Five Key Surveys for School Marketing Research

Conducting research, by using surveys, is a critical component of your annual enrollment and marketing plan. You need the assessment and feedback from your parents and employees to provide the direction for improvement and school growth.

Based on my experience in working with and conducting hundreds of school surveys, I believe your annual plan should include the following five key surveys:

1–New Parent Survey (August/September) – As you begin a new school year, your new parents can provide a beneficial assessment of your enrollment and marketing processes and strategies. It is important to understand how your new parents selected your school and the process that they used to make their decision.

2–Net Promoter Score Survey (October/November) – Based on the ultimate question of how likely your parents are to recommend your school to a friend, the Net Promoter Score Survey will measure the strength of your school’s word of mouth. You will understand your score as a key measurement of your school’s health as well as areas that could improve the parent’s experience. This brief survey, conducted in the fall, will give you the direction you need to improve during the school year.

3–Parent Satisfaction Survey (Spring) – The parent satisfaction survey is a critical assessment, retention and marketing tool that provides convenient, confidential feedback to school leadership and stakeholders on an annual basis. Your parents are your primary customers and it is important to measure their experiences at your school. This survey will capture satisfaction ratings, plans to continue enrollment through graduation, and areas needed for improvement.

4–Employee Satisfaction Survey (Spring) – The employee satisfaction survey will provide an opportunity for your faculty and staff to provide feedback about their work experiences. Your faculty and staff are on the front lines and in order for your school to be healthy, your employee satisfaction is critical.

5–Exit Survey (Spring/Summer) – In order to understand the reasons for attrition and how you can improve your school to keep your current families enrolled, an exit survey should be part of your annual research. A confidential exit survey can be delivered to your non-returning parents to collect the feedback that you need to learn why families are leaving your school.

While you can certainly develop and conduct these surveys on your own, this can be a difficult and time-consuming process. it is difficult to develop your own survey tool or to find a complete package to meet your needs.

Enrollment Catalyst has been conducting surveys for schools for the past decade. These surveys include a specific set of quantitative and qualitative questions to collect feedback from key groups as well as the opportunity for customization.

These five surveys are available individually or as part of a complete package—School Survey Solutions. By using these survey tools, you will benefit from the following:

• Eliminates the time, cost and hassle involved in creating, mailing and analyzing your own survey
• Provides annual measurements of quality improvement initiatives and trends
• Engages and empowers parents, faculty, staff and board in this assessment process
• Builds trust and confidence in your school’s standards and commitment to quality
• Improves your focus in your enrollment and marketing effort

For more information, you can click on the following link to learn more about these surveys. Complete the form to learn more about a significant price savings for those that purchase the five-survey package.