When it comes to marketing for an educational brand, recognizability isn’t just the only important factor. It is about building a connection with the prospective students, maintaining the reputation and to get them excited about applying. There are a few effective marketing tips that everyone in the education sector should be leveraging in order to boost enrollments and stand out from the competition.
VIDEO/ LIVE MARKETING
A video can speak a thousand words. Today, engagement stats for video content only continue to grow. Visual content is proved to be way more effective than pictures or blog posts. People are more likely to watch a 2-3 minutes short video than reading an entire blog.
Moreover, with such advancement in tools, it has become less complicated to put effort into video marketing. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc offer live video features which makes it easier than ever to communicate with the prospective applicants. Molding marketing strategies from time to time has also become more accessible and feasible.
USER GENERATED CONTENT
Consumers don’t always trust the brand directly, rather they trust people and their opinions and reviews. So, it is a great idea to use current or past students’ testimonials as a means of capturing the trust of new prospective applicants.
There is so much content floating around among prospective, current as well as past students. By personalizing it, you can make it relevant and tailor it in a way that your content stands out among the competition and becomes something worth consuming and sharing. You can create personalized campaigns based on events or also engage in re-sharing your students’ posts that they captured on campus.
EMBRACING UNIQUENESS AND AUTHENTICITY
An educational institute goes so much beyond its logo and brand name. The marketing efforts put in educational institutions must be true to its origin. Ensuring to keep the authenticity of your institute in mind and building an emotional connection is of utmost importance.
It makes sure that all your communications are going in one direction and communicating the same values that it stands for. Marketing should be a true reflection of an institution’s identity and one which existing staff and students can unite behind.
USE SOCIAL MEDIA AND INFLUENCER MARKETING
Social media is a great tool to communicate with your target audience. It can be used to provide helpful information about your program, campus, and more. You can also use it to answer queries that come from a prospective applicant, host live Q&As, contests, etc.
Consider using influencer marketing. It is basically a form of word-of-mouth but to a much larger audience all at once. It is very effective as it is a third party opinion that comes from someone people look up to. You can use influencers to share your content or they can create for your audience.
IMPLEMENT PERSONALIZED, TARGETED AND SEGMENTED EMAIL MARKETING
While you send out emails to prospective applicants on your email list, sending out generic emails to everyone won’t help. You need to focus on individual interests and segment your email list so you can send more personalized emails. Statistics show the emails with names of receivers are opened more.
When you personalize it, it gives a feeling that you know their interests and can very well cater towards the same which in turn builds their confidence for your institute.
These tips mentioned here are not often spoken about but play a crucial role in building a strong foundation online. Taking these into consideration while carrying out Digital Marketing activities will surely ensure growth for your institute.
