UBIQ | Hub | AI Prompts for School Marketing

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work, and school marketing is no exception.

As someone who has worked in a school marketing role, I know firsthand how AI can speed up workflows, improve content quality, and help make data-driven decisions with greater confidence.

But it's not that easy. I also know there’s still hesitation around AI. Getting the Head (or Principal for those in the US and international schools) on board with using AI is a struggle for many school marketing directors, some marketing teams worry about losing creativity, while others aren’t sure where to start.

Let me hold your hand when I say this... AI is not here to replace you.

AI is here to assist you—to take on the heavy lifting of research, analysis, and content structuring so you can focus on the creative, strategic side of marketing. There's many reasons why we predict AI will continue to be extremely popular in schools this year, and you can read about that here if you're interested. The bottom line is, if you continue to ignore AI, you will fall behind the swathes of competitor schools keeping AI in their arsenal and exploiting it in the right ways.

Now, where to begin?

There's so many AI tools out there at your disposal, which is great, but this can be a bit overwhelming... I for one often feel I need to split myself in two just to keep up with the developments in the industry and prevent a nervous breakdown.

Many artificial intelligence tools are integrated with other platforms like social media, Adobe Creative Suite, and even email inboxes! Others are standalone tools hosted in their own web domains or apps (many with the option to automate workflows if that tickles your fancy), and it seems there's a new AI platform emerging every day.

We decided that the best way to break through the complex landscape of AI was to actually use it—not just tell you about it; there are plenty of articles out there filling that narrative. Like I mentioned earlier, many school marketers don't know where to start with AI, and once that barrier for entry is removed it's easy to see the potential. I remember showing ChatGPT's capabilities to a Head once who was fervently against AI. Soon enough, I was emailing him ChatGPT prompt ideas to build the narrative for the school's ethos and values website page.

In this test, we're going to use ChatGPT (a generative tool which, unless you've been hiding under a rock, you should be very familiar with by now) to show you how your school marketing team can work more effectively and efficiently using AI. Below, I’ll:

• Walk you through the exact ChatGPT prompts I used during my time working in schools to streamline processes
• Share a simple framework I've devised that ensures AI-generated content is high-quality, relevant, and tailored to your school’s needs.

Let's start from the framework.

Framework Campaign Evaluation Parent Feedback Marketing Objectives Key Takeaways

The ultimate AI prompt framework

When crafting a prompt for ChatGPT (or any AI tool, for that matter), using a structured approach will help you get the most effective responses. Here’s the four-step framework I recommend:

1. Establish persona: Define the role ChatGPT should take (e.g., SEO expert, PR consultant, copywriter, marketing manager or director) to ensure responses are tailored to your needs.

2. Acknowledge desired outcome: Clearly state what you need to achieve so that ChatGPT understands the goal.

3. Provide context: Give relevant background information to make responses more precise and aligned with your school’s messaging.

4. Request the task : Be specific about what you want ChatGPT to deliver, whether that’s a list of ideas, a structured response, or an in-depth analysis.

I've learned that there's no such thing as too much detail, and there is such a thing as far too little. I'd recommend ensuring your context and task portions of your prompt are highly detailed and specific. Also, ensure your AI account is loaded with information about your school in your profile settings. You can do this in ChatGPT by visiting the 'Customise ChatGPT' menu from your profile.

Below, you’ll find real-world prompts I’ve used when I was a school marketing manager, formatted using this approach, along with example outputs to illustrate what you can expect.

Identifying critical success factors for a marketing campaign

Here's one that allows you to soundboard off of another "marketeer". In this example, I share how I used ChatGPT to evaluate the CSFs (critical success factors) for a virtual experience campaign I wanted to run.

1. Establish persona: You are a business strategy expert specialising in digital platforms and customer engagement.
2. Desired outcome: I need to identify key success factors for a Virtual Experience Platform (VEX) that improves customer relationships and satisfaction.
3. Context: The VEX will be hosted on the school's existing website and allow prospective families to explore the school before visiting. The project will launch in [DATE], aiming to enhance engagement, capture high-quality leads, and improve conversion rates. It must align with market trends and technological advancements.
4. Task: Using this web page [INSERT LINK], extract relevant critical success factors that apply to the development of a virtual experience platform within the education sector.

Example ChatGPT Output:

• User Experience & Accessibility: The platform should be intuitive and easy to navigate.

• Personalisation & Data-Driven Insights: The system should tailor content based on user behaviour and collected data.

• Integration with Existing School Website: Seamless compatibility with current school infrastructure to ensure branding consistency.

• Lead Generation & Conversion Optimisation: Forms and engagement tools should capture high-intent enquiries.

Capturing parent feedback

Next, we explore how to turn your weekly (or monthly) parent communications into an opportunity to gain valuable insights. In this example, I've asked ChatGPT to create a survey which will measure the effectiveness of my school's parent communications.

1. Establish persona: You are a research expert skilled in survey design for customer and community engagement.
2. Desired outcome: I need a short feedback form to assess the effectiveness of [name of school newsletter] in delivering school updates.
3. Context: [Name of school newsletter] is a regular newsletter for parents. I need your help to understand if parents [measurable 1], [measurable 2], and [measurable 3].
4. Task: Draft a concise questionnaire that covers: [key focus area 1], [key focus area 2], and [key focus area 3].

Example ChatGPT Output:

• How often do you read the newsletter?

  • Every issue

  • Occasionally

  • Rarely

• How relevant do you find the content? (Scale of 1-5)

• What topics would you like to see more of?

• Do you prefer receiving the newsletter via email or another format?

• Any additional suggestions for improvement?

• Engagement levels

• Suggestions for improvement

Generating team objectives

Moving swiftly onto the next scenario, let's imagine we want to use ChatGPT to help us craft some SMART team objectives that will ensure we are working towards ambitious marketing targets.

1. Establish persona: You are an HR and performance management expert.

2. Desired outcome: I need four SMART performance objectives and two personal development objectives for my role as [role].

3. Context: Challenges include the impact of a 20% VAT rate on retention, parental needs to balancing academic and holistic factors, and a gradual decline in student numbers.

4. Task: Provide SMART objectives based on these challenges.

Example ChatGPT Output:

1. Increase website traffic by 20% by optimising SEO and launching targeted campaigns.

2. Boost parent engagement with newsletters, achieving a 50% open rate by December.

3. Develop a strategic PR plan to enhance the school’s reputation, securing three media features in the next academic year.

4. Improve conversion rates on admissions pages from 2% to 5% through A/B testing and UX enhancements.

Key takeaways

1. Structure matters: A well-crafted prompt will generate responses that are more relevant and actionable.

2. AI won’t replace creativity: Instead, it enhances strategic thinking by handling research-heavy or repetitive tasks.

3. Test and refine: AI-generated content should always be reviewed and adapted to fit your school’s tone of voice and branding.

4. Use AI as a brainstorming tool: It can spark new ideas and improve efficiency, but human oversight remains essential.

Phew! After that whirlwind case study tour of ChatGPT, hopefully I've convinced you that the robots aren't taking over and they're actually friendlies wanting to help us do school marketing even better.

Maddie Lingard
Senior Content Marketing Manager

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