School Communications Scoop

Your school’s website is that critical intersection between public relations, customer service, marketing, media relations, communications, and branding. Website management is the process that makes it all work. For more information or help with your school website, contact School Webmasters at 888.750.4556 or visit www. SchoolWebmasters.com and request a quote!

Competition and choice in education have changed everything. The neighborhood school is no longer the only game in town. In fact, online schools have made being in the same town not even a requirement. This means school leaders need to continually make the case for their school and find ways to stand out from all the competition. One important strategy is to create and manage a consistent brand fo...

Branding goes beyond your colors and school logo, of course. It is inclusive of the entire customer experience and includes everything from your school website design and layout, your school social media interactions, and your mascot to how your staff answers the phones. Your brand is that cohesive identity that you want to solidify in your customers’ minds. It requires establishing a look and fee...

Your school website is only as effective as your users think it is. If parents complain that they can’t find what they are looking for, there’s a problem. We could claim user error—that they just don’t know what they are doing—but if there is a problem, it is our problem and we need to own it.  So, what can we do to make our website user-friendly for all? For starters, we can analyze our website....

Okay, you are a school administrator and schools are serious business, right? Professional and no-nonsense? Well, I agree with the professional part, but I think some schools (whether it is established by the school culture, the HR department hiring policies, or maybe the school leader) may want to consider factoring a little joy into the mix. It isn't an either/or proposition because profess...

For thousands of years, sailors and travelers have relied on lighthouses to lead them to safety. For them, the lighthouse is a beacon of hope. If the light were to fail, creating a cloak of darkness, the leaders, the navigators, the doers, the encouragers would step forth to give direction and hope to those in their care. Currently, we may experience some “cloak of darkness” moments. As a business...

Managing your school’s social media can be a challenge. To make your posts engaging and effective is even more so. But, there are some basics you should know and use with school social media strategies. In this blog, you’ll learn five steps to get it right. For more information or help with your school website, contact School Webmasters at 888.750.4556 or visit www. SchoolWebmasters.com and reques...

Many school leaders struggle with how best to manage their school’s website(s). Often they decide to go with the status quo—what they are accustomed to is good enough. At least until parents or the governing board complains that it isn’t as effective or informative as it should be, or maybe it is a flat-out embarrassment. Then it becomes a top priority if for no other reason than to eliminate comp...

Every few years, schools decide they need to update or redesign their website. Sometimes it is because there has been a change in administration and they want to put their own “stamp” on things. Sometimes it is because someone thinks they should update their school’s brand image. But the best reason is that you want to improve the experience your website visitors have when they visit your school’s...

Unless your school is a boarding school, you are hoping to attract local students. That means you need to show up on the local internet searches parents might use to research local schools whether private or public. If your school doesn’t show up in their search, you are missing out in a big way. Learn how Google My Business can help your school and your enrollment! For more information or help wi...

Okay, okay, we know it has been a tough year. What we need for this new school year is a restart, and we hope you’ll rise to the challenge by doing just that. While students return to full in-person learning and you scramble to help students who may have fallen behind catch up, this is a perfect time to institute some marketing strategies to increase your enrollment (and encourage any lost student...

Often when we consider our various target audiences, we don’t consider the ones closest to us—teachers, staff, and administration. These important people are your “internal publics,” and marketing to them is one of the most important things you can do.  For more information or help with your school website, contact School Webmasters at 888.750.4556 or visit www. SchoolWebmasters.com and request a...

Are parents in your community really using your website? If they are, you’ll want to make sure you know what they use it for most often so you can stay on top of those services. If they aren’t, then you’ll want to know why so you can make changes to better serve them. For more information or help with your school website, contact School Webmasters at 888.750.4556 or visit www. SchoolWebmasters.com...

Most schools outsource the design of their school’s websites. Very few schools have the skill sets among their staff members to get a professionally designed school website with effective layout and navigation. But, there are content management systems that provide templates and editing software to use. Sometimes these are sufficient.  But very few supply you with the staff to keep your site curre...

You certainly don’t need to overhaul your school’s website every year, but you do need to make sure you're presenting your school in the best light by keeping up with current website trends. Your school website is the key component to all of your digital marketing efforts and often the first impression prospective parents have of your school and your values. So how do you know when it’s time...

There are always leaders and lemmings in the world. Of course, you want your school website to be viewed as an asset and representative of your outstanding educational services. But often, unbeknownst to many respected educators, their school websites are lemmings, or worse, they are losers, and the school administrators are not even aware of it.  Find out how to fix your school website! For more...

We often think we know what our parents and community think—and sometimes we’re wrong. The only way to find out how people really feel is to ask the right questions. If we don’t know what people currently believe, we can’t possibly improve communication, services, or perceptions. Consider using surveys to get the information you need! For more information or help with your school website, contact...

In today’s social climate, people are all about sharing how they feel about companies, products, and services. In fact, folks are more inclined to trust another person’s opinion or experience over traditional advertising or marketing materials. That’s not to say traditional marketing doesn’t work; it simply means you also need to start gathering positive testimonials from parents and your communit...

It’s been a tough year. We can all agree on that. So, it’s probably time to look at what we can do to turn things around. We can’t control the world around us, pandemics, weather, or most economic conditions, but we do have some control over our perspective on our world and our lives. Gratitude is just such a control mechanism. For more information or help with your school website, contact School...

With 2020 now behind us (thank goodness), it is time to address some of the issues left in its wake. For one thing, many schools have seen decreased enrollments, and since your sustainability is based on enrollment, it’s an issue you have to take seriously.  Here are some tips to help you succeed. For more information or help with your school website, contact School Webmasters at 888.750.4556 or v...

Communication is the bedrock of customer service. Good customer service requires effective communications, and that requires listening to your customers' needs as well as communicating your own. Here are some tips to improve your school's customer service! For more information or help with your school website, contact School Webmasters at 888.750.4556 or visit www. SchoolWebmasters.com a...

Like a roller coaster, the learning curve was fast and steep. In ten really long short months, we all got a crash course on what works and what doesn’t in an online classroom setting. I don’t want to belabor the obvious; we figured out quickly that to achieve success, students need routine and a place of their own.  Overall, teachers and parents did a fabulous job of adapting to meet the needs of...

Does your school website need a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page? The short answer is yes. But let’s consider the reasons to include it and talk about how to create an effective FAQ page.  For more information or help with your school website, contact School Webmasters at 888.750.4556 or visit www. SchoolWebmasters.com and request a quote!

Your school website is your face to the public. It’s your chance to create a favorable first impression. So it’s imperative that you know going into your website development who you want to attract and what impression you want to give. No matter what population you represent, it’s important to incorporate best web practices into your school website. For more information or help with your school we...

With so many issues to worry about when managing a school, foremost of which is educating students, worrying about your school’s first impression might seem like a rather petty problem. However, first impressions are critical because people tend to become attached to their initial impressions (people and organizations). We find it very difficult to change those initial opinions, even when presente...