We’ve all done it – changed our minds about buying a product, visiting a tourist attraction or picking a holiday destination all because of the influence of other people’s opinions. Whether they be good reviews/comments or bad reviews/comments, other people’s opinions are often the turning point when choosing between similar products or services, and there’s no avoiding that.
So, what does this have to do with testimonials?
Well, we’ve outlined previously different ways that you can make your school stand out from others in your area, and testimonials from students staff and parents are arguably one of the easiest ways to achieve this.
Providing positive views on different aspects of your school, testimonials are personal written opinions which can be from students, parents or staff which often guide prospective parties to having a positive impression of your school from the outset.
First impressions are important
For many prospective parents and students, getting a feel of the school and its environment is crucial at the early stages of choosing a school.
Being able to read testimonials from students staff and parents who are currently there is a great way to ensure that that first impression is a positive one. Helping to quell a variety of fears or concerns they may have, especially at a time like this when parents may be paying more attention to your online presence as an alternative to physically engaging with the school, it is a great way to boost your student numbers and interest.
They’re not just for student attraction
Not only are testimonials from students staff and parents crucial for your student numbers, but they are also important to attract new talent to the school.
Whilst the market for teachers is competitive as ever, providing an insight from your current staff that applicants can read and review is a great way to shout about your school on a more personal level. Applicants love to hear from current staff, so ask your staff for a little bit of feedback which you can use to promote things like your staff benefits, the working environment and the reasons why they love working for your school. It might be one of the reasons that an applicant chooses your job to apply to, above other schools!
Best way to use testimonials
So, what should you do with these testimonials to make sure that they reach your audience in the best way?
Make sure they are accessible! Having a section on your website so that they are all in one place is the natural place to put these, but don’t forget to utilise these and post them out periodically across your social media accounts too. If your followers share or retweet your testimonials, this will also mean that other people discover your school and engage with you and helps to create a positive impression across a wider audience.
These testimonials don’t just have to be written either, create a couple in video form too! In an age of heavy reliance on digital content, interspersing your text testimonials with a couple of videos from your school community will keep these fresh and engaging.
Final thoughts
At the bottom line, testimonials from students, parents and staff are an easy and cheap way to utilise one of the most important marketing tools for your school – your community voice. By including anecdotes, real-life experiences and examples, you can influence and motivate new people to engage with your school, enrol their children or apply for that job position.
Beyond that, you’ll be able to spread a positive impression of your school through the influence of these testimonials, and there’s no harm in that!