Strategic Targeting
Strategic targeting is the ability to deliver your school’s message to a receptive audience. A technical analysis of your existing audience lays the groundwork as this is the most efficient way to maximize your advertising dollar, and ensure that your ads are seen by people who are interested in a Christian School.
A Multi-Platform Approach
Effective online Christian School marketing campaigns utilize Google Search Network, Google Display Network, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and Retargeting Ads. This breadth of scope allows your campaign to reach its ideal audience effectively, as it covers the vast majority of the web.
Most of our school clients simply settle on the total dollar amount they want to spend, and then let our experienced staff allocate it among the online advertising channels. This is the most efficient approach because we start out by casting a wide net among multiple channels, and then based on performance, we promote the channels that are working the best and demote the channels that aren’t producing conversions.
GOOGLE SEARCH NETWORK
We have seen excellent results with Google Search Campaigns because parents seeking a Christian School for their child are often actively looking for information about schools in their area, typically using Google. Parents looking for information about your Christian School’s services enter Keywords like ‘Christian School’, ‘Private School’, ‘Christian Elementary School’, ‘Christian High School’, etc. Having a professional perform Keyword research for what search terms are most valuable in your area is incredibly important, and doing so can get your campaign producing quickly.
Having a well managed Google Search Campaign in place will ensure that those searching Google for a Christian School are exposed to your school first.
GOOGLE DISPLAY NETWORK
Banner ads in the Google Display Network have also performed well. With millions of websites, news pages, blogs, and Google websites like Gmail and YouTube, the Google Display Network reaches 90% of Internet users in your area.
Interruptive display advertising can be an extremely effective way to reach people who are going to be seeking a Christian School in the near future, but have yet to start actively searching.
FACEBOOK ADVERTISING
Facebook Ad Campaigns that are aimed at custom audiences and lookalike audiences are created based on your existing enrollment have historically been very successful. Advertising through Facebook has some of the most advanced demographic based targeting available, and the platform is used by over 50% of adults in the United States.
RETARGETING CAMPAIGNS
A Retargeting Campaign supports your existing advertising by reminding people who previously visited your site about your school. This is done by giving a tracking “cookie” to visitors of your website. When those visitors have not yet completed a desired action on your site (enrollment, etc.), they can be targeted at a later time by this campaign, and served your advertisement as a reminder.
You can find out more about the effectiveness of retargeting campaigns in this blog post.