5 Ideas to Generate Parent Leads

In what ways does your school capture the interest of prospective families? Have you purposefully designed entry points for families to get to know your school? Do you have automated ways of capturing the email addresses and phone numbers of those interested?

If you’re unsure of the answer to any of these questions, then your school will be missing out on applications. Not only that, but your school could be making it difficult for interested families to make an informed decision on where to enroll their children. Here are five ideas to help you generate new leads while educating prospective families along the way.

1) Host a Virtual Info Session

A virtual info session is one of the most common (and important) ways to generate leads. A well-executed info session provides parents with practical details about your program and allows them to build trust with your staff members. Here are some tips to get the most out of your session:

• Develop a branded enrollment slide deck to use for your presentation.

• Invite one of your current parents to share their experience.

• Create a Facebook Event with a Zoom link, and push it out to your network and beyond.

• Make a pop-up on your website for parents to register for the session.

• Send out reminders via Facebook messenger & email to those who expressed interest.

• Create a short survey for attendees to complete at the end of the event asking for feedback and either their phone number or email address so that you can follow up!

2) Offer School Tours

Depending on your location and building capacity, you may or may not be able to host an in-person tour safely this school year. But, if possible, a building tour is a great way to attract families. Parents’ fear of the unknown is a barrier to enrollment. When families can experience your school firsthand, you are replacing fear with confidence. Add a pop-up to your website or Facebook page allowing people to book a tour by submitting their name, email, and phone number. Make sure you send Covid policies in advance with a tour reminder.

3) Create a PDF Download

Some parents crave all the information they can get before making decisions about enrollment. If this sounds like your audience, then creating a PDF download is a great way to get leads. Offer your pdf on a landing page or pop-up in exchange for an email address. Once parents submit their information, automate an email follow-up with the pdf. Here are some ideas for content:

• 5 Questions To Ask A School Before Enrolling Your Child

• Is There a Bus Route Near You? (Map of Routes)

• 10 Careers That Make Our Alumni’s Parents Proud

4) Record a School Podcast

Do you offer clubs or electives at your school? Having a staff member partner with students to create a school podcast is an incredible way to garner parents’ attention while also giving students experience producing content. The podcast could interview teachers and students, share study tips, and highlight alumni stories. Every parent would want to share a podcast featuring their child! Create a landing page and email subscription so that you can send out notifications when a new episode drops.

5) Produce an Informational Video Series

Producing a short video series that provides value to your families will set you apart from the competition. A video series takes more time and resources on the front end, but if your content will stay relevant for the next five years, it’s a great investment. Your series should be relevant to the grade levels you are looking to enroll. For example, if you are a K-6 elementary school, your content should target families who are about to send their children to kindergarten. What challenges do families and students face during these transitions? Your series should speak to these challenges. Use your in-house experts (teachers) to create excellent content. Develop a landing page where parents can opt into the video series and you can deliver the videos straight to their inbox or text messages. Here are some ideas:

• 5 Ways to Prep Your Kindergartener for the First Day of School!

• Summer Course: The Ultimate Guide to Algebra 1

• The Study Guide: 7 Skills Every Middle Schooler Needs to Make Honor Roll

Always Be Helpful

No matter what lead generation idea you run with, focus on your families and be helpful! The more you are tuned into the dreams and concerns of your families, the easier it becomes to make meaningful resources that will create interest. I hope these ideas will help you capture more leads and educate the families who need you most.

Sawyer Schafbuch is a StoryBrand Certified Guide and founder of Everydesk, helping quality schools recruit students. He recently moved to Des Moines, IA with his wife and daughter.