3 Ways Your School Can Immediately Improve Its Prospectuses

In the increasingly competitive education sector, it is more important than ever to effectively market your school and all that it has to offer. The prospectus is one of your school’s key marketing materials, and it sits alongside your website as the two primary sources of information for prospective parents and students.

Previously, we’ve discussed how you can make your school’s website more appealing to prospective parents, but in this blog, we will identify three ways you can immediately improve your school’s prospectus.

#1 — An Endearing Message from the Principal

The first thing a prospective parent or student reads in your prospectus is the opening message from the principal. All too often, these messages are rushed, filled with generic phrases, and offer very little insight into life at the school.

First impressions are crucial, and this message is the perfect opportunity to engage the reader from the moment they open the prospectus. Parents want to understand if the school is right for their child, and a positive and endearing message from the principal will make an instant impact.

Though it may seem like a chore, writing the message should involve a lot of thought. Take the time to consider what the parents in your catchment area value most and the questions they would ask you in person. Then, decide how best to address these values and queries in your message.

Your main aim should be to connect with parents on a personal level. Avoid the officious tone that has become default for principals and adopt a genuine, caring style that demonstrates your commitment to doing what is best for the children at your school.

#2 — Highlight What Makes Your School Different

Over the admissions period, parents visit a number of schools and read an exhaustive amount of prospectuses. Your materials must stand out and set your school apart from your competitors if you are to become the school of choice in the area.

Many school prospectuses appear the same — almost identical, in fact — causing tired parents to skim through and discard them within minutes. By highlighting the things that make your school unique and creating a narrative that guides parents through the story of attending your school, your prospectus immediately stands out and affords parents a really valuable insight.

Before putting finger to keyboard and producing the content for your prospectus, put some thought into your school’s unique offering, and answer this question: ‘why should my child choose your school instead of the others?’

The answer may lie in your school’s distinctive curriculum, deep-rooted values, unparalleled extracurricular activities, or a combination of them all — but once you identify exactly what makes your school different from any other, the words will flow, and your prospectus will light up the eyes of prospective parents.

#3 — Use Professional Photography

The design of your prospectus is equally as important as the information it contains. If your school’s prospectus looks like it was compiled in a matter of minutes, using nothing but bright colours and stock images, parents will question why they should spend the time to read it.

Not everyone has the skills to create a prospectus on Adobe InDesign or add eye-catching effects to images using Photoshop, but everyone does have an opinion on aesthetics — and they won’t be afraid to share it with you!

One of the most effective ways to make your prospectus visually appealing is to hire a professional photographer and use their images in the design. Photography of children at your school, in your school uniform, having fun and enjoying learning has an immediate impact on parents. They will associate your school with happiness, and that is ultimately what they want for their child.

You may think that hiring a professional photographer is a costly expense, but these images are crucial assets that can be used on your school’s website, social media accounts, and other marketing materials as well as the prospectus.

Prospecting with a Prospectus

Your prospectus is one of the biggest advertisements for your school. With an attractive design, engaging messaging, and informative content, it can initiate a noticeable upturn in admissions. If it appears to be a generic, lifeless document, however, it will do little but damage the perception of your school.

If you want to learn more about making your school’s prospectus a high-quality marketing material, contact the team at Eduprise today.