Here are four quick tips to help you find the right database of schools:

There are lots of data suppliers out there, all offering schools databases of varying amounts and quality.

We know there are a lot of staff changes in schools throughout the year – new schools open, some schools close, staff change roles, some move to new schools and some retire. That’s why it’s important to make sure your data is of a high quality and updated regularly.

You’ll find some schools data at bargain prices. However, ‘bargain’ data often means low quality data. We’ve heard of some data companies who haven’t updated their schools databases in years! You won’t get any engagement, generate leads or make sales if your marketing doesn’t reach its target because of an out-of-date mailing list.

Here are some key questions to ask any data supplier you’re considering:

✔ How accurate is your database of schools?
✔ How often do you update it?
✔ Can I see a sample of your data?
✔ Is your data GDPR compliant?

The next thing is to check that your data supplier can supply the exact data you need.
To run a successful marketing campaign, you need to be able to create a bespoke schools mailing list, which includes the specific schools, teachers and decision makers you want to target.

A few things to consider when choosing your data supplier:

✔ How much data do they have available?
✔ How much coverage does the data offer?
✔ Can you select the targets of your choice?

If you’ve seen our latest data counts, you’ll know that our database of schools just won’t stop growing. We’ve now got almost 30,000 UK schools and 422,000 named teachers and decision makers, all with an accuracy guarantee of 97%, so your choice of data is huge!

You can also work with our friendly Campaign Strategists to create your own targeted mailing list.

Ask yourselves these questions to identify the data you need:

What level and type of school is my product or service suitable for?

Primary Schools? Secondary Schools? Special Schools? All schools?
Use our guide to UK schools to help you decide.

Which area of the UK do I operate in?

You can choose schools from any number and combination of regions. For example, the whole of the UK, England only, North West only, Lancashire only etc. We can even create your database of schools based on postcodes alone.

Which subject or business area is it related to?

We can supply data for over 120 different job roles in UK schools, so you can target your marketing directly to the decision makers in the subject area or department of your choice.

The next step is to think about how you want to use your schools data – how often, for how long and on which sending platform.

You’ll find some data suppliers who offer you a lifetime licence to use the data. This sounds great but do beware here – it doesn’t necessarily mean that your data will continue to be updated, so you could find that you’re soon using out of date data.

If you only plan to use the data once, then this might be fine. For any longer-term marketing plans you need to make sure your data is always as up-to-date as possible, every time you use it.

You can then use the data to send individual emails to teachers and decision makers or upload it to your CRM system or email sending platform to create marketing campaigns for your whole mailing list.

Once you’ve got your schools data, it’s helpful to know how much additional support your data supplier can offer you.

Some data suppliers will effectively end their relationship with you once you’ve made a purchase – this means if you have any problems or need any advice, you might not receive the support you need.

At Buzz Education, we’re not just data suppliers – we’re education marketing specialists. This means we can not only give you technical support with your personal data dashboard, we can also support with your ongoing marketing planning and strategy.