How outdoor advertising can benefit your school

Outdoor advertising, or Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising, is not just for businesses - school advertising can also benefit from this dynamic platform. Whether your goal is to increase enrollment, highlight your unique values and achievements, or simply to connect with your local community, OOH advertising provides an effective and cost-efficient way to get your message across. Combining OOH with Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) can help to create cohesive and compelling advertising for schools across multiple platforms.

Why OOH advertising is essential for schools

Schools are at the heart of their communities, but standing out and connecting with local families can be a challenge. A school’s public reputation can make a big difference in enrollment, and school marketing needs to be able to reassure students and parents alike that their education is in good hands. This is where OOH advertising shines, offering visibility in real-world spaces where people live, work, and socialise.

Increasing local presence

Most schools operate within a defined catchment area, making local presence crucial. OOH formats such as bus shelters, billboards, or posters in high-traffic areas allow schools to communicate directly with nearby families.

A strategically placed advert near a popular supermarket or along commuter routes can keep your school in the forefront of people’s minds. These localised campaigns build familiarity and trust, making your school a natural choice for prospective parents.

Promoting school values and initiatives

OOH advertising is a chance to highlight what makes your school unique. From academic excellence to extracurricular opportunities, a well-designed campaign can showcase your school’s values. For example, a campaign featuring a student success story or promoting an upcoming charity event positions your school as a vibrant, inclusive place where children can thrive.

Benefits of outdoor advertising in education

OOH advertising offers several unique advantages for school advertising, from connecting with your target audience on a personal level to delivering creative, impactful messages.

Reaching students and their families

Unlike digital ads that can easily be skipped or ignored, OOH campaigns are part of the physical landscape, ensuring your message is seen by a wide variety of people. Whether it’s parents on the school run, teenagers on public transport, or families visiting local amenities, OOH places your message in front of the right people at the right time.

Dynamic messaging with DOOH

Digital OOH (DOOH) takes outdoor advertising to a new level by enabling dynamic, real-time content. Schools can use digital screens to run campaigns that change based on the time of day—for example, highlighting after-school clubs in the afternoon or application deadlines during the evening. This adaptability makes DOOH a versatile tool for school marketing strategies.

Cost-effective visibility

OOH campaigns are highly cost-effective, offering long-term visibility for a single upfront investment. For schools with limited marketing budgets, formats like posters or small-scale digital screens provide excellent value, ensuring broad reach without straining already-stretched resources.

Crafting a winning OOH strategy for schools

For an OOH campaign to succeed, it needs a clear strategy that aligns with your school’s goals and audience.

Identifying key audiences

Understanding who you’re trying to reach is the foundation of any campaign. Are you targeting prospective parents, current families, or the wider community? Tailor your messaging to resonate with each group, by appealing to their specific concerns. Parents might be more interested in academic performance and safety, while students may respond better to messages about extracurricular activities and the friendships they will form at school.

Selecting strategic locations

Choose locations that maximise exposure to your target audience, such as on school transport routes or near community centres. High-traffic spots like bus stops or shopping centres ensure your ads are seen by as many people as possible.

Creative design

The design used in your school marketing should be eye-catching, memorable, and aligned with your school’s overall branding. You want a passerby to be able to see one of your ads and know it’s from your school at a glance. Use bold visuals, simple messaging, and a clear call-to-action—whether it’s to visit your website or attend an open day. Including photos of real students or achievements adds authenticity and builds trust.

Exceptional outdoor advertising for schools

Plenty of school marketing strategies from institutions across the UK have already demonstrated the power of OOH advertising.

Campaigns that boost enrollment

From primary schools to sixth forms, many institutions have used OOH campaigns to increase applications. Students can’t apply to a school if they don’t know it exists! City-based secondary schools often place digital posters in local train stations during the enrollment period, highlighting everything from impressive exam results to facilities. These campaigns lead to noticeable upticks in visits to the school’s open day.

Community engagement initiatives

Schools often act as hubs for their communities, and OOH school advertising can help promote this role. Schools can use transport ads such as bus shelter posters to encourage participation in annual events, creating a sense of local pride and boosting event turnout.

Evaluating the impact of your campaign

Measuring the success of your OOH campaign ensures you maximise your return on investment, and provides you with invaluable insights to sculpt future campaigns.

Tracking your success

There are many ways to assess how well your campaign is performing - the key is identifying which ways are most important for you to track, and making the most of that data. Whether you want to find evidence of a rise in enrollment numbers, or engagement with your online platforms, decide how you want to measure these results and incorporate that into your strategy.

Leveraging insights for future campaigns

Post-campaign analysis is invaluable. Review what worked well and what would benefit from improvement next time. Use this feedback to refine your approach and make future campaigns even more effective.

Elevate your school marketing strategies today

Outdoor advertising offers schools an unparalleled opportunity to connect with local audiences and build their reputation in the process. With the right approach, it’s an investment that delivers long-lasting benefits for your school and community alike.