Educational facilities need to establish strong brands that attract students. To accomplish that, they need to invest in strategic and effective marketing. The academic world is full of competition. Besides imparting knowledge, schools are like any business opportunity. You have to be relevant and in the market and compete with other educational institutions to enroll students. Sustaining relevance in business needs first-class marketing techniques with striking content. Colleges need to ask these vital questions:
- What are you known for?
- What’s the history of the school?
- Does school history bring out values?
- Who are the target clients?
- Will the marketing benefit the school?
The marketing techniques need a concrete design to answer the above questions.
The 5 Effective Tips
Effectiveness is critical in marketing. Here are marketing tips that school administrators and other players in the education space should leverage to enhance the admission of students and build a superb reputation.
Videography Marketing
There is magic in using visuals to create memories. Simply put, a picture could be worth a thousand words. But, a short clip does wonders! Create a two or three-minute clip with the right information. It should be precise, informative, and attractive.The viewers are more likely to watch it to the end than reading a leaflet or blog post about a school. Since humans are visual creatures, the short video could captivate them.
Videography as a tool of marketing is tremendously essential as it makes the school’s work easier to highlight and advertise the institution’s personality. It, in turn, has the power to resonate and connect with the viewers. It gives the school a platform to engage potential clients or students on a personal level, which they cannot achieve with written content. Another advantage is the ease with which video content is consumable in the contemporary marketing world. The new generation has more exposure to technological devices such as smartphones that they use daily. That means they can easily access any video that schools post as a marketing strategy.
Use Customer Testimonial
Clients can be doubting ‘Thomases’ at times. They won’t believe what you tell them about your educational institution. After all, there are a lot of gimmicks in marketing. The best way to get around this is by generating content through testimonials. For example, online writing companies sell their services through testimonials when you buy an essay.
Let the story come from students who have benefited from the university programs and a recommendation of the school. This will easily attract prospective students to enroll in your institution. The testimonials could include photos taken within the school.
Marketing and the Power of Social Media
The internet has made marketing easier for many business entities. Schools can take advantage of social media to share compelling information and narratives about diverse faculties and programs, campus life, and numerous aspects of the school. Educational institutions could also use social media to respond to queries by online users and host real-time chats with Q & A sessions.
Another marketing strategy is by engaging social media influencers who have a massive following of fans that fall within the target audience. It comprises of enrolled academicians who’re proactive on online platforms. The influencers can share the school’s content with their numerous followers, which increases the level of exposure for the institution.
Develop a Mobile Plan
According to the Pew Research Center, more than 72% of high school graduates and 91% of college graduates in America own smartphones. This data means that educational institutions need to design mobile-friendly marketing content. The school’s website must be accessible through a smartphone for the majority of the target audience. They should link online ads to platforms such as YouTube that potential students access through their devices.
Email Marketing
This is one of the most effective marketing tools for schools when they use it properly. Successful emails need to have an attention-grabbing subject that will convince students to read them from the start to the end. Also, avoid long emails. Take time to design an attractive message for the students. It shouldn’t seem too generic. Personalize the information and make it relevant. If it’s a survey email, ensure that you send a follow-up thank-you note for every student that participates in the survey.
Marketing is an efficient method of remaining relevant in a space that is full of competition. Educational facilities should not be left behind if they are to increases the number of students that choose to enroll in their programs. If your school hasn’t thought about it, it’s time to leverage the available effective techniques to attract more students.
