Founder of Air Social
Specialist in Independent School Marketing
Open days are one of our favourite topics, because they’re the moment where marketing, admissions and the school experience all collide. They’re also one of the most under-optimised marketing moments we see. Many schools put enormous energy into the day itself, then quietly under-deliver on the marketing around it – and lose most of the conversion opportunity as a result.
We’d suggest the marketing work starts six weeks out: targeted local digital ads, email sequences to your inquiry database, organic social content from current parents and pupils, and a dedicated landing page with structured FAQs. Registrations need to be tracked, not just counted.
Every touchpoint matters – greeting, signage, pupil ambassadors, the head’s address, departmental experiences. Capture stories live: short videos, parent voices, candid photos. The schools we work with often get six months of content out of a single well-photographed open day.
This is the bit we see done worst. Within 48 hours, every attendee should receive a personalised follow-up. Within two weeks, a nurture sequence sharing relevant content. Within a month, a soft invitation to a next step – taster day, individual tour or application.
We’d track registration-to-attendance, attendance-to-application and ultimately attendance-to-enrolment. These numbers reveal which open days actually work and which need rethinking.
If you’re exploring this further, feel free to reach out to us for a chat.
Typically 2–4 major open days, supplemented by smaller taster days or individual tours.
Six to eight weeks before, with a final push 7–10 days out.
Authentic interaction with pupils and the head, departmental experiences over generic tours, and clear next steps before parents leave.
Yes, local Meta and Google ads targeted by postcode and parent demographics consistently outperform organic alone.
Weak follow-up. Most leads cool within two weeks without proactive contact.
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For any other enquiries, please drop us a line in the form below and we’ll get back to you
Or send Alex an email to alex@airsocial.co.uk
