NEW ULM — Looking to extend their reach beyond New Ulm was the main focus of the New Ulm School Board’s study session Thursday.

This discussion began with a presentation from New Ulm Bus Line General Manager Joseph Rakowski. Rakowski said the buses have followed the districts open enrollment goals and they travel 118 miles a day beyond the district lines.

“We are ready and capable to increase our outreach to families interested in open enrollment at New Ulm schools as we are directed by the administration,” he said. “When they see our busses in their communities they know they have options for education beyond their community. This will increase the potential of adding [students].”

The potential of bringing in students from surrounding communities to New Ulm schools through extending bus routes has already seen success. Rakowski provided the Gibbon line added last year as an example.

“I’d like to touch on our Gibbon route we added last year,” he said. “We had some really great [success]. We pulled in a lot of new students last year as well as this year. Some of the students are from the surrounding areas such as Fairfax. Some of them saw the bus there. Having the bus in Gibbon got them to be really interested and transferred here.”

KEYC from Mankato gave a presentation on how to extend the reach of New Ulm Schools via advertisements across several different channels. Multimedia Marketing Consultant Yvette Dobbs said there were three target areas ideal for marketing.

“[One], I know [we need to increase] recognition for the new leadership here,” she said. “[Two], recruitment of teachers. There are some under used facilities in need of teachers as well as in the general district. [Three], positive reinforcement of image throughout struggling communities to help entice families to come to the New Ulm school district.”

These ads would be spread through several channels via KEYC’s advertising partners. The ads would run through traditional cable broadcasting and on the internet. There is also the potential for some advanced technology to further integrate ads from New Ulm schools. One idea Dobbs described is using ads on streaming platforms.

“[Let’s say] I’m a household, I live in Gibbon, and I’ve got children in my household,” she said. “I’m watching HGTV and [I get advertising for New Ulm Schools]. Then later I switch over to a game on ESPN2. That commercial is going to follow me. Versus when you’re watching the news [on broadcast cable] and you’re looking for a commercial to play because you have direct placement. You might miss it. You might get up, you might go somewhere, you might do something. But this [advertising] follows you along your journey.”

These ads can be targeted to specific demographics, such as households with children, and people living in specific ZIP codes. Another potential avenue would be geofencing. This would allow New Ulm school advertisements to reach people in a desired area of coverage through cell phones.

“You take a specific address and you have an invisible mat,” Dobbs said. “Somebody that’s got their phone service on and is accepting location tracking would go through the mat. They would start getting served whatever messages you have, and they would get followed for 30 days with [advertising].”

The school board is considering purchasing an advertising package through KEYC, which would range anywhere from $1,500-3,500 a month depending on what is included. Nothing was decided at the study session.