PPC campaigns can be a powerful tool when it comes to attracting prospective students. But only when they are done right, and this is not as simple as it sounds.
If you’re not executing your School’s PPC campaign properly and you’re making the following PPC mistakes, you’re missing out on creating the right opportunities for your School. Most of the time, you’ll start wondering why you’re getting the wrong leads and why you spent so much time and money whilst not reaping the benefits of your PPC campaign.
This is why we’ve created this blog to learn more about costly common PPC mistakes you might make and how to get the most out of your PPC campaigns.
Forgetting seasonal trends for PPC marketing
Your School experiences distinct enrollment peaks during specific periods such as open days, admission seasons, or scholarship deadlines. Failing to align your PPC strategy with these trends can lead to missed opportunities and inefficient use of your advertising budget.
During peak periods, the competition increases. To ensure your ads remain prominent, consider adjusting your bidding strategy. This might involve increasing your bid amounts temporarily to outcompete others during these crucial periods. Tools like Google Ads’ automated bidding strategies or third-party tools like BidCops can assist in optimising bids based on performance data.
Ignoring negative words is one of the most common PPC mistakes
Negative keywords are terms or phrases that you intentionally exclude from your PPC campaigns. In the independent education sector, this can be especially important because of the unique curriculum, culture, and student needs.
Suppose your School focuses on STEM education. Negative keywords like ‘arts-focused schools’ can be added to reflect your educational focus. Also avoid using negative keywords like ‘state schools’ or ‘free’ which can help you prevent your ad from being spotted by those students and parents who are seeking tuition-free options.
Overlooking geo-targeting
Effective geo-targeting is important for the effectiveness of your PPC campaigns. Targeting the right geographical locations ensures that your ads reach prospective students in your School’s catchment area. Failing to set up accurate geo-targeting may result in ads being shown to users who are unlikely to enrol due to location constraints.
Not tailoring your copy enough
Does your ad copy get the attention of parents and students?
Are the users excited so that they click on your ad and learn more about your School?
Your copy needs to make them make the next move to visit your landing pages. One way is to highlight that your School gives a top-rated educational experience or any awards that it recently received.
Your copy can also include phrases like ‘Learn more about our School’ and send the users to an admissions page where the prospective parents and students can learn more about the admissions process, any upcoming open days, and your School’s unique selling points.
Neglecting social media integration
Google Ads is an important piece of the puzzle in your marketing strategy. By integrating social media platforms into your strategy, you can amplify your reach. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to target specific demographics and engage with a younger audience. Utilise appealing ad creatives and leverage social media’s interactive features to generate engagement and interest.
Ads scheduling adjustments gone wrong
Ad scheduling allows you to control when your ads are displayed.
For schools, it’s crucial to align ad visibility with times when potential students are actively researching or making decisions. Use ad scheduling features to adjust bid strategies and increase visibility during evenings from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM and weekends from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, when individuals may have more time to explore educational options.
A key takeaway is to leverage Google Ads‘ ad scheduling feature and complement it with AdEspresso for streamlined scheduling and performance tracking.
Turning a blind eye that something is missing
Pay close attention to key metrics during peak enrollment periods. Analyse click-through rates, conversion rates, and other relevant data to assess the effectiveness of your strategy.
Make data-driven adjustments based on your analysis. This might involve tweaking bid amounts, refining ad copy, or experimenting with different ad extensions to optimise performance further.
If you would like more professional tips on marketing your School do get in touch with the Digithrive For School’s team who are always happy to help. Contact us here.