Roberts Digital Educational Marketing

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School email marketing

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Welcome to week five of the digital marketing health check for schools. Today, we are taking a look at SMS marketing. It’s often a little overlooked element of our digital marketing for schools, but I thought it was worth a place in this digital marketing health check series because it’s something that can enhance our marketing efforts dramatically.

 

We will be going through our 60-point checklist, remember to score your school as we go. It’s perfect timing if you’re planning for your 2019 marketing strategy, this is basically your to-do list for your digital marketing plan.

You can get the toolkit with the checklist on my website, it’s mararoberts.com.au/access-marketing-schools-toolkit/.

Okay, so let’s look at the elements needed for successful SMS marketing for schools.

 

Build a Mobile Database

 

The first step in building a healthy SMS marketing platform is to collect mobile numbers. The way to do this is to ask for people’s name, phone number, and email address on opt-in forms. Try to remember to collect the mobile number in international format so that it works across different platforms

 

Appointment Reminders

 

The next thing that you can do with SMS is to send appointment reminders. This is something that I learned when advertising our open mornings – to send SMS reminders the Friday before an event so that they could discuss it with family and make arrangements to attend. This step alone dramatically decreased our non-attendance rate.

 

Campaign Tracking

 

SMS is a very convenient way to track the effectiveness of our traditional marketing campaigns. When running a leaflet drop campaign, you could include the option to sms the words “book now” to register for an open event. The user will then get another sms to provide their email address. This provides you with both their email address and phone number in a trackable way.

 

SMS Broadcast

 

The last way to use SMS is to send out SMS broadcasts to your list. SMS is a very personal and private space, so make sure that you don’t overstep the mark and use this too much. Broadcast sms for one or two big events each year and make sure to include your college name in the message. You can assume that most people have a smartphone so don’t forget to include a shortened URL if needed.

 

I hope that you are actually using SMS in your school’s marketing strategy. Let me know in the Marketing Mastery for Schools Facebook group. Let me know in the group how you are using SMS in your marketing.

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Use Video to Add Context and Personality

Video is one of the most effective ways schools can communicate on LinkedIn, particularly when the goal is to explain, reassure, or give context — not to entertain or impress.

For schools, video works best when it focuses on:

  • Short messages from principals or leadership teams
  • Explanations of programs, pathways, or learning models
  • Teachers talking through how learning happens in practice
  • Insights into industry partnerships or senior school outcomes

Used consistently, video helps prospective families and staff understand how a school operates, rather than relying solely on written descriptions.

Below are examples of how schools are using video on LinkedIn effectively.

Use LinkedIn to Support Recruitment, Not Just Vacancies

LinkedIn is widely used for education recruitment in Australia, but posting job ads alone rarely delivers the best results.

Schools that attract strong candidates tend to:

  • Share content that reflects daily life at the school
  • Highlight professional learning and staff support
  • Give visibility to leadership and school values

When job opportunities are shared within this broader context, they reach candidates who already have a sense of alignment with the school.

Encouraging staff to share roles within their own networks further strengthens reach and improves candidate quality.

LinkedIn works best for schools when it is treated as a long-term brand channel rather than a noticeboard.

By focusing on people, consistency, and clear communication, education marketers can use LinkedIn to support recruitment, engagement, and reputation-building — without overcomplicating the process.

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