For the majority of high school graduates, the age-old question of “Are you going to college?” has been replaced with “Where are you going to college?”. Over the span of the last fifty years, the emphasis on receiving a degree has intensified, thus increasing the number of potential undergraduates for higher education institutions every year. From a business standpoint this is great! However, just like every other B2C company, a college or university faces the challenge of marketing to these potential “clients” and convincing them to choose their institution over another…and let me tell ya, the competition is fierce.
Back in the day, when I was college hunting (okay, it was only two years ago), the first thing I did was research each university….online. And I’m not just talking about the school’s official website either. I’m talking social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, you name it. Yeah, I know I’m just one person, but I’m not the only social media nerd out there. According to a survey of 7,000 high school students (conducted by Zinch), 68% use social media in their college search process and 55% use Facebook to research the school’s history and background. The survey goes on to report that 88% of respondents use Facebook, 53% of which login to their account multiple times a day. This goes to show that Facebook can provide opportunities that cannot afford to be neglected.
Identify your Buyer Personas
One thing I’ve learned here at InfoTrust is that you need to market to your target audience. That means identifying your buyer persona and advertising through mediums and outlets where they are present. Clearly the overwhelming majority of this target market can be found online. Today’s world is slowly but surely turning digital, and the education industry should not just follow this online bandwagon, but lead it. And don’t just take my word for it…67% of respondents agree that colleges should utilize social media.
Social media is not only a useful (and FREE) marketing platform for universities, but also an awesome way to engage and interact with current students. Whether it’s notifying them of campus emergencies or events, answering questions, or just directing followers to interesting articles, engagement shows the students you care. While this can seem like an overwhelming task, there are many different ways you can easily monitor you social media outets. Another useful tactic would be to create niche networks…or specific pages for the different majors, clubs, or organizations within the university. Not only does this increase networking and community within the university, but also encourages all departments to become engaged on social media as well. Thus, increasing marketing and building a stronger brand for your school.
And for some great examples:
After reviewing some of the tweets from a variety of different colleges and universities, I came across some interesting tactics. The University of Kentucky has taken engagement to the next level on Twitter with the unique hashtag #AskaCat. Every session of AskaCat focuses on a certain topic of discussion. Followers can then ask any question pertaining to that topic, followed by the hashtag #AskaCat, and the twitter handle @universityofky will respond with the answer.
Another social media standout is the University of Cincinnati’s President, Santa Ono. Okay, I might be a little biased here, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s awesome! This man has taken the Twitter world by storm, and has infiltrated Facebook as well. Ono claimed 3rd place for the Education industry in the Shorty Awards, which honors the most active social media contributors in the world..which is kind of a big deal (Shorty Award winners include Neil Patrick Harris and Conan O’Brien). His dedication and engagement with the students of UC is almost unbelieveable, with 17,227 tweets and 17,409 followers on Twitter, as well as 4,999 friends on Facebook. Probably one of the most beloved university president’s in the nation, Ono actively engages with his students by retweeting, answering questions, providing encouragement, giving shout outs, and asking questions. He has even coined a unique hashtag that is trending throughout campus, #hottestcollegeinamerica. Although I have never met him, I feel like I have. The fact that he takes time out of his day, every day, to interact with students is incredible and creates a strong communal bond- which is saying something considering UC has 40,000+ students. Ono is a perfect example of how universities should be interacting. Check him out on Twitter at @PrezOno…and while you’re there check us out @iwanttobesocial (sorry, I had to).
Long story short, don’t underestimate the power and strength of social media, especially in the education industry. It is impactful, it is important, and it is beneficial. Not only for the institution itself, but for the current and future students as well.
Want to learn how to better utilize your social media marketing tactics and establish an online presence for your institution? InfoTrust can help!
Article Written by Jill Schmidt
