The Top 3 Digital Marketing Strategies For Colleges & Universities
Colleges and universities are facing a unique challenge when it comes to marketing. How to stand out in a crowded field to reach and engage with potential students. In fact, the most common question we get from our higher education clients is, “what’s the best way we can reach potential students in a compelling way?”
How do you separate yourself from the pile of college-view books collecting dust under the beds of college-bound high school juniors and seniors?
Of course, a variety of tactics are involved when marketing your institution – a compelling social media presence, billboards, commercials, campus tours and open houses, influencer marketing, and yes, viewbooks are all important components of your institution’s marketing enrollment strategy. But today, I want to share with you some thoughts on digital marketing for colleges and three strategies that can help you better engage with prospective students and elevate your visibility.
Display Ads
Display ads are an effective way to grow your college or university’s overall brand, reach your desired audience and keep your institution’s name top of mind. By using demographic and geographic filters, you can target your advertising to the people who would most likely be interested in what your college or university offers. Display ads allow you to better reach the right audience with the right message. They also are ideal for lead generation and capturing the names and information of interested students.
Email Campaigns
For engagement, email campaigns are a great way to connect with and continue to stay in touch with your potential students. With email, colleges and universities can send personalized messages regarding upcoming events or promotions. Additionally, automated emails can be used to nurture leads and keep potential students engaged throughout the enrollment process.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Incorporating display ads and emails are tactics you should definitely include in your overall marketing plan. But if your website’s SEO is not up to snuff, you are limiting your institution’s overall reach. SEO helps you increase your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Creating content that is relevant to your target audience is necessary to optimize your website for better rankings. As you create content, be sure you’re using keywords naturally and authentically throughout the text. Thinking about what your target audience is searching for will guide you in this process. Additionally, optimize your titles, headings, and meta descriptions with the right keywords to ensure more people can find your website in search results. This is an ongoing process, but it is a crucial one. Think of your website as your house’s front porch. If your curb appeal is bad, or the steps to your front door are crumbling, you will lose visitors and your other marketing tactics will suffer.
These three digital marketing strategies – display ads, email, and SEO – can make a huge difference in your college or university efforts to reach potential students. With the right strategy, you can minimize your marketing costs while maximizing your campaign’s effectiveness. To learn more about digital marketing for colleges and universities, check out Chartwell Agency’s digital marketing solutions. We specialize in helping educational institutions with digital campaigns, SEO, email campaigns, and more.
