Janice Lozano
As higher education becomes increasingly competitive, universities are adopting marketing strategies to attract students. This involves understanding the target audience, including their aspirations, preferences, and spending habits. With students spending more time online, universities are turning to social media and digital channels to reach prospective students. To stand out, universities must create engaging content that evokes an emotional response and showcases the benefits of their programs. This shift towards targeted marketing in higher education raises questions about the relative merits of mass marketing versus targeted approaches.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Target the right students | Students who are qualified and interested in your programs |
| Student personas | Identify and understand the target audience |
| Evoke an emotional response | Aspiration is a long-lasting emotion that should be prioritised |
| Understand student aspirations | Know where your prospective students want to go next in life and how you can help them get there |
| Understand student priorities | Students are price-conscious and value affordability |
| Social media presence | Entice students on Instagram with tools like Stories Ads and Reels |
| Direct messages | Use Messenger for Facebook and Instagram |
| Understand student habits | Students spend on essentials and non-essentials |
| Understand student preferences | Students value authenticity and genuine connections |
| Understand student challenges | Students face challenges in maintaining their well-being and seek a better work-life balance |
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What You'll Learn
Understanding the target audience
Student Personas and Demographics
Creating student personas can help universities identify their ideal target students. This involves considering demographics such as age, with most college students aged 19-23 and 40% being 25 or older. Additionally, understanding the generational cohort is essential, as today's students are primarily Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X, each with unique characteristics and behaviours.
Academic Aspirations and Goals
Universities should aim to understand the aspirations and goals of prospective students. By knowing where students aspire to go in life, universities can tailor their messaging and value proposition to resonate emotionally with students. For example, highlighting how a university can help students achieve their dream careers or personal development goals.
Student Spending Habits and Income Sources
College students have unique spending habits and income sources. They often have limited financial resources, with three main sources of income: parents, jobs, and loans. Understanding their budget constraints is crucial for universities when setting prices for tuition, accommodation, and other services. Additionally, knowing that students spend on both essentials and non-essentials can help universities tailor their offerings to meet these diverse needs.
Online Behaviour and Social Media Presence
Today's college students are digital natives, spending a significant amount of time online. They rely on social media for communication, information, and entertainment. Therefore, universities should focus their marketing efforts on popular social media platforms like Instagram, utilising features such as Stories Ads, Reels, and direct messages. Additionally, universities should consider using conversational marketing strategies to spark conversations with prospective students through social media messaging and SMS.
On-Campus vs Off-Campus Living
Understanding whether prospective students plan to live on or off campus is essential for universities to tailor their marketing messages effectively. On-campus students may be more interested in hearing about social events, campus activities, and the overall campus experience, while off-campus students may be more focused on commuting options and integrating their studies with their daily lives.
By considering these factors, universities can develop a clear understanding of their target student audience and create effective marketing strategies to engage and attract the right students.
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Creating a value proposition
As higher education becomes more saturated, universities need to rethink their targeting strategies to engage the right prospective students at the right time. This involves creating a compelling value proposition that resonates with the students' aspirations and emotions. Here are some key considerations for creating an effective value proposition:
Understand Your Target Audience
Get to know your prospective students and what they care about. Conduct interviews with recent graduates to understand their gains, career paths, and experiences. Studies show that Gen Z heavily relies on peer-reviewed content, so crafting a value proposition around the success of your alumni can be impactful. Understand the diverse backgrounds, interests, and spending habits of your target students to create tailored messages that resonate with them.
Utilize Social Media and Digital Channels
College students are digital natives, and they heavily rely on social media for communication and information. Leverage popular social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and messaging tools to reach them. Utilize various ad copy and creatives in your social media campaigns to test engagement. Share student diversity, campus activities, and events to give prospective students a glimpse into university life. Use conversational marketing strategies to spark conversations and help students discover your university through engaging messages.
Highlight Key Benefits and Differentiators
Focus on the unique benefits your university offers, such as degree programs, flexibility, affordability, return on investment (ROI), and student support. Showcase your school rankings, accreditations, and alumni successes to solidify your value proposition. Emphasize the on-campus experience and the sense of community that traditional four-year universities offer. Understand the aspirations of your prospective students and communicate how your university can help them achieve their goals.
Authenticity and Genuinely Useful Content
College students value authenticity in the brands they engage with. Be genuine in your marketing efforts and avoid coming across as out of touch. Create honest and valuable content that speaks to the challenges and aspirations of early adulthood. Offer solutions and guidance on navigating independence, managing finances, and maintaining wellbeing. By providing useful content, you can build trust and loyalty with your target students.
Engage Through Conversational Marketing
Use conversational marketing techniques to spark conversations and invite students to engage. Understand the stress and transitional period that many students experience and offer solutions for a better work-life balance. Meet students where they are by utilizing the digital channels they prefer, such as social media messaging and SMS, which require a lighter touch than traditional ads. Respect their price consciousness while showcasing the value and return on investment your university can offer.
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Using social media
Social media platforms are powerful tools for universities to promote their academic programs, engage with students and alumni, and connect with industry leaders. They are essential for universities to establish brand awareness, brand loyalty, and relationships with students. With most prospective students getting their information digitally, universities can use social media to meet them where they are.
To effectively target students, universities need a well-planned social media strategy that aligns with their institutional goals. This involves understanding the target audience, creating high-quality content, engaging with students, leveraging paid advertising, and optimising for search. Universities should strategically select platforms based on where their target students are most active. For example, Instagram and TikTok excel at visually engaging content, making them ideal for showcasing campus life and student testimonials. LinkedIn is best for professional networking, graduate programs, and career-related content. YouTube is perfect for in-depth, long-form video content such as lectures and campus tours, while Facebook is a strong tool for community-building and event promotions.
Universities can also use social media takeovers to share experiences of student athletes, student clubs, and campus events. They can showcase their student body by sharing testimonials or stories from students, fostering a sense of community and personalising the university to prospective students. Additionally, universities can encourage student-generated content, such as takeovers, ambassador programs, or testimonials, to create a sense of authenticity and community. When students see their peers actively engaging with a university's social media, they're more likely to feel connected and interested in the institution.
Social media platforms also enable targeted advertising, allowing universities to reach specific demographics and engage with individuals who may not have been aware of their institution otherwise. By using targeted ads, engaging content, and influencer partnerships, institutions can connect with students in meaningful ways, shaping their perceptions and influencing their decisions.
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Targeting students' spending habits
Marketing to college students is an effective strategy for brands to gain their loyalty and have a customer for life. Students have three main sources of income: parents, jobs, and loans, but they still don't have much money. They spend most of their money on tuition, room, and board, but they also spend on a variety of other things. Therefore, targeting college students can be effective for a wide range of brands if the prices fit the students' tight budgets.
Students are extremely media-savvy and spend a lot of time online, so social media messaging, third-party messaging channels, and SMS are the best channels for marketing to them. It is important to use a light touch and a conversational marketing strategy that focuses on sparking conversations with students and helping them discover products. Social media platforms offer advertising opportunities, with Instagram being the most popular channel among 18- to 29-year-olds. Tools like Instagram Stories Ads and Reels, as well as direct messages on Facebook and Instagram Messenger, can be used to entice students.
It is important to note that college students are not a monolith, and their buying habits vary based on factors like school type, year in school, and financial independence. For example, freshmen are more likely to spend on dorm essentials, meal plans, and social experiences, while seniors prioritize career-oriented purchases like professional attire and job search tools. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the target audience and craft a message that goes beyond simple demographic criteria. Student personas can help colleges identify and understand their target audience and create a strong value proposition that evokes an emotional response.
To create engaging social media ads, it is essential to know who the prospective student is, what they care about, and how they make decisions. Highlighting degree programs, flexibility, affordability, ROI, and other key benefits can be effective. Sharing student diversity, campus activities, and events can also give prospective students a sneak peek into life at the university. Showcasing school rankings, accreditations, and alumni successes can further solidify the value proposition.
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Evoking an emotional response
With the higher education market becoming increasingly saturated, universities need to rethink their targeting strategies to engage the right prospective students. This involves understanding the aspirations of prospective students and how the university can help them achieve their goals.
A broad "spray and pray" approach is not effective. Instead, universities should focus on evoking an emotional response from the right students. This can be achieved through a strong value proposition that resonates with the student, making them think, "That's exactly what I was looking for".
To craft a compelling value proposition, universities can interview recent graduates to understand their gains, career paths, and successes. This peer-reviewed content is highly valued by Gen Z students and can help shape the university's proposition to align with the interests and aspirations of its target students.
Universities can also leverage social media platforms and messaging channels to spark conversations with prospective students. By understanding their target audience's preferences and pain points, universities can create engaging content that invites students to explore how the university can help them achieve their goals and aspirations.
Additionally, universities should focus on authenticity in their marketing campaigns. Gen Z students value authenticity and can quickly identify when a brand is out of touch. By creating honest and valuable content, universities can showcase how their offerings can support students in their journey towards independence and help them navigate the challenges of early adulthood.
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Frequently asked questions
Universities use various strategies to target prospective students, including social media ads, value propositions, and student personas. They also emphasise the on-campus experience and highlight degree programs, flexibility, affordability, and other key benefits.
A value proposition is a statement that evokes an emotional response from prospective students. It should resonate with the student and address their aspirations and how the university can help them achieve their goals.
Universities can create effective value propositions by interviewing recent graduates about their experiences and outcomes. They can also consider the needs and preferences of their target student demographic, such as Gen Z or millennials.
Universities utilise social media platforms, such as Instagram, as well as SMS and messaging channels. These channels allow universities to connect with students in a more conversational and engaging way.
Universities consider various factors, including the student's qualifications, interests, and spending habits. They also take into account the student's digital media usage and preferences for staying connected with friends and family. Understanding these factors helps universities craft tailored messages that resonate with their target audience.
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