Why your school needs an interactive prospectus

Jen Taylor — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 09:49:42 +0000

Thanks to the pandemic, we’ve all experienced living in a homeworking, online world and even though we hope the end is in sight for social restrictions, the fact is that more people than ever before are working remotely and limiting outings into the public. So, has your school adapted in order to carry on reaching your target audience effectively (and hygienically)?! Hint – having a digital, interactive school prospectus created is a great place to start!

Why is digital key in a homeworking world?

Digital marketing activity has already been on the rise over recent years, including prior to COVID-19, due to its limitless reach possibilities, innovative capabilities and adaptability, enabling brands to work flexibly around their budget. Uptake of this marketing method has only increased further following the virus sweeping the globe and forcing us to stay at home.

Printed vs digital school prospectus

The printed prospectus is a key part of school marketing activity and still plays an important role due to its tangibility, which represents the school or college brand and creates a physical perception in the minds of future students and their parents.

However, a digital school brochure needs to be part of every school and college’s marketing toolkit, especially during these current times, to ensure they can still reach their target audiences, communicate the school’s offering and provide added value for the recipient. Digital allows you to bring your school alive for your audience, even when they’re not there physically.

What is an interactive prospectus?

Put simply, it is a digital online version of your printed prospectus and is far from a flat, PDF version of your school brochure! An interactive prospectus design will deliver the same branding and content but with added functionality, to create a more engaging experience for the reader.

Key benefits of a digital prospectus for schools

Reach your full target audience quickly, regardless of a pandemic!
COVID-secure – no sanitising required
Many functionality options available to create an interactive experience for future students and parents
Ability to communicate more impactful and memorable messages, eg. what it’s like to be a student at your school
Quick to update and more cost effective to do so, compared with amending an existing printed prospectus
You can be creative. The options are endless when it comes to digital so you can make your school or college look its absolute best!

How can we help?

Creativeworld is an education marketing agency who provide a bespoke service and can produce an interactive prospectus design for your school in line with your specific requirements. We can advise on digital solution options based on your budget and suggest creative ideas that will benefit you the most in line with your school marketing plan.

Some examples of the digital, interactive prospectus solutions we’ve delivered for other schools and colleges are as follows:

I-brochure: Mini microsites that deliver the content of your school prospectus through an engaging interface.
Page flip prospectus: A digital page flip that can be housed on your own web portal.
Interactive e-brochure: Contains video content, movement, animation and image galleries to achieve optimum engagement.

To discover how we can help to bring your school prospectus to life, view our new, interactive brochure Spotlight on Education or contact our expert Education Marketing Team here.

Does my school still need a prospectus?

Tom Cross — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 12:42:55 +0000

In an age where most of your school information is now housed on your website, it begs the question as to whether a school prospectus is actually necessary anymore?

Well, we can assure you that it absolutely is. Despite new technologies making their way into the market and many brochures now being available in digital forms, such as interactive, i-brochures or flip brochures, print brochures still hold an important place in most school’s marketing.

The rise in new technologies can make a prospectus seem less important, but in reality, a well presented and informative prospectus has the potential to make a huge impact on your school’s marketing campaign, and most importantly draw in students from your competitors. The benefits of printing your prospectus really shouldn’t be overlooked, as a well-presented prospectus allows readers to really grasp how the school ‘feels’ and what kind of message they like to portray. Furthermore, people tend to turn away from their screens and look to print to digest important information i.e where they’re going next on their education journey.

The purpose of a school prospectus is to give students a feel of what life is like at your school and getting that right can prove to be challenging for those tasked with putting it all together.

What to consider when creating your school prospectus?

Keep it visual

This is arguably the most important part. When designing print, less is often more, we would recommend using graphics and imagery as a visual aid for text where possible, making the information easier to digest. Create a visual led prospectus tailored around your School brand personality, to showcase your USP’s to your target audience.

Copy:

Much of the information required will already be led by Ofsted guidance and key content from your website. It is important to carefully consider the copy used throughout, in order to tell a cohesive story that ultimately highlights what your school is all about and links together included sections.

Don’t try and cram too much in:

We would also recommend using the Prospectus as a signpost to the website and your social media channels where appropriate, instead of overcrowding pages by ‘cramming’ in too much information.

Print/Finish:

The look and feel of a prospectus can be a key detail to consider when it comes to printing your school prospectus. It’s one of the first details someone who picks up your prospectus will notice, so you want to make an impression. Whether you want it to have a soft touch feel, be glossy and shiny or have more of a matte effect, you need to consider how your brochure will ‘feel’ in the hands of a prospective parent.

Case study: De La Salle prospectus

Other blogs:

If you want confidence in a service that will showcase your School or College, contact us!

Dan Palmer: dan@creativeworld.co.uk