Small class sizes. A 50-acre campus. Experiential learning. Rigorous academics.
Yes, but….while it pains me to say this, schools should start pushing them again, but differently.
Why Features Matter Again
Not long ago, school marketers could tell a focused, short story through Google and Meta ads.
Google’s Expanded Text Ads allotted advertisers 3 headlines and 2 descriptions with complete order control, and prominent sitelinks. That’s history. Now, sitelinks are tiny (if they even show), and your ad must win the top spot for full visibility.
To explain why I’m preaching what I don’t like to practice requires a bit of history.
In the not-too-distant past, school marketers could tell a focused “short story” via sponsored Google and Meta ads.
Google’s Expanded Text Ads allotted advertisers 3 headlines, 2 descriptions, and prominent sitelinks. That’s history. Now, you’re mostly at the mercy of Google choosing which headlines to show, and sitelinks are small and rarely appear unless you have the top ad.
How it used to be ⬇️
How it is now ⬇️
Meta has actually increased the amount of text allowed in the primary feed, but attention has flocked to Stories and Reels, which do not provide enough space or time to truly convey a school’s benefits.
So Trevor, if you recommend advertising our features, what’s wrong with the classic go-tos?
Great question! It’s because that’s what everyone is doing or will return to doing.
Reinvent Your Top Features
I’ve been known to roll my eyes at overused words like rigor, but there’s no ignoring the data.
- According to EMA’s The Ride to Independent Schools Report 2024, 52% of parents cite high-quality academics as their top factor when choosing a school.
- Our research shows that 27% of newly enrolled families stopped pursuing or declined offers because the academics didn’t match the marketing.
If you’re a successful school, you have a “great program,” but you need to convey it in a manner that speaks the language of parents and students.
So, while the other school’s Google ad goes:
Widgetville Academy | Rigorous Academics
You can win the click with
Elevate Your Child’s Academics | Top-Tier Teachers & Educators
💡Tip: Unless you’re the undisputed best school in your market, lead with what families get, not who you are.
Secondary Features FTW
As much as a best-fit family may love your programmatic features, distance, price, and schedule flexibility are often non-starters. However, schools frequently overlook these in favor of the big-ticket features.
Here’s how you can position them for the win:
- Tuition & Financial Aid: If your school offers any affordability program (FA, scholarships, etc.), highlight it. Especially if people are searching for “affordable private schools” or “private schools with financial aid.”
- Transportation: If you provide busing, run specific ad campaigns along those routes. And please—don’t bury this info on your website.
- Extended Care: Some families need before-care at the crack of dawn and after-care until 6:30 PM—make it clear you offer it.
- Tuition & Financial Aid: If your school offers any affordability program (FA, scholarships, etc.), highlight it. Especially if people are searching for “affordable private schools” or “private schools with financial aid.”
Side note: Every marketing pro at a school should know the FA distribution by grade if they are, indeed, marketing affordability.
💡Tip: People are drawn to numbers in ads. 46 Extracurricular Offerings | Affordable K-12 Private
Feature + Benefit for T(w)eenagers
Students are a much more significant part of the search process and heavily influence the final choice.
When searching online for schools, they want to know what they will get asap and if the school will pass their Lit(mus) Test. #trademarketpending.
- Lunch/hot meals
- An exciting outdoor space
- Seeing ‘kids like me’ on the website and socials
- Travel experiences
- Attractive extracurriculars
- Close to attractions (skiing, beach, etc.) – mainly for boarding school
How will one or more of the above make every student feel? Happy
And that’s the benefit every student wants in their first or next school. To feel happy, however they may define it.
If you’re happy with what you’ve read above and want to know more about how we approach enrollment market through the lens of digital psychology, email me directly. trevor@truthtree.com
Trevor Waddington is the founder and CEO of Truth Tree. He leads a blended team of digital marketing experts and former school admissions and marketing personnel to support schools all over the world on their marketing efforts. After years educating a marketing firm on the nuances of his school, Trevor decided schools deserved a marketing agency that understood them AND their audience. And thus, Truth Tree was born.
