by August 17, 2022
According to Statistics, as at 2019, the number of students aged 12 to 14 years enrolled in private and public middle schools in Nigeria counted 4.9 million students.
What does this tell you?
There is a large pool of applicants out there that your school can be exposed to. But the bottleneck remains that a lot of schools are ignorant of what they should be doing to expose their schools to these applicants in the right way.
And if you’re reading this post, then it’s probably because you want to learn how your school can gain the level of visibility it needs to attract the right applicants to your school.
And we are glad to help with that.
To begin, I would love you to answer one quick question.
“Where do applicants search for schools?”
I assume different answers come to your mind, but I must tell you – In this digital age and time, everything is on the internet and especially, the internet saves applicants and their parents a lot of time and effort that would have gone into moving about to scout for schools or make enquiries about schools. So, you’re right if your answer is the internet.
Now the question is, is your school online? From websites and social media to google map. And if it is, what is the strength of your school’s online presence?
You probably already know that a website is an online home for your school. Therefore, it has to first be seen by applicants and secondly, have all the helpful information about your school that applicants need.
It’s good to think that your website has all these, but I’m about to explain in greater detail how you can use your website to attract the right applicants to your website. So, read on
When applicants search for schools online, they search for more than schools that have a website. They want to see that a school’s website answers all the questions in their mind without having to physically go to the school.
I’m going to show you all the right things your school’s website should capture and how they influence the applicant’s decision. You do not want applicants to run off from your website within their first few minutes of visiting all because they did not find what they were looking for.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in
When applicants visit your website, the first thing they want to see is your overall school information – this includes your school history, motto and values, staff strength, number of students, core subjects, application and selection process and so on.
They also want to know where your school is located. It would also be nice if there is a google map link on the website that shows direction to the school.
They also look out for pictures and videos of the school, and from some of the school’s activities.
One other thing that piques interest is reading reviews about the school and seeing accreditation from certified bodies.
When applicants visit your school’s website and find all this information, here is what happens – They can fill a form to request more information or click over to your social media sites where they will find even more tips, photos and videos of your school.
The power of social media to convert is virtually endless. Your social media should cover all the areas your website does not cover, or do not cover in detail. This includes pictures of your staff and students
We can never overemphasize the importance of your school to have a quality online presence.
This leads to the second point of action that will attract applicants to enroll with your school.
So, your website and social media has convinced them. They might have sent an email asking to receive more information, or they might have sent a request on social media. It is important that that communication is cherished and sustained.
Applicants are more likely to choose schools that have a high response rate over one with a low response rate. I will tell you why.
High response rate goes to prove that the school is efficient. This also applies to offline. When applicants or their parents come to make school enquiries, there should be someone available to take and respond to their requests. All questions should be answered in detail, and if possible, show them around. It is also ideal to have a physical brochure they can take home to look at.
Also click here to read the article on the factors parents look out for when selecting a school for their child. (Link this to the blog post – How to Choose a new school for your child)
Visibility for your school will not happen overnight but consistent effort will help you achieve that. On the plus side, the more effort you put, the greater chance there is that your school will be discovered by the right applicants.
Examcentre.ng is an enrollment platform that helps expose schools to a large number of applicants.