By Brenna Foley, NAIS Research Analyst
Insights and tips provided by Metric Marketing
Executive Summary
When NAIS first began surveying marketing professionals in independent schools in 2011, the marketing landscape looked much different. Now, schools must rely heavily on digital marketing to boost enrollment and keep up with competition. NAIS has once again partnered with Metric Marketing to survey independent school marketing professionals to better understand their work, with extra focus on digital strategies, software, and tools. In particular, NAIS aimed to understand where schools were struggling and to provide insights from Metric’s marketing professionals.
About two-thirds of responding independent schools reported having a dedicated, centralized marketing team, while 30% have a single person in charge of marketing. Six out of 10 have an overarching
communications department that handles marketing, and about seven out of 10 of the chief marketers report directly to the head of school. Over half report on website analytics, and more than four out of 10 report on campaign performance and customer relationship management (CRM). About two-thirds of marketing teams work closely with the advancement team but are part of separate teams. Virtually all marketing teams surveyed run advertising, school websites, public relations, and publications. To handle all of this, the typical independent school employs three or fewer full-time staff with marketing responsibilities, although the number of staff increases with school size and department budget.
Fifty-four percent of all schools have annual marketing budgets of more than $70,000, while an additional 28% have budgets over $120,000. Over two-thirds of respondents (68%) received a good or
a great deal of support from their head of school.
Marketing staff had a wide range of goals. The top two were growing enrollment and building or strengthening the school’s brand, with over half of respondents selecting these two goals. The most common challenges, alternatively, were identifying three unique advantages that competitors would struggle to match and promoting awareness of the school among audiences. Despite digital marketing becoming more prominent, schools continued to use traditional marketing tactics. Virtually all schools used word of mouth, and seven out of 10 used advertisements in magazines. In-person events were by far the most effective traditional marketing tactic, followed by school fairs. Individual tours and group open houses were the most effective admissions touchpoints.
Schools have employed a variety of strategies for promoting their brand. The most popular strategies included developing a strong online presence, highlighting success stories, and using paid advertising. Schools incorporated their brand into their website, printed material, advertisements, and newsletters.
Methodology
NAIS surveyed marketing staff at member schools to learn more about the state, structure, practices, and needs of marketing teams at independent schools. A total of 344 people responded to the survey, representing a 36% completion rate. The survey was open August 14 to August 30, 2024. This report was written by Brenna Foley, a research analyst at NAIS. Insights and tips were provided by Metric Marketing’s team of private school marketing experts.
Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Downloadable Content
- Read the full report: NAIS Research: 2024-2025 State of Independent School Marketing (PDF)
About NAIS
The National Association of Independent Schools provides services to more than 2,000 schools and associations of schools in the United States and abroad, including more than 1,700 nonprofit, private K-12 schools in the U.S. that are self-determining in mission and program and are governed by independent boards. NAIS conducts research among schools nationally and then provides you with targeted, digested reports you can use to evaluate your own practices.
About Metric Marketing
Metric Marketing is a digitally-focused agency that specializes in enrollment marketing for private schools across North America. Metric Marketing helps schools strengthen all aspects of their digital
ecosystem from enrollment campaigns to websites, social media strategy and prospect communications, using better data and insights to prove the value of school marketing efforts. Learn more about Metric Marketing at metricmarketing.ca.