We all know that creating content that ranks well in search engines, increases traffic and helps you grow interest in your school is a challenging task, especially when you’re wearing multiple hats and competing against other schools who are attempting to do the same thing. You could just churn out twice as many blog posts as you currently do, but we all know that’s just not realistic or sustainable. It’s also likely that half of those blog posts won’t end up generating any new traffic at all, making the effort feel like a waste of time. In addition, the way Google ranks content has changed dramatically in recent years, making old SEO techniques not as effective as they once were. So what do we do? These slides provide an answer. I’ll explain how “topic clusters” and “pillar pages” can be used to create a more thoughtful and strategic approach to content marketing, helping your school’s website to rank for valuable high-traffic terms, generate more traffic, and capture more inquiries and applicants.

1. Topics Over Keywords:
How to Increase Traffic by Producing
Less Content
VirCon5

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How can we get more
Inquiries&
Applicants?

3. 3
Sean Henri
CEO, Pepperland Marketing
@SeanHenri

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?

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The Admissions Funnel Has Changed
Families reach out later:
• In Higher Ed, 50% of students do not
reach out prior to applying
• NAIS day schools reported 4.6 inquiries
per applicant in 2017, compared to 7.5
in 2001
At the same time, they want more info:
• Decision is not taken lightly
• 28% would like more information about
the admission process
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Accepted
Enrolled
Matriculated

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Technology has empowered us
1 2 3 4
?

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Over a year 6 months - 1 year 3-6 months > 3 months
Most spend over a year researching options online...
24%
9%
15%
51%
Enrollment

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… but don’t contact you until they are nearly done.
Over a year 6 months - 1 year 3-6 months > 3 months
24%
9%
15%
51%
Enrollment
on desktop,
people will
request information
1 month
before applying.
.

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This trend will only continue
63,000
searches per second
167 billion
searches per month
2 trillion
searches per year

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So how can you win back influence?
How do we engage earlier in their research process?
The point at which they
contact you
Awareness Consideration Decision

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Parent's don’t start by searching your school’s name.

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They might begin here...

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or here.

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They usually begin much earlier. With a problem.

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Search informs every stage of their research.
If you’re not answering their questions, who is?
That’s not right!
Parent
Yikes! Expensive!
You

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Optimize Your Website for Consideration & Decision-Stage Searches
Use a CMS that lets you easily optimize:
• Title Tags
• Meta Descriptions
• On-Page Content

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Target the Rest of the Journey with Blog Content
1. Expand the size of your funnel by
reaching more prospects and
identifying them long before they
apply.
2. Earn trust by answering questions.
3. Help shape their decision-criteria,
increasing the perceived value of the
unique attributes of your school and
increasing the chances of earning
their application.
Impact of blogging:

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Where should you begin?

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Step 1: Create Personas
Personas are semi-fictional descriptions
of the types of students and families you
wish to attract.
It describes their:
• Demographics
• Influences
• Common questions/concerns
• Decision criteria
Describes who your content should
speak to.

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Step 2: Identify Topics To Target
What terms/topics should you target to
attract more families to your website?
1. What did persona research reveal?
2. What questions do we get asked
every day?
3. Which questions are most heavily
searched?

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Step 3: Create A Plan & Choose Your Platform
1. Create an editorial calendar
2. Identify authors
3. Select your blogging platform
– Finalsite Posts
– HubSpot
– Wordpress
Tip: Everyone should contribute! If you
can’t write - shoot a video instead!

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Step 4: Start Blogging
• Aim to serve the searcher’s intent
• Include targeted keyword in headline
• Don’t be promotional!
• Help people discover your content
through social media and email
• Watch your traffic increase

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Step #5: Convert Visitors Into Inquiries
• Package blog posts into a
higher-value, downloadable offer.
• Link to this offer from your blog
posts using a Call-To-Action (CTA).
• Nurture these prospects with email
until they are ready to apply.

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Step #6: Look for Signals of Interest
• Don’t forget the human element
• If you see someone has viewed your
Admission section several times - call
them!
• Use free solutions that track activity
and tell you when people open/click
your emails.
• Score based on activity to find the
most engaged prospects.

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Easy, right?
Now let’s get real.

28. Let’s take a minute to
talk about search…

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How to Rank in Search Results
Keyword Blog Headline
what is boarding school like What Is It Like To Attend a Top Boarding School?
boarding school troubled teens
how do boarding schools work
are boarding schools worth it?
how to afford boarding school
Google looks for content that best answers the searcher’s
query and helps them to accomplish their goal.

30. An Obsession With Keywords
Is keyword in title,
URL, and meta
description?
Assumes:
● Desktop Browser
● Same internet
connection
● All same time of day
● One type of searcher
Meta Description & Page that answers the exact
keyword search someone typed in.

31. How we search has changed.

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Hey Google, what are the best boarding
schools?

34. Instead of 5 variations to target
there are THOUSANDS
Topic: “best boarding schools”
● 10 best boarding schools ● find the best boarding schools
● the best boarding schools ● boarding school best
● best boarding school ● best boarding schools northeast
● best boarding schools near me ● best boarding schools cheshire area

35. That’s a LOT of blog content!

36. Limited Time

37. A Shift from Keywords to Topics
"Google said that Hummingbird is paying more attention to each
word in a query, ensuring that the whole query—the whole sentence
or conversation or meaning—is taken into account."

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Google now favors content that covers a topic comprehensively

39. Introducing
PILLAR CONTENT
A single piece of content that
covers a topic comprehensively.

40. That one piece of content is
THE
authoritative source on that topic.

41. Pillar Content links to blog posts
that dive deeper into sub-topics.
We call these “Topic Clusters”

42. Think of your content as a series of
pillars, a stabilizing foundation for
your content plan.

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• A Comprehensive, long-form resource that is
prominently featured on your website.
• All content is displayed on the page, not behind a
form.
• Targets a common topic your prospects ask about
• Structured look a book - Chap. 1, Chap. 2...
• Aggregates and links to related content (blog posts,
videos, resources, etc.) on your website.
What does it look like?

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The Benefits of a Topics over Keywords approach:
1. You can publish fewer blog posts while capturing more traffic.
2. Creates a logical, strategic roadmap for which content you should create, and in
what order.
3. Greater impact:
– Better narrative
– More on-site engagement
– Attracts links
– Resource for your Admissions team

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Pillar Content Topics For Schools
Awareness Consideration Decision
Local Community
Guide for Parents
Unique Approach
Category vs.
Alternative
Admission Process
Persona: Parents

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10 Steps to Create Content Pillars
1. Brainstorm 1-3 “Pillar” topics.
2. Develop outline with required sub-topics.
3. Map existing content, and fill in the gaps.
4. Create your first Pillar.
5. Create PDF version of content to capture leads.
6. Link “topic-cluster” content to/from your Pillar
7. Plan quarterly blog campaigns that dive deeper into sub-topics.
8. Refresh/expand your pillar over time.
9. Stick to your plan. Seek external help if you need it.

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My Challenge To You

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4 Things You Need to Do Today
1. See how your website appears in both branded, and unbranded searches.
2. Does your website answer your prospect’s most common questions?
3. Talk to your parents or students - ask them to reflect upon their journey:
a. What triggered their journey towards finding a new school?
b. What did they search for?
c. What couldn’t they find that would have been helpful in making their decision?
d. Why did they chose your school?
4. Start thinking about a plan to close the gaps.

49. Questions?

50. Free Resources:
PepperlandMarketing.com/Vircon5
● This Presentation
● Free tools and templates
● Complimentary Inbound Marketing Assessment

51. @SeanHenri
PepperlandMarketing.com
sean@pepperlandmarketing.com