9 Summer Marketing Activities To Get Set For The New Academic Year

For school marketers, the summer break can be a powerful time to reset and make plans for the next 12 months. Come September, there will be so much going on and it will be easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the new term. To help, we’ve outlined 9 useful summer marketing activities. Some will help you close off the last school year, while others will set the stage for a powerful year ahead. We’ve also included links to resources that will help you dive deeper into the marketing activities we’re suggesting.

Let’s go!

1. Ditch outdated content

The summer is a great time to go through your website and look for outdated content you can remove. You don’t want to confuse parents by offering school calendars, lunch menus and after-school club information from previous school years.

It’s also a good idea to check and review your printed material. Is the information is still relevant, or will it need updating this year? Review your photography and school videos too. They may need a refresh to include new facilities or to reflect staffing changes.

Take a look at your social media accounts too. Are there any posts pinned to the top that you don’t need any more?

2. Repurpose your Headteacher’s welcome

So what’s next on the summer marketing task list? Your Headteacher will be welcoming students back after the summer break, and likely sending a welcome message to parents. But when was the last time you updated the Headteacher’s welcome on your website? Keeping this fresh is a wonderful way to foster stronger relationships. If your Headteacher has any new goals or expectations of students for the year, they can communicate them here.

Why not get your Headteacher involved in creating video content? The Headteacher’s welcome video can showcase their personality in an inspiring way. Additionally, you could use a video maker website to edit and enhance the video for a professional look.

3. Check who’s who

Have there been any personnel changes or movement in who’s teaching what? If so, there’s a good chance that updating your website (and many other materials) will be among your summer marketing activities.

Do you have photos of any new staff members? Photos of your team are a good way to introduce them to parents and other staff. You may not be able to take the photos yourself over the summer holidays however, new colleagues may be willing to take a quick photo for you. Here are some photography tips you can share with them:

• Look for natural light. If you get good sunlight through one window, shoot with that source facing you.
• Choose a white or neutral wall, with no light switches or artwork in the background.
• Keep the pose simple. Face the camera straight on or stand at 33 degrees – always looking at the camera. For a nice, natural pose, you could suggest they pop their hands in their pockets.
• Don’t forget to ask them to smile, but keep it natural.

4. Establish social media ground rules

If you’ve had any staff changes, the first step is to verify who’s got access to your social media pages. It’s surprising how out-of-date it can get!

Many schools hold multiple social media accounts for their departments, such as one for sport, dance, art, etc. This can be an invaluable help in raising the overall profile of the school. But there are two common pitfalls to try to avoid:

1. Not having sufficient time and experience. Often, departmental social media accounts are created with the best of intentions. Everyone can be enthusiastic at the start, but then fall behind, and consistency in posting is essential. So, a good summer marketing activity maybe to research some topics that could give staff ideas for content over the next year.
2. Quality control. It’s easy for staff to go off-piste, which can potentially damage your brand. All staff should be following the same brand guidelines, with Marketing reviewing the social feeds from time to time. Over the summer, pull together some examples of great posts and give reasons why you selected them. Circulating this when staff return to work will not only give credit to their efforts but will also educate others as to best practice.

If you do have multiple accounts run by non- marketing staff, ensure that you set some parameters. These could include some social media guidelines regarding frequency, tone, content, imagery etc. Our social media checklist is a good starting point.

5. Ask for school testimonials

Don’t lose touch with the parents who’ve just left your school! Before they move on and get caught up in their children’s new school, ask some of them to provide testimonials. When proactively asking for testimonials, it’s a good idea to consider who you’d like to reach out to. Your teaching staff will be a great resource as they’ll have first-hand knowledge of both pupils and parents.

There are several ways to gather your testimonials, but two that should certainly be part of your strategy are:

• Sending a direct email to targeted parents. Perhaps you could select those who have seen the most improvement in their child or who have transitioned successfully from another school. Think about your brand messages and what’s important to your target audience. You could email parents 2-3 questions to answer in their own words.
• Encouraging online reviews, via Google My Business, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Reviews on these platforms lead to improved customer trust and confidence in your school. They help with SEO too, making you more visible. The author’s name is attached to the review, proving that it’s genuine. But remember, you don’t get to review the comments before they’re published, so it’s a good idea to be comfortable with who you’re inviting to leave a review.

If you receive a less than stellar review online, you can’t remove it. The best way to deal with a negative review is to get more positive ones.

6. Review the data collected last year

One of the most useful summer activities for marketers, is to review the data from last year’s marketing campaigns. This will help you figure out what approaches you can tweak and which channels are working the best for you. Reviewing this early allows you to set yourself new goals for this academic year and start working towards achieving these.

It’s also a good idea to check Google Analytics (assuming you’re using it). There may be adjustments you need to make to the events and conversions that you’re tracking. If you haven’t already, a useful summer task would be to make sure you’re set up and familiar with GA4, now that it has replaced Universal Analytics.

7. Take stock of your marketing activity

Do you know how your marketing is performing? A marketing audit will remind you of your USPs, campaign goals and targets. You’ll see what’s worked or where you may need to correct your efforts. An audit might also uncover efficiencies or tactics that may have fallen through the cracks. Of course, for many school marketers this isn’t just a summer marketing activity, it’s done all year round. If you don’t have a template, check out our audit checklist.

8. Start planning your content

Now that you’ve reviewed your results from last year and conducted your marketing audit, what next? Your next school holiday action could be to use this information to map out your content for the upcoming year. Create yourself a content calendar, with the important school events and dates that you’re already aware of. You can continue shaping this as the year progresses. Starting off with a solid base will save time when your attention turns towards telling exam results stories, and promoting school events and autumn open days.

For a starting point, download our National Days calendar.

9. Schedule time for your marketing CPD

Everyone needs the opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge, regardless of where they are in their career. And with the growth of digital channels, education marketers need to be even more on top of the industry to remain current and effective. So, make sure that your summer marketing activity list includes time for your own development.

Do you want to learn Canva, so you can create professional graphics for social media, presentations, and more? Or would you like to learn how to do video editing so you can include video in more of your marketing this year? There are so many wonderful online courses, but if you don’t set aside the time it’s easy to let it slip.

By checking these marketing essentials off your to-do list over the summer, you’ll be setting yourself up for success in the next academic year.