We get many questions about the Our Kids marketing membership from schools that want to learn more about it. Below, we’ve compiled some of the main questions, and provided answers to them, in a Q & A format. If you want to learn more about the membership, read our information kit, which describes membership basics and benefits in great detail.

Q	Who joins Our Kids?

A

Our 330+ member schools represent a broad spectrum of school sizes, types, and locations. This includes schools that are small and large, with varying tuitions, and local and international. It also includes 47 faith-based schools, 85 Montessori schools, 72 boarding schools, 41 special needs schools, and 41 International Baccalaureate (IB) schools.

Q	What does membership involve?

A

An Our Kids marketing membership lasts for 12 months, and comes with a full money-back guarantee. We showcase your school on all our platforms, so families properly consider you alongside other schools. This includes our online, print, mobile, and person-to-person platforms. Of special note, as an Our Kids member, your detailed and structured 2000-4000 word school profile will be featured on OurKids.net. Through this profile, families will be able to learn about your school, compare you with other schools, and contact you directly. See what's included with a membership

Q	What are the main benefits of membership?

A

An Our Kids membership is a cost-effective way to generate inquiries, build awareness, and shape perceptions of your school. Our platforms are dominated by parents of school-age children actively searching for private schools. Our network connects you with a large and targeted audience (for instance, over 200,000 people visit OurKids.net each month to research private schools), who become aware of your school and learn all about it. This not only has the potential to increase the quantity and quality of your enrolments, it also gives you the opportunity to shape perceptions of your school and build your brand identity. See membership benefits for more

Q	How can I keep track of these results?

A

Membership includes extensive analytics reporting. We share with you the number of times your mini-profile is seen by families, and the number of families who navigate to your full profile, click through to your website, and look up your phone number. We share this data with you in real time. You can access it online (with a username and password) whenever you want, and the numbers will reflect your current data. Moreover, we also send monthly emails outlining your analytics, along with extensive annual reports on your numbers. Moreover, we offer a 100% money-back guarantee: at least 800 families will view your school profile annually or we’ll reimburse your full membership fees.

Q	Our school isn’t in the Greater Toronto Area. Is an Our Kids membership really optimal for us?

A

Yes. GTA and non-GTA schools are equally important at Our Kids. Among the 205 Ontario schools listed, 34% are outside the GTA. Meanwhile, 40% of our Ontario web traffic comes from outside the GTA, and 36% of our Ontario magazine distribution is outside the GTA. In terms of share of voice, our non-GTA schools are actually at a slight advantage. Visitors to the OurKids.net directory are immediately channeled to a list of relevant school profiles (according to location, school type, and other criteria) connecting families directly to your school. We guarantee at least 800 click-throughs to your Our Kids profile.

Q

We reach a local audience and don't have much competition. Is Our Kids membership still optimal for us?

A

Yes. Member benefits span all geographic areas: Our Kids brands your school year-round in the leading private school community and creates multiple calls-to-action for your prospective families. As you continue to compete with the public school system and with home-schooling alternatives, Our Kids ensures you are front and centre in your audience's mind. While you may also be competing with personal lifestyle decisions like paying down their mortgage sooner, purchasing a new car, or choosing a qualified after-school tutor for their child, Our Kids positions compelling information about your school to families as they actively research independent education and reinforces your school's premium position. In addition, visibility with Our Kids complements the value of your school through association with a strong brand in the market; Our Kids is viewed as the #1 Trusted Source for families seeking private and independent education alternatives.

Q

We operate in a particular niche, and only go after a subset of your audience. Will we be paying for more than we need?

A

No. All Our Kids listing schools target only a subset of our audience – delineated by location, school philosophy, religion, socio-economic status, academic ability, gender, and other criteria. Our Kids focuses exclusively on private or independent education alternatives. As such, many schools in this market cater to one segment or another; together, we will work to optimize your visibility, your profile and your success. With a 95% advertiser return rate, more than 330 schools have made the decision that Our Kids is the right advertising vehicle for their school.

Q

One of the benefits you list in your marketing literature is your social media presence. But I can do much of that myself. How would Our Kids help me?

A

Social media works best when you network with a community that amplifies your messages and multiplies your efforts. Our strong social communities are comprised of attentive parents, ambassadors, and promoters of private and independent education alternatives. As you promote your own messages via your social profiles, a partnership with Our Kids takes that message to further reach through our growing network of over 5,000 members nationwide. And, in the instance that you may not be active in the social space, our Content team can provide support to get started and promoted via these powerful channels.