two goals: getting parishioners to fulfill their obligation to support their parishes, thus supporting their parish schools; and encouraging families to enroll and look forward to the coming school year. Check out what's on our COVID-19 Resource page and feel free to download the content there. We hope it's helpful!

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