Just in case choosing a degree was not hard enough, there are thousands of colleges across the States to choose from. But as a college admissions officer or marketing department, how do you get students to choose your institution over your competitors?
To help you get started, we are sharing 3 strategies to implement into your marketing, so you can maximize your enrollment rates for the next set of high school graduates.
- Appeal to their emotions
If your college typically relies on traditional marketing approaches or historical reputation, it might be time to consider a higher education marketing agency to help you switch things up.
The easiest way to add new life into old marketing strategies is to get back down to basics: How did you feel when choosing or applying for college?
A degree has the potential to change a person’s life forever. Everything from picking a major, to deciding which colleges to apply to can be a stressful and emotional experience. So why not use this as your angle?
Emotional marketing is an incredibly effective strategy. If you can make your marketing – or better yet, your enrollment process – trigger positive emotions for students, you will have a higher chance of gaining their trust and loyalty. In fact, a study by Nielson suggests that individuals are 8.4 times more likely to trust a company that provides a positive feeling and 7.1 times more likely to purchase (or enroll, in this case).
Using the power of emotion in marketing is nothing new. But to really engage your prospective students, you will need to inspire them throughout all stages of applying, enrolling and studying. Use older students to talk about how their course changed their lives or write an informative article about how to apply for financial aid. Helpful, and supportive content is the way to your prospective student’s heart.
- Get out and about
After a year of the pandemic, students will appreciate the in-person approach more than ever. Though this should not be the only strategy you use. A combination of online marketing and in-person engagement will work well. In person, you can gain a deeper connection with a potential student and focus on them solely, rather than offering out information to the masses online.
Events could be anything from a campus tour to a workshop on applications. If you can show students you are working to help them, you will have more chance of securing their application.
- Video marketing
Video often goes astray when there are so many other things to think about. Currently, 86% of US Universities have some level of presence on YouTube, but how are you using your channel to really engage with students? YouTube is not the only place to host videos either. Quick uploads to Instagram stories or Facebook could add a more approachable feel to your content, rather than the well-thought-out informational videos on your channel.
Although we have kept it short and sweet, these 3 strategies could definitely make a real difference to your next enrollment rates. Start small with implementing new changes and be impressed with your new engagement!
