Marketing your educational establishment is easy, right? Target Gen Z and relax! If only…
We pour energy into showcasing modern campuses and exciting vocational paths to students. Yet, a hidden influencer often blocks their path: parents. Deeply concerned for their child’s future, parents can default to traditional academic routes simply because they are familiar.
This blog explores why parents hesitate and provides powerful messaging strategies to win them over. By directly addressing their concerns, you can unlock a wealth of student enrolment.
The Invisible Influencer: Demystifying Parent Hesitancy
Parents are crucial in the decision-making process. They want security, stability, and a prosperous future for their children. They might even want the next generation to attend the same college they attended and study the same thing. Which is why, when presented with Further Education (FE) options, several roadblocks appear:
-
Unfamiliarity with Vocational Paths: They may equate FE with traditional trade schools, unaware of the vast array of professional and technical skills offered today.
-
The Academic Default: Traditional colleges have powerful legacies and well-understood career trajectories. This makes them a default choice, even if a hands-on learning environment is better suited.
-
Safety Concerns: Modern campus life and infrastructure can be intimidating, and ensuring a safe environment is a paramount concern for parents.
Messaging Strategies: Converting Parental Hesitancy into Support
Winning over parents isn’t about changing their priorities; it’s about addressing them head-on with relevant, persuasive information.
Focus Area 1: Elevating Vocational Pathways
-
Direct messaging: “Your child will gain in-demand skills and launch directly into a career with a strong salary potential. They don’t just get an education; they get a competitive advantage.”
-
Strategy: Share success stories of alumni thriving in varied technical fields. Use clear data on employment rates and starting salaries for specific FE programs.
Focus Area 2: Providing Reassurance on Campus Safety
-
Direct messaging: “Our campus is a secure, state-of-the-art environment with comprehensive support services. Your child’s safety is our top priority.”
-
Strategy: Highlight your modern security measures, well-lit areas, and robust student welfare programs in all parent-facing communications.
Focus Area 3: Guaranteeing Long-term Career Prospects
-
Direct messaging: “The skills your child learns today are the foundation of a prosperous, long-term career. We provide direct pathways to industry certifications, top universities, internships, and job placements.”
-
Strategy: Develop clear visual maps showing the journey from an FE program to specific job roles. Emphasise partnerships with industry leaders and provide statistics on long-term career advancement for your alumni.
The April–June Playbook: Your 3-Step Parent Pivot
As we hit the peak application window, your digital strategy should shift. Here is how to use Reach data to fuel your campaign:
-
The ‘Safety & Success’ Narrative: Use our 5.6 million parent reach to serve display ads that don’t just show “happy students,” but show “secure futures.” Think: “From our workshops to [Local Major Employer]: See the path your child will take.”
-
The Jargon Buster: With 2.4 million users searching for specific courses, use branded content articles to explain the parity between T-Levels and A-Levels. Parents block what they don’t understand.
-
The ‘Live’ Reassurance: Use the 6x surge in FE content consumption during this period to promote ‘Parent-First’ campus tours.
Reach Both Sides of the Decision: Partner with Reach
To truly move the needle, you need to reach both the aspiring student and the influential parent simultaneously. But where you reach them matters as much as what you say.
When you partner with Reach, you aren’t just buying ad space; you are benefiting from the ‘Halo Effect.’ Research shows that advertising in trusted news environments significantly boosts brand trust and ‘brand love.’ For a parent who is worried about their child’s safety or future, seeing your college featured alongside trusted local news provides a level of legitimacy that a random social media ad simply cannot match.
At Reach, we have the unique scale and data-driven insights to help you navigate this dual-audience challenge during the critical April–June peak.
Our network provides the scale and the environment to turn ‘invisible influencers’ into your biggest advocates:
-
Scale that Matters: We reach 7.2 million unique users interested in further education, delivering your message within a high-trust editorial context.
-
Direct Access to Students: Engage with our 7.2 million Gen Z users who are actively exploring their next steps.
-
Influence the Influencers: We reach 5.6 million parents of teens, allowing you to deliver the reassurance and ‘academic equivalent’ messaging they need to see.
-
Deep Interest Targeting: Beyond general education, we can target 3.8 million users specifically interested in Further Education and 2.4 million looking into courses & training.
-
Timing is Everything: We see a 6x increase in users consuming FE content during peak open day periods compared to the rest of the year**.
At Reach, we are ready and waiting to launch your campaign. From eye-catching creatives to impactful videos, expertly written branded content, and more, we are here to help you achieve your objectives. Home to well-known, trusted brands such as the Mirror, Liverpool Echo, and the Manchester Evening News, and with over 1 million social media followers, we have the power to share your content with our engaged audience. We support you from the initial idea to the campaign review. In addition to targeting by age and interest, we can target with our first-party data down to the postcode level, ensuring you reach as many people in your locality as possible.
Don’t let parental doubt be the barrier to your enrolment goals. Contact Reach today to build a creative “go-to-market” strategy that speaks to the heart of the family decision-making unit and secures your next cohort. Complete the form below to discover how we can help.
* Source: Consumer research conducted on behalf of Reach by PA Consulting. base: 5,000 media users.
