7 Tips to SuperCharge your Admissions Landing Page and Enroll More Families

If your goal is to enroll new families at your school then it is absolutely critical that your marketing campaign include an admissions landing page that is designed and optimized to convert prospective families into enrolled families.

Without it, you might as well take your marketing dollars and throw them out the window!

So, what does an effective Admissions Landing Page look like?

Here are 7 Tips to SuperCharge your Admissions Landing Page and Enroll More Families.

1. Remove all Distractions

Once a prospective parent arrives on your admissions landing page, it’s your job to keep them there. Your landing page should have one and only one goal: to convert prospective parents to customers. Anything that does not help achieve this goal is a distraction and should be eliminated.

So say goodbye to the navigation menu, goodbye to footer links and goodbye to anything else that could take prospective parents away from your landing page. Less is more.  Simple as that!

2. Keep the Messaging Between Your Ads and Your Admissions Landing Page Consistent

Don’t you hate clicking on a free offer only to find out that there is a catch on the landing page! Not only does this create a negative experience for the users… they immediately lose trust in your business.

To avoid this situation with your prospective parents, eliminate any and all confusion by making sure that your landing page is consistent with your Facebook or Google Ads.

If your ad is inviting them to an Open House or to a Private Tour, your landing page should be specifically designed for that. In fact, we even recommend using the same Titles and Call-to-Action buttons on both your ads and landing pages. This will create a sense of continuity, relevancy and trust for your prospective parents who will then feel comfortable taking the next step on your landing page.

3. Use Everyday Language to Get Your Message Across.

Speaking of messaging, far too many school websites are filled with academic and education buzzwords and terminology that nobody ever uses in real life conversations.

Most parents are NOT education professionals and do not use terms such as “academic excellence” to describe their needs, pains or problems. These buzzwords only cripple and dilute your messaging.

Instead, use simple, everyday language to SPEAK to parents through your landing page. Your messaging will resonate much more strongly and will result in higher conversion rates.

4. Only ask for the information you really need.

When was the last time you completed a form with 10+ fields on your phone? Hmmmm…. maybe once? How about never???

With over 50% of website traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s absolutely critical that you keep your landing page form AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE. This is because, with each new field you add to a form, it creates more work for the visitor, who will often avoid it altogether, especially on mobile devices. 

So decide on the absolute essential information needed to qualify your prospective parents and eliminate everything else.

5. Use the “I want to” trick to craft a powerful Call-to-Action

If you’re still using “Submit” or “Learn More” as your Call-to-Action, it’s time to take your conversions to the next level by using a simple trick to create compelling CTAs.

The next time you sit down to come up with a CTA, put yourself in the the parent’s shoes and complete a sentence beginning with, “I want to…”

For example:

• I want to… Talk to the Principal
• I want to… Signup for the Open House
• I want to… Visit the School

Obviously you don’t have to literally include the words, “I want to…” in your CTA, but these three examples show how this principle can result in strong, clear CTAs.

You wouldn’t say, “I want to submit,” right?

6. Establish trust and reduce anxiety

Internet users are more resistant than ever to give up their personal information… and frankly, it’s totally understandable considering all the spam out there. That’s why it’s extremely important to put prospective parents at ease with a few well placed trust building elements.

• Add a privacy message under your form’s CTA button that indicates parents’ email addresses will not be shared or sold.
• If your form requires sensitive information, include security seals, a BBB rating, or certifications so visitors know their information is safe and secure.
• Leverage social proof by adding testimonials from current parents or students. If possible, include pictures or even better, a video testimonial!

7. Test, Test, Test & Re-Test

No matter how experienced you are at building landing pages, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is whether your landing page is generating results or not. One of the most powerful ways to improve your landing page’s conversion rate is by A/B testing the placement, design or content of the elements on your page. Here are some elements that you’ll want to test out:

• Moving the position of your form (from the header, to the middle or bottom of the page)
• Switching the order in which the sections of the page appear
• Changing the colors or text of your Call to Action button
• Changing your Title
• Shortening your form

For more ideas on A/B test, checkout this great blog post by the team at WordStream.

There you have it! With these tools in hand, you will be able to create an admissions landing page that is both compelling and effective in converting prospective parents to enrolled parents!

Here’s to a tremendous new year of growth!

Cheers!

– Mitchell

Mitchell Germain
Founder & CEO @ Zing!
Maximize Your School’s Enrollment with Marketing that Gets Results.
Tel: 323-375-1120 | getZing.co

P.S. We recently helped one school enroll 116 new families. We’d love to do the same for you! Schedule a Call to learn more.