Boost your school open day signups: digital strategies that work

With this year’s intake of students safely in the classroom, private and independent schools are already thinking about next year’s cohort of students! Open days are a key focus for schools through the Autumn, and you might be looking at your signups and wondering how to boost numbers. You won’t be surprised to learn that the best, and quickest, ways to get more attention are digital. You’ll quickly get a boost to your open day signups by optimising your website, refining your content journey, and upping your presence on social media channels and parent networks.  

At Leapfrog, we work with private and independent schools to improve online visibility and get their school found online by prospective parents. And we know that getting families along to your open days is a crucial link in the chain. Here’s how to put in place an effective strategy for upping your open day registrations. Even at the last minute!

Your open day digital marketing strategy 

The best starting point for any marketing strategy is with your customer. In this case, parents and prospective parents. Think about how they behave online. Which online platforms and networks they use to research and compare options. Your open day strategy must make your open day event visible to them at this stage of their research. 

Add an open day landing page

Your open day deserves its own space on your website. A dedicated landing page serves as the central hub for all your promotion activity and should contain everything a parent needs to know at a glance.

Make sure your landing page includes:

• Clear event details like date, time, and duration 
• What to expect or a detailed itinerary 
• School highlights and brief values
• Easy registration that’s quick to fill out
• Parent testimonials, real quotes are ideal
• Practical information like parking, accessibility, and what to bring

The page should load quickly across devices. Remember that many parents will be browsing their phones on the move. An open day pop-up is a great addition as the event date draws nearer.

SEO for visibility

For many people seeking services such as education, Google is often their first port of call, so don’t neglect traditional SEO techniques. Examples of parent search terms might be “independent school open days near me” or “private schools in Surrey” If your school isn’t appearing in these search results, you’re missing out on enquiries from genuinely interested families.

Focus your SEO activity on location based keywords. Create content around terms like “Open Day at [School Name] or in [Location]” and write blog posts that answer common parent questions. Topics like “What to ask during a school tour” or “How to choose the right school for your child” are a good starting point if you’re stuck for ideas. 

Your NAP is a core part of location based SEO. Learn more about this here. Basically, your name, address and phone number must be accurately and prominently displayed across your website and other channels like Yell.com and directories to keep the school prominent on Google maps view. 

Don’t forget about your Google Business Profile. Keep it updated with accurate opening hours, photos of your facilities, and encourage satisfied parents to leave honest reviews. These reviews are great social proof for other parents weighing up their options. 

Target Google Ads

While SEO builds long term visibility, Google Ads can give you immediate results, which is best when you’re on a set timeline in the lead up to an open day. Set up campaigns targeting parents actively searching for school related terms in your local area.

Your ad campaigns should target keywords like “Hampshire private school open day” or “Independent schools near me”. Use location targeting to ensure you’re only paying for clicks from families within a reasonable distance of your school. 

Link your ads directly to your open day landing page, not your homepage. The fewer clicks it takes to get to open day signup the better. 

Be present in social media channels

Facebook and Instagram are particularly effective for reaching families, they’re the most used channels by parents. But don’t overlook the likes of TikTok and Youtube, since these platforms are on the rise for parents as well as teenagers! 

Use Instagram Stories and Reels to share behind-the-scenes content that showcases your school’s personality. Show children engaged in learning, videos of teachers explaining their approach, or quick tours of your facilities. This content helps parents get a feel for your school’s atmosphere before they visit.

Create a Facebook event for your open day and encourage your existing community to share it. Join local parenting groups (where appropriate) and get vocal in discussions about school choices with genuine advice and insights.

Last-minute strategies that actually work

Even if your open day is just around the corner, there’s lots you can do to give your signup numbers a boost. It helps to create a sense of urgency and reach parents who might still be making their decision about which open days to attend.

Launch targeted social media advertising

Create a short campaign of Facebook and Instagram ads. This doesn’t need a massive budget, but is great for quick visibility beyond dedicated search platforms. 

Remember to always use authentic photos and videos from your school, not stock images. The whole point of your open day is for parents to see and feel your school authentically, so social media should set this tone of transparency from the outset. Make sure to include a clear call to action like “Register Now”, otherwise the ad will simply be frustrating.

If time is tight, you could simply boost a Facebook post about the open day, which naturally appears in local feeds and feels less like an advertisement.

Send personal email invitations

Email marketing only works when it feels personal. Send a warm, friendly message from your head teacher or admissions team rather than a formal marketing communication.

Word the email in a friendly way, starting with a welcome, and make the reader feel like you want their specific attention. Don’t forget to include all the key information like dates, times, a brief itinerary, a testimonial and a prominent link to registration. At this stage it’s important not to get sidetracked with educational jargon – policies and procedures can wait. 

Invite rather than command. Your subject should use language like “We’d love to meet you” rather than being a formal announcement of the event.

Add a sense of urgency

Small updates to your website can create momentum and encourage action. If you’ve installed a popup window linking to registration, update the wording with things like “tour slots booking up fast” or “limited tour times left”.  

Include similarly worded posts to your social media schedule as the event date draws nearer. Even if they’re only half-looking, parents will gradually feel more of a sense of urgency to book onto your open day with each post that they see. 

Connect with local networks

Pre-schools and nurseries are often more than happy to distribute an e-flyer (or even old school print fliers!) to their parents. It’s worth remembering that although your open day may start to feel like a sales driven event to you, it’s an important source of information for parents to make an informed decision about their children’ s future. Community Facebook groups are often welcoming to local school events, particularly if you’ve been a consistently helpful voice.

Strategic Success

Ultimately, for both a long term strategy and a short term marketing blitz, presence and visibility are at the core of success. Be authentic, creative and most of all consistent. At Leapfrog Internet Marketing, we regularly work with schools to get their website on to the top of Google, and visible across online discovery queries. We understand how important open days are, and tailor our campaigns to suit. Let’s talk, and we can get started!

• About
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Becky Hinshelwood

Content Manager at Leapfrog Internet Marketing

Becky has been writing content for business websites for nearly ten years. She loves to make any topic illuminating and engaging, and can't resist a wordy challenge! In a previous life, she was an artistic decision maker for a number of UK Theatres.

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