For all the branding and marketing your school undertakes, the most effective way of demonstrating to prospective students what your school is all about is by letting them see the campus and experience the culture for themselves. For this reason, school open days and tours for prospective students and their parents have always been an important tool for increasing enrolments in any educational institution. But with the technology available to us today, there’s more opportunity than ever to show off what your school has to offer without having to host tours or open days.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the various ways that you can provide virtual tours of your school campus and culture to stand out from the crowd and increase enrolments.
Live streaming classes
With broadband and fibre internet being ubiquitous these days, providing classes as streaming internet videos is both practical and affordable even on a limited budget. Providing online classes during the holidays is a great way to ensure that students keep themselves occupied with something constructive even in their time off – and you can be sure their parents will thank you! Offering holiday classes gives you the opportunity to teach your students things outside the curriculum and give them a chance to explore topics they might not be able to during the school term. Live streaming classes is also a great way to build awareness of your school since you could encourage students from other schools to sign up for these courses during the holidays too.
Schools can also benefit from live streaming its events, such as graduation ceremonies, concerts and important meetings. Numerous schools across Australia are already doing this with great effect; the New Milford High School, for example, has live streamed its annual graduation ceremony since 2012.
Social media virtual tours and 360° video
If you spend any amount of time on social media, you’ve probably noticed how popular 360° photos and videos have become. Essentially, these photos and videos are a lot like panoramas, but they allow the viewer to pan around and view a full 360° of the picture or video in question. You don’t need to shell out for fancy photographic equipment either – simply use your Apple or Android smartphone to take a panorama or photosphere with the Facebook app and upload it to your page for all the world to see.
The potential for virtual tours here is endless, and it’s possible to create tailored content to the different types of students you’re communicating with. A prospective music student, for example, might want to see the layout of the school’s music department, while budding sports stars could virtually walk through your sports fields and outdoor facilities as if they were there. For a great example of the effectiveness and potential impact of a 360° virtual school tour, check out this sample video by Eduku, a non-profit organisation that specialises in creating virtual tours and funnels all proceeds into building schools in developing communities.
Online ‘open days’
Open days have traditionally been one of the most effective ways for schools to engage with prospective students and show them what their campus and culture are like, but being able to attend an open day isn’t always possible for every future student. Uploading ‘open day’ content onto your school’s social media or YouTube pages is a great way to give them the opportunity to see it for themselves. In addition to the virtual tour content we spoke about in the previous paragraph, you could upload videos about everything from explaining the enrolment process, to answering frequently asked questions, to testimonials from parents and students at the school. In combination with an online application system and other virtual tour content, online open days are a powerful tool for increasing enrolments to your school.
If you'd like to learn how you can fit virtual tours into your next school budget, download our Budgeting Template today!
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