Best Practices for Building a School District Website

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August 6th, 2024

18 mins 35 secs

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school communication strategies website organization foremost media user testing website planning website accessibility education sector content management systems website management mobile-friendly design calendar integration school marketing school branding user experience website design ada compliance wordpress cms school district websites

About this Episode

In this episode of the Foremost Media Marketing Chat podcast, Jon Ballard and Evan Facinger discuss the unique challenges and necessities for school district websites. They discuss the importance of user experience, ADA compliance, and how to effectively organize content to meet the needs of several different unique audiences.

The Importance of Flexibility and Functionality

Proprietary content management systems (CMS) are often far too limiting for what school districts need. We advocate for the flexibility of open-source platforms like WordPress. School websites need to be functional, easy to navigate, and tailored to the specific needs of students, parents, staff, and the community. There are several critical features of school district websites that need to be considered, including calendar integrations, news updates, and mobile-friendly design, ensuring that the site serves all users effectively.

Marketing and Branding for Schools

Jon and Evan also discuss the often-overlooked aspect of marketing in the education sector. They share examples of how schools, including virtual, private, and public institutions, can benefit from strategic marketing to drive enrollment and community engagement. They also touch on the importance of branding consistency, suggesting that schools develop clear brand guidelines to maintain a professional online presence.

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 Intro
  • 0:46 Organizing Information for Several Audiences at Once
  • 5:26 Which Management Platform is Best?
  • 8:45 Calendar Integration
  • 10:28 Content Plugin for News & Updates
  • 11:38 Misc Integrations: Links, Document Management, & Social Media
  • 13:27 The Importance of Digital Marketing for School District Websites
  • 14:59 Planning is Key
  • 16:18 Have Consistent Brand Guidelines
  • 17:07 Foremost Selected as UW's Primary Pre-Approved Vendor
  • 18:21 Outro

Find more marketing insights and show notes here