Have you considered what influences a parent’s decision to choose your school? Traditionally it would be the recommendation of friends and family amongst other factors like the school prospectus and the appearance and general reputation of the school. Whilst these remain important elements, we are all increasingly subject to the power of peer reviews. Reviews of this nature have become critical in recent years and continue to have an enormous impact on people’s decisions.
“Research shows that peer reviews are the second most influential factor in peoples’ choices, after friends and family recommendations (Nielsen, 2012)”
A key factor when marketing your school
Consider your own buying habits: If you are choosing a product or service online, the chances are you have read the reviews. Hotel bookings, holiday destinations, buying a new piece of furniture… they are important decisions and reviews (positive or negative) help us decide. This is no different for schools and should be considered in your school’s marketing strategy. Predominantly, relevant reviews appear on your school’s Google or Facebook page but they should also be displayed on your website.
How to encourage reviews
Most schools have an existing method of communicating with parents – past and present – whether it be via a school newsletter or email system (if not, we can help – please get in touch). Use your communications to ask people for their feedback. The easier you make it for them to leave their feedback, the more response you will get. As well as being an excellent way to showcase these opinions, it is also useful to discover if there are any areas in which things could be improved.
If you would like to discover more about how you could use peer reviews for marketing your school then please get in touch with us and we will be only too happy to discuss it further.
