Promoting School Open Days Online: Increase Attendance and Enrolment Enquiries
A strong open day campaign connects the reason to attend, the right families, a simple registration journey and timely enrolment follow-up.
School open day marketing should do more than announce a date. It needs to give relevant families a reason to attend, make registration straightforward and connect the event with a clear enrolment follow-up process.
The campaign is one part of a longer family decision. Some parents may already know the school, while others are encountering it for the first time. The message and media need to work across those different levels of awareness.
Promote a school open day with a clear event proposition, focused landing page, staged Google and paid social campaigns, authentic school creative, reminders and structured follow-up. Measure attendance quality and movement towards tours, applications or enrolment, not registrations alone.
1. Define what the open day needs to achieve
Start with the enrolment priority. Is the school building future awareness, filling a particular year level, introducing a programme or supporting an upcoming intake? Define the relevant locations, family profile, available places and most useful next step after attendance.
This prevents the campaign from optimising for the largest possible registration list when the school actually needs a smaller group of suitable prospective families.
2. Give families a specific reason to attend
Date, time and location are not the proposition. Explain what families will experience and why it will help their decision. That may include meeting leadership and teachers, seeing learning in action, exploring facilities, hearing from students or understanding a distinctive programme.
Use clear, credible language about the school’s values, learning approach and community. Avoid generic claims that could apply to every school.
3. Build a focused open day landing page
The page should confirm who the event is for, date, time, location, programme, accessibility or parking information and what happens after registration. Keep the form short and mobile-friendly while collecting the details the enrolments function genuinely needs.
Match the page headline and imagery to the advertisements. Add tracking for registrations and important enquiry actions. Breaden Media’s website work can connect campaign landing pages with the wider enrolment journey.
4. Plan promotion in phases
Begin early enough to build awareness, then increase urgency as the event approaches. Paid socials can introduce the school and event to relevant families. Google Ads can capture active searches for schools, enrolments, tours and open days where sufficient search demand exists.
Target locations around the real catchment and travel patterns. Exclude obviously irrelevant areas and placements, monitor frequency and search terms, and shift budget based on registration quality rather than cheap clicks.
5. Use authentic creative that shows the experience
Use real classrooms, students, teachers, programmes and community moments where permissions allow. Short video can help families understand the atmosphere, but a strong still image with a clear message can also perform well.
Develop several creative angles: the event experience, a distinctive learning approach, a priority programme, student belonging or an invitation from the principal. Test the message, not just different colours and layouts.
6. Turn registrations into attendance
Send an immediate confirmation, then practical reminders before the event. Include timing, arrival details, what to expect and a way to ask questions. Where appropriate, use email and advertising audiences to remind registered families without overwhelming them.
Prepare the on-site experience too. Registration promises should match the event, staff should understand the priority audience, and the next enrolment step should be easy to explain.
7. Follow up while the experience is fresh
Thank attendees, provide useful next-step information and invite an appropriate action such as a tour, conversation, application or information request. Follow up non-attendees with another opportunity rather than treating them as lost.
Measure registrations, attendance rate, relevant family profiles, enquiries, tours, applications and enrolments where possible. Review feedback from the enrolments function to understand which campaign sources produced genuine opportunity.
Build a repeatable open day system
A strong campaign creates reusable landing-page structure, creative themes, audiences, reminder sequences and reporting. Breaden Media’s One Journey approach connects these parts with the school’s wider digital advertising strategy rather than treating each event as a last-minute promotion.
Frequently asked questions
How early should a school promote an open day?
Start early enough to build awareness and allow family planning, then increase reminders and urgency closer to the event. The exact timing depends on the school, audience, calendar and existing awareness.
Should schools use Google Ads or paid socials?
They serve different roles. Google Ads can capture active school searches, while paid socials can introduce the event and school experience to relevant families. The best mix depends on demand, budget and audience.
What should an open day registration page include?
Include the date, time, location, intended audience, programme, what families can expect, practical arrival information, a short form and confirmation of what happens next.
How should open day success be measured?
Measure registrations and attendance, then follow progression into enquiries, tours, applications and enrolments where possible. Registration volume alone can hide poor-fit or low-intent audiences.
Can Breaden Media manage the full campaign?
Yes. Breaden Media can connect strategy, creative direction, Google Ads, paid socials, landing pages, tracking, reminders and follow-up. Ongoing advertising has a minimum three-month commitment.