Tilton School

Tilton School, a New Hampshire-based boarding school founded in 1845, provides a hands-on, curiosity-driven education. While its values and learning model stood out, the school’s communications didn’t reflect that vibrancy or clarity.

To increase applications and drive campus visits, the digital experience needed to speak directly to families exploring competitive private school options. We began by developing user personas for local, national, and international parents, along with the students themselves. These insights shaped a strategy focused on authenticity, clarity, and conversion.
Tilton’s brand message, “The people make the place,” guided every creative and technical decision.

The digital viewbook serves as both a marketing asset and a storytelling platform. Designed to complement Tilton’s primary website, it allows prospective families to explore the campus, community, and educational approach in a format that’s intuitive and engaging.

The homepage highlights key themes such as the Mastery Approach, student life, and campus culture. Evergreen content is balanced with articles, videos, and slideshows that can be updated regularly. This mix gives users a reason to return, building a relationship before they ever visit in person.

We also introduced a student-led tour modeled after Tilton’s on-campus Ambassadors. This interactive feature offers a personal perspective into daily life, giving parents and students a window into the student experience.

On the Explore page, families can navigate an interactive campus map and watch real videos from different locations. These immersive moments help bridge the gap between curiosity and action. The entire experience was optimized for mobile to reach families on any device.

Tilton didn’t need a full rebrand, but its voice and tone needed refinement. We developed a refreshed identity rooted in adventure, confidence, and community. A playful yet editorial voice was paired with messaging pillars that reflect Tilton’s values: experimentation, growth, and student ownership.

This new brand expression extended into print marketing as well. Posters, postcards, and stickers adopted the same visual identity and directed users to the digital viewbook, reinforcing the school’s updated presence across all channels.

Alongside the platform and brand updates, we built a communications plan focused on guiding families through the admissions funnel. Every piece of content was designed to answer key questions and prompt the next step—whether that was planning a visit, reaching out to admissions, or starting an application.

Within the first month of launch:

• Email campaigns featuring the viewbook converted at 2.6%
  
• The site ranked ninth in Google results for “boarding school viewbook,” marking early SEO traction
  
• Increased engagement led to higher rates of campus inquiries and information requests
  

Tilton’s internal team can now track user behavior across the viewbook to identify what resonates most and refine outreach efforts accordingly.

An extraordinary mobile experience was vital for reaching both the student and parent audiences. Our goal was to create a memorable mobile site that exudes the same feeling and experience as the desktop version, while keeping parents and students engaged and making it simple to visit, apply, or learn more.

The student-led tour is inspired by Tilton’s on-campus Ambassadors—students who promote the school to prospective families. It gives users a personal connection to the student body and is as close to a student’s first-hand experience as they can get before personally touring campus.

The Explore page features a Tilton School campus map that uses authentic videos and imagery, creating the feeling of actually being there. This connects users with the school environment and inspires them to contact Tilton for an in-person tour.

The digital viewbook’s visual elements are authentic to Tilton’s mission and values, which highlights the brand’s adventurous personality and distinguishes the school against competitors. Isadora Agency applied its design strategy to additional marketing materials—a poster, postcards, and stickers—that advance admissions communications. These materials guide users to the digital viewbook, encouraging them to log on and learn more.

This work exudes an authenticity central to Tilton School’s brand, and will powerfully connect with prospective students and parents while encouraging them to invest in a community that’s made for them. Tilton School will see the benefit of that investment over time.

Isadora Agency’s partnership with Tilton School includes ongoing services. Our team will continue providing a comprehensive, visibility-boosting SEO and SEM strategy. This approach will pointedly and effectively reach Tilton School’s target audiences, and produce data-driven digital marketing results.