How can international schools attract NRI and expat parents?
Expat and returning NRI parents research schools online before they move, often from abroad. Rank for curriculum and city searches such as IB or IGCSE schools in your city…
What should a school ask before hiring a marketing agency?
Quick answer
Ask a school marketing agency for admissions results from other schools, how they plan around the admissions calendar, who creates campus content, how enquiries reach your admissions team, whether you own the ad accounts, and whether reports show campus visits and admissions rather than likes. Check they understand parent decision-making.
Experience with schools
- Which schools have you worked with, and what happened to their enquiries and admissions?
- How do you plan campaigns around the admissions calendar?
- How do you market different segments — preschool, primary, senior secondary?
Content and brand
- Who will shoot campus photos and videos, and how often?
- How will you show teaching quality and safety authentically?
- How will you collect parent testimonials with consent?
Enquiry handling
- How will enquiries reach our admissions office — instantly, via WhatsApp, in a CRM?
- Can you help set up follow-up messages and campus visit booking?
- How will you track enquiries through to admission?
Ownership and fees
- Will the Google, Meta and analytics accounts be in the school’s name?
- Is there a markup on ad spend?
- What is included in the fee, and what is extra?
Reporting
- Will reports show enquiries, campus visits and admissions by source?
- How often will we review performance during peak season?
Good signs
A strong agency asks about seat targets per class, fee levels, catchment areas and your admissions process before proposing anything. It talks about parent trust, campus visits and admissions, not just follower growth.
| Area | Key question |
|---|---|
| Experience | Admissions results for other schools? |
| Planning | How do you plan around the admissions calendar? |
| Enquiries | How do leads reach our office? |
| Ownership | Are accounts in the school's name? |
| Reporting | Visits and admissions, not just likes? |
Key takeaways
- Ask for admissions results, not follower growth.
- Check how enquiries reach your admissions team.
- Keep every account in the school's name.
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