Sorority And Fraternity Marketing
Working with college clubs and organizations, such as the Greek System of fraternities and sororities, is a great way of gaining students trust. and fraternities gives you access to ready-made social networks through which a successful campaign can be delivered. Certain groups even offer the opportunity for direct contact with specific demographics such as The Latino Fraternal Organizations and Black Greek Letter Organizations.
Create Entertainment Driven Content
Marketing to college students using regular boring direct advertising or over the top TV ads simply wont do. Those work for the older generation, college students enjoy and are more likely to engage with meaningful and entertaining content. The higher the entertainment value of the content, the more likely they are to relate with the brand and even share your message. You can place these content either on your company website or on your social media pages. Working with a good graphic design team such as Penji means having access to an unlimited source of images for your social media marketing.
Successful Case Study: Red Bull
Red Bull has nearly perfect this practice. When you enter the companys website, the first thing you notice is the lack of product placement. Theyre not promoting their drinks, but upcoming competitive events. Its effective because it draws in sports fans. These are popular at any age range, but for university students, this is thrilling. Theyre able to see first-hand experiences and interviews from some of their favorite athletes. Its on the extreme end for content marketing, but their tactics do work. Best of all, theyre already on Red Bulls website and are exposed indirectly.
What Social Media Are College Students Using
As the next generation of college students, Gen Z s value to marketers cant be overstated. This makes it tempting to throw money at various college student targeted ads in hope that some will stick.
But ever-evolving technologies, chaotic politics and now an unprecedented pandemic are resulting in the generation being more financially risk-averse. Gen Z are also much more price sensitive and much less brand loyal when compared with previous generations.
This means that is it vital for you to thoroughly research the interests, expectations and priorities of your targeted college students.
Because of this, before jumping into the best social media strategy for engaging college students, its important to understand what social media college students use and how they use them.
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Wariness Of Traditional Marketing
Effective college marketing identifies the needs of this demographic and delivers a brands message in a timely, useful way. Whilst college students spend thousands of dollars over the course of their degrees, they are not easily swayed by traditional, interruption marketing. Studies have shown how 56% Gen Z will purposefully not click on ads whilst browsing websites, whilst 65% have gone as far as to install ad-blocking technology on their devices to stop seeing them altogether . Considering college students wariness of marketing messages is vital to delivering a brand message that will not simply be ignored on arrival.
Need Help Promoting Your Brand Through Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing can feel overwhelming especially with demographics that are constantly changing.
But inbound marketing is a goldmine that todays brands need to reach college students and their parents.
At College Marketing Group, our team of experts is here to help you strategically execute all inbound marketing tactics from targeted email marketing to social media, content marketing, and more.
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Which Marketing Channels Are Best To Use During Coronavirus
Depending on the specific colleges and locations that you are planning on, businesses may find that theyll need to embrace flexibility in terms of the media that they are using to target their students with. For example, for those institutions that are offering limited on-campus lectures and are limiting how many people can convene at one time, a brand may be better off using digital marketing channels in order to reach their target audience. Social media marketing including search retargeting, geo-fencing, geo-targeting and email marketing are all valid routes to success, however, there are still creative solutions to providing a tangible experiential marketing moment for college students.
Tips For Effectively Marketing To College Students
The U.S. has some 21 million+ college students. Tech-savvy trendsetters who spend more time together than most other social or professional groups. To put that further into perspective, Generation Y is now estimated to be the largest consumer group in U.S. history.
Yet, college back-to-school spending alone will surpass $30 billion this year* and in a study of the “Millennial Traveler” the Boston Consulting Group concluded
“….Airlines, hotels, and destinations that dont reach out to Millennials now, seeking to understand and address their unique needs, may miss the boat entirely
So we’ve got a large audience with unique needs and solid purchasing power. Then, how can you do better than most, and effectively market to college students? Let’s look at five simple steps:
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Consider The User Experience
An important part of SEO is providing users with a positive user experience. You want them to enjoy their time on your website. One way you can provide users with a great experience is through your websites design.
First impressions have a huge impact. As soon as a student goes on your website, they will begin making judgments about your university. You want them to look at your website and be drawn in to learn more about your school.
Your design has a huge impact on whether or not students have a positive experience. If your website appears outdated or unattractive, prospective students will leave your site. You dont want to drive students away based on appearances.
Your navigation is also important to prospective students. If they are on your website for the first time, you want them to be able to find all the important information they need. You dont want them to struggle to find important information.
The best way to help students find information is to make your page headings simple. You may opt for sections like Academics,Admissions, and Campus Life. These are broad headings that can include numerous things that students are seeking. A simple and clean navigation will keep students on your page longer because they will be able to find the right information.
Emphasize A Personal Touch With Students
While technology has had a positive benefit as a stopgap measure for remote learning, students are experiencing tech fatigue from a lack of real human interaction. Students respond positively to a greater personal touch. While in-person meetings are not always possible, one-on-one phone calls can help students through the matriculation process or finding access to funding options.
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Appeal To Students On The Go
With classes, assignments, exams, extracurricular involvement, and budding social lives, college students are always on the move to make the most out of their day. Oftentimes, we do not have time for a relaxed sit-down meal and need a nutritious on-the-go option before the next class begins.
As a result, we turn to technology to ensure healthy eating in the bustle of a fast-paced lifestyle.
Almost one in three 18-34-year-olds consider the technology for quick service restaurants, and 28% say tech plays a role in their decision-making for full service restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association. Millennials clearly value the integration of technology across the dining experience.
Notably, we place importance on mobile ordering and delivery services. Online ordering systems integrate directly with the point of sale and sends tickets directly to the kitchen. College students adore a seamless ordering online experience from to receive their energy boost at the doorstep of their school library.
Lavish With Trials And Samples
Compared to high school graduates who are working full time, undergraduate students are usually short of money they can spend which means they will love and adore the brands that give them samples and trials for free. And were not talking about the physical products only it can be service trials too! A free one-time online assignment help session or an offer to hire someone to do homework. No-cost design platform or renting a device for a week to see if it allows the performance one needs. The best part? This will develop trust and increase brand awareness, so when they need the services/products you deal with, your brand will be their first option.
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How Do You Choose Colleges To Market To During Coronavirus
Each college attracts its own unique demographic of students, even before the Coronavirus pandemic it was advisable to take into account your brand or product, and carefully choose the right location to target your campus marketing with. Due to the current shifting climate surrounding colleges and how they will be planning to reopen, its become more important than ever to create a primary and backup list of colleges that you wish to target. Use what you know about the specific colleges, such as their location, enrollment size and demographics of their students to create these lists, so that you have flexibility when it comes to implementing your marketing strategies. If a schools policy happens to change at the last minute, youll then be able to make adjustments accordingly and draw from your back up list, so that you can still execute your marketing strategy at the previously planned scale.
Student Recruitment Strategies: Find Your Target Student
In my previous blog post about student recruitment strategies, I talked about the importance of thinking like a student. To do this, its best to begin with a clear picture of who that student is. Considering the shifting demographics of todays college student, particularly as the non-traditional adult learner becomes the new norm, there is no longer a typical or traditional college student. Meaning a one-size fits all messaging strategy will not work.
So how do you reach a wider, increasingly diverse audience and make the messaging more targeted and personalized? When my team works with institutions to formulate strategic marketing plans, we often go through an exercise of audience segmentation: the process of dividing a larger potential audience into smaller sub-groups in order to create personalized messaging and outreach strategies. Audience segmentation can help you identify and prioritize your target audiences, tailor your messaging in a way that speaks directly to their needs, target them more efficiently, and ultimately reach more students and grow enrollments.
To get started, ask these three questions:
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Is Ooh College Advertising Still Worth It
If college students continue to comprise your target demographic then you should continue to target them with your marketing. Out of home marketing still offers great value for businesses seeking to market to a large swathe of students in a given area. Whilst many students will not be returning to campus, some will still be living and working, whilst continuing their studies from home. Identifying these students needs whilst they are isolated from their campus lives could help formulate a message that speaks to them.
Despite not spending the same amount of time on campus, theres still an opportunity to reach students via OOH marketing. Students will still likely travel in and around campus, so finding where your target audience frequents and the routes that they follow is key to finding the best placements for your OOH advertising campaign.
Establish A Campus Brand Ambassador Program
Many successful brands use campus brand ambassador programs to market their products to college students. The company staffs the brand ambassador program with college students who promote your products and services on their college campuses.
These in-person marketers use many strategies to get the word out on your company and brand products.
Brand ambassadors use the following marketing strategies to target college students and promote your products:
- Hand out freebies, such as free brand products and company services
- Create social media posts with hashtags directed at local college students
- Host events on your companys behalf
- Attend campus events as a company representative
- Hand out promotional materials
You can task your brand ambassadors with job roles that work best for your company. And switch things up as you go!
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Try Out Traditional Tactics
Dont worry about going old school when it comes to advertising. College kids are still pinning coupons to their fridge or digging them out when its time to order food. Think about sponsoring on-campus events, or having an on-campus pop-up shop in the middle of the main through-way to get the most out of student foot traffic.
I cant tell you the number of coupons just like this that were stacked in my kitchen drawer in my college apartment. They came in handy when we didnt want to go grocery shopping or cook, but still needed to stick to a college kid budget!
What Is A Target School
A target college is one in which your academic credentials make you competitive for admission. Your GPA, standardized test scores, and class rank fall within the average range for that particular school. You have a very reasonable chance of gaining admission to a target school, but there are no guarantees.
Generally, you have about a 30%-80% chance of gaining admission to a target college based on your academic resume and the school’s acceptance rate. Schools to which you have less than a 30% chance of gaining admission are reach schools, and schools to which you have greater than an 80% chance of gaining admission are safety schools.
Because this range is relatively large, you can further divide your target colleges into two categories: high target/borderline reach schools and low target/borderline safety schools .
Here are a couple of hypothetical examples to illustrate these concepts.
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Sponsor Fundraising Events On College Campuses
Another way to promote your brand with college students is to sponsor fundraising events on campus. Many colleges reach out to businesses and ask them to be event sponsors. You can sign up as an event sponsor, help a worthy cause, and get your brand name out there for all to see.
Some sponsorship opportunities are available every year while others are one-time events. However, both types of opportunities are excellent ways to target college students with marketing.
How To Target College Students With Marketing
When its time to have a marketing brainstorming session, you want to zone in on your best target audience. College students fall within this category.
College students spend money on all types of products. In 2019, college students had a spending power of $376 billion! No matter what your brand is or what industry your products or services fall within, college students will likely be some of your best customers. As a result, you might wonder how to target college students with marketing?
In order to sell your products or services to college students, you first have to reach them. You can do this by using successful marketing strategies. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reach college students and promote your brand. You can use campus brand ambassadors or create engaging social media posts. In other words, there are many ways to grab the attention of college students and sell your products.
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How To Market A College: 11 Marketing Strategies For Universities & Colleges
Your college or university wants to attract the best and brightest studentsbut so does every other college and university in the country. How to market a college is becoming a hot topic because every learning institution is aggressively marketing its degree programs, campuses, and online learning programswhich means its difficult to stand out to prospective students.
Ready To Reach More Prospective Students With These College Marketing Strategies
The goal of your institution is to educate tomorrows leaders, but you need to use todays marketing strategies to attract them. Incorporate these ideas into your existing strategy to increase awareness, engagement, and enrollment in your college or university.
If youre ready to start using these college marketing strategies to reach more prospective students, WebFX can help. Contact us today to speak with a strategist about our digital marketing services!
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Social Media Most Used By College Students
College students are amongst the most active demographic on social media, as there are over 46 million students or recent graduates on
Despite this, according to Omnicore only 51% of students and recent graduates use LinkedIn. A separate Omnicore study found that 32% of Twitter users have college degrees, while 38% are aged between 18 and 29 indicating twitter is a beloved platform amongst college students.
However, a recent survey by Legal reader found that Facebook once a college-only site is by far the most used social media by college students with 96% of students being active on the platform.
Following in Facebooks footsteps, Tik Tok is amassing a ginormous following from college students as 41% of users are aged between 16 and 24. This 2020 sensation has taken the world by storm and is currently the most downloaded app of the year.
According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Instagram is one of the most favored social medias on campus as . Instagram images also get , making it a vital platform when social media marketing to college students.