When you’re competing for attention in a crowded market, marketing a private school is no small feat. Between shifting market trends, rising parent expectations, and limited time or resources, school marketers need strategies that deliver real results.
That’s why we hosted our latest UBIQ X Session webinar with three experienced voices from across the independent school sector:
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Katie DaRin, Director of Fractional Marketing at Amplify (UBIQ’s consultancy arm)
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Ben Walker, Head of Marketing and Communications at St Swithun's School, UK
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Julie Clardy, Director of Communications at City and Country School, New York
In this post, we’ve distilled their insights into actionable strategies, paired with videos from the live webinar so you can watch the discussions in full.
How can private schools push boundaries and try new things in marketing?
Innovation in school marketing isn’t about doing something “different”. Instead, innovation means assessing your school's brand identity, market position, and unique marketing or commercial objectives and innovating based on your school's needs and goals.
Key takeaways from the panel:
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Be bold but stay on-brand – Whether it’s an open house where parents experience lessons firsthand or a website that embraces an unconventional narrative, make sure every creative risk ties back to your school’s values.
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Streamline internal comms – Avoid overwhelming parents with endless emails. Instead, consolidate updates into one well-curated weekly newsletter.
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Design to be memorable – Don’t default to the same website style as everyone else. Surprise and delight visitors with creative storytelling and interactive elements.
How do you know which platforms and tools are right for your school?
Not every shiny new platform is worth your time. The key for schools is focusing on tools that reach your actual audience and deliver measurable results, rather than panicking when your competitor launches onto a new platform. In the webinar, we spoke about how to identify the best platforms for your school. Here's a checklist to help you.
Best practice checklist:
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Audit where your prospective families spend time online.
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Use data to guide decisions. Track platform performance and don’t be afraid to drop what isn’t working.
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Prioritise platforms that either:
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Generate measurable results (inquiries, tour bookings, applications)
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Strengthen relationships with your community
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Measure regularly, and be ruthless with underperforming channels.
How are school marketers using AI — and should you be?
AI isn’t here to replace the marketer’s creativity. But AI can take the grunt work off your plate.
Practical ways schools are using AI today:
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Drafting and refining content faster (while keeping final edits human-led).
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Summarising large data sets (survey results, admissions metrics, website analytics).
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Personalising outreach (including multilingual video messages).
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Enhancing, not fabricating, imagery — e.g. adjusting backgrounds, anonymising students when needed.
Pro tip: Use AI as a starter, not a finisher. It won’t capture the cultural nuances of your school, but it can get you 80% of the way there in a fraction of the time.
Which website trends will engage users and keep them coming back?
At Ubiq, we believe that your website should be your school’s biggest and most effective piece of marketing collateral. It's often the first impression for prospective families. Katie Darin, Director of Fractional Marketing at Amplify, shared the top trends she's seeing in school marketing right now.
Trends worth exploring:
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Interactive features like hover states or animated storytelling. This limits the amount of 'commitment' a user has to make'.
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Visual narratives that reflect your brand personality (not generic stock layouts).
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Design choices that invite exploration, rather than pushing users straight to static subpages.
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Dynamic content feeds from social channels to keep the site feeling fresh while also addressing different users in different stages of the sales funnel.
Avoid: “Flat” sites that feel static, outdated, or impersonal. Families will notice.
Which marketing metrics matter most for private schools?
With endless data available, the trick is knowing which numbers are worth your time. In this webinar, we discussed how to divide powerful, impactful metrics from those that only cloud your judgement. As a collective, we agreed that the below data is best to guide your strategy and perfomance.
Metrics the panel prioritises:
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Conversion metrics – e.g. open day attendees → applications → enrolments.
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Engagement metrics – site retention rates, click-throughs on CTAs, email open rates (with privacy changes in mind). Set up persona tracking in Ubiq AMAIS for extra brownie points with your SMT.
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Funnel analysis – Using Ubiq AMAIS or Google Analytics 4, identify exactly where families drop off so you can address pain points.
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Source trends – Are feeder schools or key regions shifting? Adjust your focus accordingly.
What can US school marketers learn from UK school marketers (and vice versa)?
While the challenges differ, both sides agree: the fundamentals of trust, clarity, and differentiation are universal within the sector.
Insights exchanged in the session:
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UK schools often lead in elegant, purposeful website design.
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US schools excel at professionalised marketing practices and cross-department collaboration.
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Both can benefit from being restless and ruthless (a standout statement from this Ubiq X Session webinar — always seeking improvement, but unafraid to say no to work that won’t drive results.
Frequently Asked Questions
| How often should we redesign our school website? |
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| Every 4–5 years to avoid outdated technology and stale design. Refresh content quarterly where possible. |
| What’s the best way to streamline internal communications? |
| Move to a single, well-timed weekly newsletter for parents, using your SIS for transactional comms and a marketing platform for designed updates. |
| Should we use texting or WhatsApp for prospective families? |
| Use sparingly — it can be highly effective for last-touch reminders or re-engagement, but overuse risks annoying families. |
| What’s a good open rate for school email newsletters? |
| It varies by audience, but 70–80% is achievable for current families with well-timed, relevant content. |
| How can AI help with school photography? |
| Use it for anonymisation, background enhancement, or replacing awkward shots — not for fabricating student images. |
Join our
Next Webinar
If you found these strategies useful, there are two easy next steps:
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Book a demo with UBIQ to see how our personalised websites and marketing tools can help your school stand out.
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Get in touch with Amplify to find out how they can support the delivery of your school's marketing strategy.
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Sign up for our next webinars on the UBIQ Hub to learn directly from school marketing leaders and see real-world examples in action.
Access the recording from this webinar
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Meet The Author: Maddie Lingard, Head of Marketing With 3 years' experience in education marketing, Maddie leads UBIQ's marketing efforts, helping schools worldwide enhance their digital presence and engagement strategies. With a passion for storytelling, she focuses on creating meaningful connections between schools and their communities. When she's not strategizing campaigns or hosting webinars, Maddie enjoys spending time with her Golden Retriever puppy (and the youngest fluff of the UBIQ team), Kenny, who often keeps her on her toes. |
