Host a virtual Open House to showcase your school and community!

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.​

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