Today’s parents are busier than ever. With a never-ending to-do list and overflowing inbox, it can be hard for parents to balance it all. Your school can help lighten their load by simplifying communication with a Digistorm App. Once you’ve decided on a dedicated school app, you’ll want to be intentional about how you introduce it to your community.  

This guide will explore how to introduce your school to a new app, facilitate a smooth rollout, and ensure high adoption rates among your community.  

Establish Clear and Measurable Goals 

Before you begin marketing your app, you’ll want to set goals to help you track the app’s success. The SMART framework is a good place to start. A SMART goal is one that is: 

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable 
  • Relevant 
  • Time-bound 

Here’s an example of a SMART goal: we want 80% of parents to download the app within the first month of launch. Instead of choosing a random number of app downloads as your benchmark of success, a SMART goal can help you set realistic expectations. It will also help inform your conversations with your leadership team and showcase your launch strategy’s success. 

Launch a Marketing Campaign 

Once you’ve established your goals, you can create a marketing plan to help you achieve them. An internal marketing campaign will help you raise awareness about the new app and encourage downloads. Digistorm provides a set of marketing graphics you can use to promote your app.  

To start, think about your available marketing channels. Where is your parent community most active? Choose a variety of channels that are relevant to your target audience. If you have a school newsletter, include a QR code to download the app with a short blurb about its key features and benefits. You could also create a pop-up on your school website to announce the app, along with an informational blog with more details. Other digital channels like social media and your email signature are prime locations for app promotion. 

Don’t forget about in-person channels! Create a promotional flyer to hang near high-traffic areas like the front office or bulletin boards. Events like parent-teacher conferences are another great place to promote the app and explain its benefits.  

Choose App Ambassadors 

Any time you introduce new technology to your school community, you need to establish trust. App ambassadors can help! Include students, staff members, and parents in your app marketing campaign to showcase its relevance and user-friendliness. Ask them to share quotes or stories about why they love the app and create short videos to share across your digital marketing channels.  

Provide App Education 

It’s important to make a great first impression during your app launch. If parents have trouble downloading the app or setting up their account, they’re unlikely to complete the process. Make sure to give them everything they need to ensure a smooth experience.  

Consider this helpful information: 

  • A step-by-step guide with instructions for downloading, installing, and logging in to the app for the first time. Make sure to include details on integrations with other systems like your school’s student information system. 
  • Video tutorials about key app functionalities. These are helpful for onboarding new users and making sure they take full advantage of the app’s features. They can also be shared across your school website, newsletter, and social media channels for both promotional and educational purposes. 
  • Details about the app’s data privacy and security. Reassure parents about the safety of their personal information by explaining how the app complies with regulations and protects user data. 
  • Invitations to app informational sessions for both parents and school staff, either in-person or virtual. Walk through the app’s features, benefits, and log-in process.  

In every launch communication, be sure to clearly articulate the app’s benefits to your community. Be specific and highlight how the app can make their lives easier through seamless logins and a one-stop shop for school information. By showcasing the app’s value, you’re likely to increase adoption and user engagement. 

Promote the App to New Families 

Don’t think of your app launch as a one-time thing. It’s important to promote the app on an ongoing basis as new families are constantly joining your community.  

Include information about the app in your new student welcome packs and new year family checklists. By introducing families to the app at the beginning of their journey with your school, they’ll be more likely to download and engage with it moving forward.  

Showcase Your School Brand 

Parents may be hesitant to download the app if there’s a disconnect between your school and your app. That’s one reason (of the many!) why branding is so important. By giving your app a unique name and catchy tagline, it will resonate with your community and feel more “official.”  

For example, if your school is named Digistorm College, you might name your app DigiConnect. This name helps create an identity for your school app and clarify its purpose. The addition of your school logo, brand colors, and social media links solidify the relevance of the app.  

Gather Feedback and Adjust 

After you’ve completed the initial launch, collect feedback from parents and staff about their experience with the app. This can be completed via survey, feedback forms, or direct communication with individuals to find out what they love about the app or what they’re struggling with. Categorize this feedback and start implementing it based on priority. By adjusting to better meet your community’s needs, you’ll demonstrate that you value their opinion and that you’re committed to providing a truly great user experience.  

Incentivize Downloads 

Having trouble getting people to download the app? Offer an incentive to help drive downloads. This will help generate buzz about the app and motivate more people to engage. 

Get creative with it! You could advertise a prize raffle for the first 100 parents who download the app or a gift card to the school store. Or you could publish app-exclusive news to create FOMO and encourage more downloads.  

Simplify Communications 

Once you’ve successfully introduced your school app, it’s wise to evaluate your other communication channels and make sure you are not duplicating efforts. Since your app now serves as a one-stop shop for school updates, you may no longer need other channels like a print newsletter or email updates. If you choose to eliminate any communications, make sure to announce that those channels are discontinued to avoid any confusion among your parent community.  

Next Steps 

Launching a new app might feel intimidating but with a strategic plan, strong communication, and ongoing support, you can achieve a smooth rollout and high adoption rate. In addition to the steps we outlined in this guide, remember to leverage your Digistorm Customer Success Manager and Onboarding Specialist! These app experts can provide tailored advice and support for your school during the initial launch and beyond.  

For more information about Digistorm Apps, request a demo to learn about our custom-branded school apps.