How Digital Marketing and Strategic PR Boosted the School's Reach and Lead Generation

Context

Saint-Charles International School, located in Porrentruy in the picturesque Canton of Jura has been offering modern education since 1897. The private boarding school caters to students from age 10, providing bilingual education across three programmes: the Swiss national diploma, the IB (International Baccalaureate) Middle Years Programme (MYP), and the Diploma Programme (DP). The school is expanding its boarding offerings and refocused its positioning to target international markets with more focus.

Challenge

Despite its long-standing history as a local educational institution, Saint-Charles International School faces stiff competition from numerous well-established and renowned boarding schools in Switzerland and across Europe. The boarding segment of the school especially is relatively new compared to its competitors, resulting in lower brand visibility and relevance outside the local area. In this competitive context, educational agents and parents are key decision-makers and influencers, making it crucial to target them effectively through different touchpoints and communication efforts.

Approach

To tackle both tactical and strategic challenges, a multichannel communication strategy was developed and implemented. The focus is on improving brand perception and boosting student enrolment. Based on a comprehensive marketing matrix, deep analysis, budgetary parameters, the key recommendations included rebuilding the website with a strong focus on SEO, back-end optimization and the implementation of tracking tools, refreshing the brand book and marketing materials, implementing B2C and B2B focused newsletters, cleaning up all social channels, releasing local and international PR, and in particular setting up and executing highly structured, targeted and continuously optimized paid and organic digital campaigns in strategically selected markets, progressing through multiple steps from awareness to conversion and retargeting.

Project

Digital Marketing

Industry

Education, Boarding School

Partner

Country

Switzerland

Implementation

since 2016, ongoing

Contact

BRAND AFFAIRS AG

Luca Zagorski

Markus Kramer

Claudia Molina

Result

The results were noticeable almost immediately. Within a few months, the PR efforts reached a potential audience of over a billion people, while Meta and LinkedIn ads generated hundreds of high-quality leads across various international target markets and newsletter engagement rates consistently exceeding 80%. All together resulting in multiple new student enrollments. Further key benefits include improved efficiencies in lead handling, optimization in campaign timing, and enhancements in cost efficiency and messaging strategies. This comprehensive approach not only enhances Saint-Charles International School's brand visibility, but also significantly boosts student enrolment, positioning the school as an excellent and competitive player in the international boarding school market.

SAINT-CHARLES INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SWITZERLAND

“Collaborating on this comprehensive communication strategy has transformed our presence in the international education market. The immediate impact on brand visibility in new and familiar markets as well as the consequent student enrollment have been remarkable. We've seen a significant increase in high-quality leads and meaningful engagement across our digital channels, which is crucial for our expansion. The strategic approach has solidified our position as a competitive player among international boarding schools and enabled us to start making a name for ourselves in previously unexploited markets. We're thrilled with the results and look forward to continued growth."

Carmen Kocher

Principal, Saint-Charles International School, SAINT-CHARLES INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SWITZERLAND