The world of marketing has seen a dramatic change in the past few years due to social media. Businesses who were slow to adopt a social media strategy are now being left behind. Colleges and universities are no different.
Since 1997, social media has been an important part of the college experience for students. Sites like SixDegrees, Xanga, MySpace, and Friendster were popular among college students before Facebook was created in 2003.
Social media has a significant impact on people’s lives from a young age, so it is an ideal platform to connect with potential students in a way that other marketing mediums cannot. By using social media, colleges and universities can make themselves more relatable to prospective students.
Social media is able to more effectively convey an organization’s authenticity than other marketing strategies. This is because social media users can see posts from genuine students and view pictures or videos of what college life at a particular university actually is like. This is something that is more meaningful to a prospective college student than a stock image on a brochure.
Some benefits that colleges and universities have observed from social media marketing are increased brand awareness, increased admissions, and increased alumni donations.
The Benefits of Marketing With Social Media for Colleges and Universities:
Social Media is Where Your Target Audience Lives
- It’s the best place to reach the target audience for colleges and universities. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that American teens’ social media usage is as follows: “76 percent use Instagram; 75 percent use Snapchat; 66 percent use Facebook; and 47 percent use Twitter.”
- Teenagers in the U.S. are online most of the waking day, so social media is one of the best places to get their attention. According to Pew Research, “some 45% of teens say they use the internet “almost constantly,” a figure that has nearly doubled from the 24% who said this in the 2014-2015 survey. Another 44% say they go online several times a day, meaning roughly nine of ten teens go online many times every day.”
- College social media allows prospective students to easily experience and engage with universities from their home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They can connect with current students to learn about their experiences, read up on the college departments and degree programs, watch videos of campus events, find student organizations they want to get involved with, and so much more. But the only way students can engage with your university on social media is if you give them something to engage with.
- Prospective college students use social media to research universities they are interested in. The 2017 Social Admissions Report found that “63 percent of students use social media to research a college they are interested in and 60 percent have followed or liked a college they are considering.”
Social Media Content Can Be More Credible Than Traditional Marketing
- The photos and videos posted by students are more authentic to prospective students than anything they hear from an ad on TV, a speaker at a booth, or someone from the admissions office. When universities utilize social media aggregator tools like Juicer, they can easily collect and share all of the social media posts about the university that current students have shared online.
- Social media gives colleges and universities an organic form of user-generated content curation. User-generated content is essentially beneficial content about the university (pictures, videos, reviews, stories) that are being created by people outside of the administration of the university, for example, students, parents, alumni, etc. This user-generated content is invaluable for universities and colleges because it is genuine information about the university provided by a source that has experienced what it’s like to be involved with the university first-hand.
- Parents are given a look behind the curtain at all of the activities and events their child is participating in at a university. Universities can engage with parents specifically by creating social media groups just for parents where they can ask questions, get more information about upcoming events at the university, and learn more about opportunities to get involved on campus.
- Alumni can connect with their Alma mater on social media to engage with former classmates and offer advice to current and prospective students. Alumni can be a powerful and credible source of success of a university’s potential by highlighting how alumni reached their current achievements with the help of their education from their Alma mater.
- Students who are enjoying their experience will likely share their candid testimonials on social media, increasing the brand awareness of colleges and universities. Our society has developed a desire to share everything from our food to our pets, and college life is no exception. If students are having an incredible time at college, there are likely many of them who are sharing their experiences with all of their friends and family on social media without any prompting. For the students who aren’t sharing, it’s possible they need a little push such as an entry into a drawing for an Amazon gift card for sharing their favorite things about going to school there. An easy and affordable way to earn word-of-mouth marketing on social media from your current and former students.
Content for Each Stage of the Buyer’s Journey
It is important to think about what sort of content you will share with your customers, as this will help them to better understand your values and the reasoning behind your brand.
The Awareness Stage
Become an expert as an admissions agent so that potential students and their parents will be educated on your mission. You’re there to help, and not simply ring the cash register for those that decide to purchase by enrolling at your institution.
At this stage, it is most effective to use educational materials such as infographics, blogs, tutorials, or toolkits. Videos that demonstrate your organization’s values are also helpful.
The Instagram “We Make Today” campaign is a great example of excellent Gen Z marketing. The campaign shows a diverse group of influencers and their visually appealing content.
The emotional, clever copy speaks to those who are aware of the product. Instagram is not trying to sell the product, they are sharing the values of the product which are in line with what the users want.
In supporting causes like sustainability and equal rights, Instagram was successful in appealing to its audience.
The Consideration Stage
At this point, you have gotten the buyer’s attention, but they are still looking at other options. You want to show how you are better than your competition.
You can relate to your audience as a consumer yourself. You have probably looked for testimonials, customer photos or videos, or product comparison guides. You should provide this same type of content to your audience.
If you’re in the solar energy business, your potential customers probably have a lot of questions.
You can answer questions about whether or not to buy a product by making a list of pros and cons, like SunPower does in this article. By providing this information, SunPower will attract customers who are ready to buy as well as customers who are not quite ready to buy but are still interested. Those interested customers are likely to subscribe to an email list, download a related e-pamphlet or infographic, etc.
In order to compare your company to your competition (without naming them), utilize a comparison guide or article. You may save the buyer time in their research and guide them towards the next stage.
If you want to use a case study to persuade your audience, it’s best to do it during the evaluation stage. This is because case studies usually contain logical information that can appeal to your audience’s rationality, as well as emotional information that can tap into their feelings. You can also hold onto case studies to use during the decision stage.
The Decision Stage
The buyer is ready to purchase, but needs a little push to seal the deal.
You should check your social media analytics to see if you need to make any changes.
If you want to encourage your customers to buy something, try offering them a discount or a deal. 80% of shoppers say that they are more likely to buy a new product if there is an offer or discount available.
You don’t have time to waste now. Make sure you include a call to action, like a link or button, that takes customers straight to your website to finish their purchase.
The Loyalty Stage
After a customer has made their purchase, it is important to remember them and make them feel like they are part of a brand community.
You can use polls, forums, or social media posts to gather feedback from your community to make more customer-driven decisions.
Hashtags can help you build a brand community. Keep them brief and include your brand’s name.
GoProUtilizes their customers’ footage to create an ongoing feed of content that is jaw-dropping. Thanks to their use of the hashtag #mygopro, they have a social media strategy that is cost-effective and keeps their customers engaged and loyal.
Some brands also create groups on Facebook where customers can connect, share stories, or ask questions about the products.
The Brand Advocacy Stage
The advocacy stage is the goal where customers spread the word about your brand for you.
Use your brand community and work with influencers to show what you offer. Run competitions and sweepstakes, and give your customers incentives to share their experiences.
Another example of a company successfully targeting local influencers is Lululemon’s ambassador program, which targets elite yoga practitioners. These ambassadors help to establish Lululemon as a lead brand in the yogi industry by networking with like-minded people.
Brands Who Do This Right
There is no defined method for marketing to college students, however there are certain methods which are more successful than others, such as word-of-mouth.
Successful companies use these tactics to their advantage. Seeing how they does this can help you understand the tactics better.
Nike
Nike has been a top athletic shoe among young people for generations, from Sneakerhead culture to international reach. But it isn’t their celebrity endorsements that keep them relevant.
Nike’s successful student ambassador program up until 2019 had young people showcase the fashionable lifestyle of fitness, passion, and achievement. Ambassadors appearing online let the message that Nike is still a young person’s brand spread quickly.
However, what set Nike apart was their partnership with 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kapernick. Many brands stayed clear of the topic of racial inequality and police brutality. Nike instead took a stand with the man who helped start a movement that believed in something, even if it required sacrificing everything.
Apple
When you visit a college campus, you will see a lot of Apple products. The company is very successful in marketing to college students and many of them continue to buy Apple products.
A 2019 survey showed that 71% of students prefer Mac computers because they are reliable and durable, and they can be synchronized with other devices.
The reduced prices for students help ensure that they will continue to use the product in the future.
Apple’s advertising is still very minimalistic, but it is designed to be very impactful in terms of the way it looks and sounds, as well as the message it conveys. When they launch a new product, Apple doesn’t do a lot of advertising themselves, but instead relies on the general public to spread the word for them, especially through social media.
TikTok
Since it’s inception in 2018, TikTok has seen exponential growth. In early 2020 the social media platform had 800 million active users and as of October 2021, they’re at 1 billion. Among college students, it was the most downloaded app of 2020.
Many universities are working with people who have influence, such as alumni and student ambassadors, to show what their campus is like and what sets it apart from others. This can help attract new students.
As TikTok continues to grow, now is a good time to incorporate it into your social media marketing plan. We have a comprehensive list of how you can launch your own influencer marketing campaign.
Reach More College Students and Improve Your Brand Awareness
To effectively market to college students and Gen Z, each stage must be considered in order to reach and convert the most customers possible.
One of the best ways to harness the power of social media is to use it as a tool.
By focusing on your customers and building trust, you can create a genuine relationship that will go beyond customer conversion. You can begin to build a loyal fan base that will keep coming back for more.
You can improve your marketing approach by enhancing your customer experience and building brand awareness on social media platforms.
Leave a Reply