Summer is a great time for kids to relax and have some fun in the sun. But if they don’t exercise their brains, they could lose some of the knowledge they picked up over the course of the school year. Summer school sessions are a great way for kids to maintain crucial knowledge and have some fun in the process.
Over three million students go to summer school each year! And if you’re ready to boost enrollment, here are six ways to promote your summer school sessions.
Create high-quality graphics for promotional materials
The cornerstone of any promotional effort is high-quality graphics. Graphics capture the eye and draw in anyone who sees it, encouraging them to learn more about the content below.
Of course, you’re busy planning this year’s summer school sessions and likely don’t have time to design graphics from scratch. Luckily, there are thousands of free templates for school posters available on websites like PosterMyWall.
All you have to do is find the poster template that best fits your summer school program, customize the information with the easy drag-and-drop editor, and you’re ready to print or post online. It’s the fastest way to get professional-level graphics without needing professional-level design skills (or time).
Improve your website experience
Parents want to know that their kids are getting the best of the best. And before signing their kids up for any summer school sessions, they’re going to research the classes online. According to polls, 81% of people do online research before making any big purchases. That means your website has to be ready!
Your website is the internet home base for all your summer school sessions. Parents and students alike will be scouring your site for information about your classes. Make sure your website is easy to navigate and contains all the relevant information someone might need to sign up for your summer classes.
You can also add some eye-catching banners to your website homepage to promote your summer classes to anyone else who might visit your school’s website.
Offer registration incentives
Want to get more people to sign up for your school summer sessions? Incentivize them!
There are plenty of promotions and discounts you can offer to get more students to sign up for your summer classes. Here are just a few of the favorites:
- Early bird discounts
- First-time discounts
- Multiple sibling discount
- Flash sales
The better the incentive, the more registrations you’ll get.
Create a referral program
One of your best marketing tools is sitting in the desks in your classroom: the students! Referral programs are an exceptionally effective way to promote your school summer sessions to new students.
If the students go around telling their friends how awesome your classes are, everyone is going to want to sign up for the next session. And if you add some extra incentive with a referral program that provides a discount for any students someone gets to enroll, the parents will be sure to tell their friends to sign their kids up for your classes, too.
Use student testimonials
Some students might be so good at spreading the word about your summer school sessions that you’ll want to write it down for your marketing. Testimonials are a powerful force in the marketing world. They’re viewed as more authentic.
If you know of some students or parents who are especially pleased with your classes, ask them to write a testimonial for your school’s website and social media accounts. You can also make testimonial videos to generate even more engagement!
Harness the power of email
You might think email is old and outdated in the world of social media. But it’s actually still one of the most effective forms of digital marketing. In fact, email marketing generates an incredible $32 for every $1 spent!
Email is so effective because you can message your audience directly — no crossing your fingers that your post appears on their feed organically.
Even better, you likely have a list of parents’ email addresses in the school database that you can use to promote your summer school sessions. Create an engaging email with some of your school poster templates and some quality writing, and you’ll have some promotional emails that parents won’t be able to resist.
Get more students in your summer school sessions
Summer is the perfect time to mix fun and learning with summer school sessions. And if you want to get more students to enroll in your classes, start with high-quality graphics, work on your website, offer registration incentives, create a referral program, use student testimonials, and send plenty of marketing emails.
When all your marketing efforts are working together, you’ll be able to fill every desk during your summer school sessions and give the students some much-needed brain exercise over the summer break.
