The evolving education sector is constantly being shaped by numerous factors including governmental policy (such as VAT hikes in the UK or aligning with the new Code of Practice for Private Schools in Hong Kong), regional conflicts sparking economic uncertainty, and societal changes such as increasing birthrates and household incomes which are uncovering new market opportunities.
For independent and international school leaders, the market remains challenging, but those organisations who are succeeding are doing so through enacting real strategic and entrepreneurial change in their organisation.
Maintaining and growing a school’s competitive edge requires a multifaceted strategy. We are increasingly seeing that many schools or education groups often fall back on the same thing – a strong sense of history, and other cliches including “x number of years of academic excellence”. Here in Bangkok, there are numerous British international schools that communicate in a very similar way to one another, diminishing cut-through and credibility in an already crowded market.
At LIQUID, we have the highest expectations for the sector and the brands we support. We work with school leaders to define and develop education brands which are distinct and go beyond simply talking about a school’s history or exam results to meet the ever increasing expectations of parents.
Currently we see a number of pressing issues facing institutions today.
The first of those, is how a school can enhance the value they deliver in an era of constant economic pressure. Moving away from campus features as an end in themselves to tangible outcomes of education has never been more critical. Yes, it is important to showcase your Olympic-sized swimming pool and your 20 metre high climbing wall, but the focus of your communications today needs to be on lifelong return on investment.
We help schools articulate their unique value through data-led storytelling, demonstrating how a school’s specific environment prepares students for a future that is increasingly difficult to predict. When fees are under scrutiny, your brand must be synonymous with an indispensable advantage.
Secondly, the ways parents are researching and finding schools is changing rapidly. Traditional search engine optimisation is now being joined by Generative Engine Optimisation or GEO. This is the process of ensuring your school is accurately cited and recommended by AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
To be recommended by these agents, your school’s digital footprint must be authoritative and consistent. AI models look for clear, factual, and frequently cited information across reputable sources. We focus on building a robust ecosystem of content that establishes your school as a leader in specific pedagogical areas, making it the logical choice for an AI to present to a researching parent.
Next up, is the power of authenticity. Parental trust is rarely built through a glossy brochure alone. In a modern enrolment campaign, social proof and user generated content are vital. Prospective families look for the unfiltered experiences of current parents and students.
We assist schools in formalising these voices through a carefully planned strategy coupled with our 25 years of experience and creative flair. By capturing authentic stories and integrating them into your digital journey, we create a layer of credibility that traditional advertising cannot replicate. This is not about relinquishing control of the brand to influencers, but about empowering your community to be your most effective advocates.
Furthermore, whilst we wholeheartedly embrace technology and the opportunities that AI brings in the content space, we always proceed with authenticity – and reality in mind. Today, too many schools are on the one hand positioning themselves as ‘premium brands’ whilst at the same time publishing images of ‘students’ which are obviously AI-created. Believe us when we know we can spot an AI image – and your discerning target audience are becoming wiser to it as well. There may well be a day in the not too distant future where AI-driven creative is impossible to decipher from ‘real’ creative and imagery, but we are not there yet, and for many international schools in the sector, they are showing themselves up to be taking shortcuts.
Fourth, we consider the minefield of defining success through meaningful metrics. We often find that the success of an enrolment campaign is measured by inquiry volume alone – as it is from there a threshold number of leads supposedly creates new opportunities based on broadly defined and increasingly unreliable conversion rate benchmarks.
Here at LIQUID we go further to analyse the stages that matter in your customer journey such as inquiry to tour ratio so you can determine the quality of leads and the effectiveness of that first contact. From there, we go on to tour-to-application rate, as this is a direct reflection of the campus experience and the alignment of your brand promise. And finally, cost per enrolled student: providing a clear picture of the actual return on marketing spend.
We also have a thorough understanding of digital intelligence which goes beyond the surface level of website traffic, deeper into the engagement metrics of your marketing activity. We know that many prospective parents will research schools for months without making an inquiry and therefore giving you little clue as to their intentions. Thanks to our rigorous campaign planning and set up, we are able to spot trends and insights in your marketing data which enable decisions to be made which directly support lead generation growth.
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At LIQUID we pride ourselves on providing the strategic clarity required to lead a school through a complex and competitive market. Whether you are navigating a rebranding process or looking to optimise your digital enrolment, our experience in the UK and Southeast Asian markets will ensure your school stands out for the right reasons. And it is worth mentioning that we are also parents of children at international schools ourselves. We understand first hand the journey your target audience goes through, the emotional factors – as well as the significant financial commitment.
