How Schools Can Cut Through the Content Clutter

Writing Tips

Email inboxes overflow. Headlines change, it seems, faster than ever, each one vying for our attention. We’re bombarded by breaking news, opinions, photos.

This information overload is most prevalent in the younger generations—the exact audience schools are trying to attract.

This means that right from the start, your school’s content needs to be compelling. It takes time to create strong content, but the effort pays off.

Here are seven ways to ensure that your content gets through to your audience:

BE CONCISE

If you have a tendency to be long-winded, keep yourself in check and edit, edit, edit. Today’s readers appreciate concise language, not flowery ramblings.

Learn more: Copywriting 101—How to Craft Compelling Copy

BE BOLD

Strong statements make an immediate impact, so go for it. Say what you really mean. Then, look at your blog post’s formatting to be sure you’ve done all that you can to make your content stand out. Do you have images? Headers? Bold blocks of text? Good.

Learn more: 5 Quick Blog Fixes to Make Your Post Instantly Pop

HELP YOUR AUDIENCE

Make it easy for your audience to find the information you know they search for most often. Use callouts, sidebars, bold text, and headlines to draw attention to the most important info.

SHOW AND TELL

Pictures attract attention. They break up your content. They explain your topic. They make your content pinnable on Pinterest, and grab more attention when shared to other social media platforms. Whenever possible, use photos—especially photos of your own campus, students, and events—that showcase the diverse, thriving, active, engaged community that makes up your school.

Learn more: Your Picture-Perfect Resource for Creating Powerful Content Marketing Imagery

CRAFT YOUR HEADLINES

Nothing reels ‘em in better than a great headline, so it’s worth a bit of extra time to make sure yours is great. But please, no bait and switch. You won’t do yourself any good by using a sensational headline that’s barely derived from your actual topic.

Learn more: 13 Expert-Proven Tips for Writing the Ultimate Blog Headline

MAKE CONTENT MOBILE

Everyone is on the go, often switching from a computer to a tablet to a mobile device and back again. All of your web-based content needs to be easily available across all devices. This is crucial, and there are no excuses. An out-of-date website gives the impression that your school is out-of-date (no matter how many times you boast of your state-of-the-art computer labs), so if your website is behind the times, move this to the top of your priority list.

SHARE, SHARE, SHARE

Know where your audience is. Wherever they are, be there, sharing your content and engaging with others. Yes, that means it’s worth taking the time to understand the latest social media platform. You don’t have to personally love these methods of communication. It just matters if your prospective students and families do.

While content overflows in parents’ inboxes and students’ social media feeds, what doesn’t change is that we read what catches our eye, what’s relevant to us, and what’s interesting. Make your content fit that criteria and you’ll cut through the content clutter.