Have you ever visited a website that displays a pop-up for a free eBook download while you are browsing through the content? This is an inbound marketing strategy experts refer to a content offer.
The pop-up will probably ask you for your email address to access the free download. If you’re interested, you’ll provide them with the information required. If not, you’ll close the pop-up and continue browsing through the website or exit it altogether. That pop-up you just closed (or signed up for) is what we call a content offer.
Do content offers matter for Montessori schools? Yes!
A content offer is something that your Montessori school creates that provides value to your audience. In exchange for this value, you get their personal information like an email. Content offers can play a vital role in your Montessori school’s inbound marketing strategy. They can help you generate leads and build your school’s mailing list, allowing you to reach out to prospective parents looking to enroll their child in a Montessori school. Let’s discuss the benefits of such offers for Montessori schools and what types of content offers you can create.
Understanding the Importance of a Content Offer for Your Inbound Marketing Strategy
Your Montessori school’s website probably already has a Contact Us page with a formal inquiry or application form. However, unless someone has decided to learn more about your school, they are unlikely to fill this out. These are your low-commitment website visitors. They typically spend a limited amount of time browsing through your website before moving on to something else.
Unfortunately, low-commitment visitors make up a majority of the website traffic you receive. One statistic reveals that 41% to 51% of your visitors will leave the website without a meaningful action.
With Montessori schools, most parents spend a lot of time searching and reading up on potential schools in their area before they consider enrolling their child somewhere. So, what can you do? How do you keep the conversation going even after a parent has exited your website? You use a content offer.
A content offer doesn’t require parents to make a serious commitment. They get to access a free resource, and you get their email address. It provides you with a new lead that you can nurture through your admissions funnel and potentially increase your enrollment rate.
Without this tool, you might never be able to interact with a prospective parent again. Given the amount of competition out there, that’s a mistake you can’t afford to make.
The Different Types of Content Offers for Montessori Schools
We have discussed what content offers are and why you need one for your inbound marketing strategy. Now, let’s tackle the question of what types of content offer you can create. A good content offer usually meets the following criteria. It should be:
- Free
- Easy to access
- Offer something meaningful to your audience
The first two are simple. Since you are dealing with a low-commitment visitor, you don’t want to charge them for a resource. Secondly, you should not attach an overly complicated lead generation form to fill in to get the resource. Remember, most website visitors desire convenience. If you ask them to fill out too many things, they may very well decide to pass on the offer.
The third aspect can be a little tricky, though. What type of content offers would parents be interested in? To help you, let’s go through the various types of content offers that Montessori schools can consider.
eBooks
eBooks are one of the most popular content offers that populate the internet right now. You have likely come across them while browsing through websites. An eBook is a helpful resource that you can create, as it helps parents on their research journey. You could create something on the different types of education, parenting tips, or child development. Since this is something a parent will be interested in, they are likely to download it.
Viewbooks
Viewbooks are simple. They serve as a portfolio for your school, offering a more detailed look into your facilities and other benefits and features. You probably have a viewbook available in print already. You can make a digital copy of the same and use it to create a content offer. UX Studio has designed both print and digital viewbooks for other Montessori school. Schedule a call to have one created for yours.
Whitepapers
Whitepapers are another excellent example of a content offer. Unlike eBooks, a whitepaper is usually limited to two or three pages. They can also be a single page long. You could create a whitepaper on a research topic, such as “how does a Montessori education contribute to a child’s personal development?” It can allow you to highlight the benefits of Montessori education while getting a parent’s contact information.
Other content offers include asking website visitors to sign up for your mailing list to receive regular updates. You can also promote an event, such as a virtual open house tour of the school.
Creating a Content Offer for Your Website
We have provided you with a few examples of the types of content offers you can make. If you are not sure where to begin, here are a few things that can help you get started:
- Consider what you have available.
- Plan for a new resource, such as a viewbook, whitepaper or an eBook.
- Figure out how you want to make the content offer (for example, you could use a pop-up. You could also create a landing page highlighting the benefits of your resource and why a parent should sign up).
Read Montessori Landing Page Secrets for Effective Marketing to learn more about creating a winning landing page.
Key Takeaways
Content offers can do wonders for your inbound marketing strategy. An enticing offer can help you generate more leads while also establishing your authority in areas like Montessori education, child development, and parenting. It helps build your Montessori brand and makes it easier to win over new parents.
You can use viewbooks, eBooks, whitepapers, and event promotions when creating a content offer. If you want to learn more about inbound marketing and how you can boost your school’s enrollment rate, reach out to our team today!
