Big Book of Schools 2024 in Metro Detroit and Chicago

If you’re a school trying to attract new students — whether private, charter or public — you know the competition is steeper than ever. According to the latest Niche survey, 64% of parents are considering three or more schools in their search process; for 23%, that number is at least five.

You likely know it’s important to reach parents in many ways. But, especially if you’re on a tight budget, it can feel imposing. Fortunately, for metro Detroit and Chicago schools, the Big Book of Schools can fill this gap on a modest $2,000 annual budget.

This product is offered by Zoe Marketing & Communications’ sister companies, Metro Parent and Chicago Parent. It’s part of the Education Essential Marketing Campaign, but it can also be “pieced out.” This blog will cover the essential Big Book of Schools facts, including:

• What Big Book of Schools is
• Audience you’ll reach
• Big Book’s 5 key components
• Timeframe, deadline and cost

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What Big Book of Schools is

Released every June, Big Book of Schools is the only comprehensive directory of PreK-12 schools in southeast Michigan and Chicagoland. There is a separate book for each market.

This annual print and digital magazine features hundreds of private, charter and, in Michigan, public school options (since the state has a “school of choice” public school option). Every school that meets specific criteria is included for free.

• See Metro Parent’s 2023 Big Book of Schools
• See Chicago Parent’s 2023 Big Book of Schools

Big Book of Schools is available as part of the more comprehensive  Education Essential Marketing Campaign. It is also sold separately.

Audience you’ll reach

Big Book of Schools reaches a minimum of 100,000 parents in the metro Detroit or Chicago markets. This includes readers of Metro or Chicago Parent and Big Book of Schools and other parents through targeted emails and social media promotions.

Your audience will include a mix of parents with children from ages 6-17. Again, part of this audience includes readers and followers of Metro Parent and Chicago Parent.

For the Metro Parent audience:

• In the past year, nearly 149K people visited MetroParent.com for educational content.
• Depending on the school type, up to 36% of parents in our audience would consider sending their child to a different type of school.

For the Chicago Parent audience:

• In the past year, 182K+ people visited ChicagoParent.com for educational content.
• Depending on the school type, up to 42% of parents in our audience would consider sending their child to a different kind of school.

5 key components of Big Book of Schools

When you choose the Big Book of Schools free-standing marketing option, your school stands out from hundreds of others in five key ways:

1. A full-page ad in the magazine

Your school is prominently featured in a full-page ad in the print and digital editions of Big Book of Schools. These ads reach at least 8,000 highly engaged readers.

2. An enhanced listing in the magazine

Your listing appears at the beginning of your school’s section (private, charter or public), in alphabetical order. It receives a more significant font treatment and a more extensive description. 

Here’s what an enhanced listing looks like:

And here’s what a standard listing looks like:

3. Inclusion in the Education All-Stars roundup

You’re included in our Education All-Stars roundup web posts on both websites.

• See Metro Parent’s school roundup post
• View Chicago Parent’s school roundup post

4. Added exposure with extended targeted email

Through a targeted email, you get extended reach to parents in either the metro Detroit or Chicago area. The email promotes the roundup (see above) to 50,000 subscribers.

5. Additional email and social promotion

The roundup web post and digital magazine are promoted to Metro Parent’s and Chicago Parent’s audiences via email and Facebook/Instagram, reaching at least another 42,000 parents.

Timeframe, deadline and cost

Big Book of Schools marketing runs for an entire year, from June 20, 2024 through May 31, 2025. The deadline to sign up for 2024 is Friday, May 17, 2024.

The total cost for either market is $2,000 for everything listed above.

Next steps for getting involved with Big Book of Schools

Competition for school seats is high, so staying “top of mind” with local parents is essential. Big Book of Schools provides an affordable option to help schools in metro Detroit and Chicago reach engaged families through multiple methods.

Ready to explore this option for your school? Talk to us. Our team will help you determine whether this is the right choice.

Looking ahead to marketing after the May 17, 2024 deadline has passed? Discover the best digital tactics to promote your school.

And, in the summer of 2024, watch for new details about our revamped Education Essential Marketing Campaign. It will offer customizable options to help you reach your target audience.