Higher Education Marketing Strategies

Over 100 colleges have closed down in the last two years, and the higher education industry has shrunk by 2%. To make matters worse, the higher education sector is dealing with decreasing demand for undergraduate programs. These trends are making the fight to enroll new students more competitive than ever.

In order to stand out, your institution needs a holistic education marketing strategy. Your plan must create a seamless user experience that delivers timely, relevant content to your target audience. 

Connecting with current students and prospective enrollees requires an omnichannel campaign that uses social media platforms, search engine optimization (SEO) principles, and paid ads.

Not sure where to begin? Learn how to build a winning digital marketing strategy for higher education and how MarcomCentral empowers educational institutions with intuitive tools.

Understanding How to Market Higher Education

Higher ed marketing involves determining who you want to reach and then choosing the right channels to deliver your messaging. There aren’t any one-size-fits-all solutions for colleges and universities.

Some members of your audience may be more responsive to video content on TikTok. Other program seekers may prefer testimonials, infographics, and in-person campus tours that provide a glimpse into campus life and the institution’s culture.

Before you start building your content marketing strategy, you need to identify the “who” and “how.”

Identifying Prospective Students

Connecting with potential students requires higher education marketing strategies that borrow from consumer advertising while simultaneously addressing the unique needs of individuals looking for a college education.

Effective marketing campaigns are customized based on the demographics and psychographics of your target audience. With that in mind, you’ll need to consider the following factors:

• Age
• Location
• Education level
• Income
• Goals
• Values
• Behaviors
• Preferences

With MarcomCentral, higher education institutions can tailor their marketing content to each of these groups. The platform allows your team to create and manage personalized assets. You can build and deliver high-quality content for each student segment, which leads to better response rates and engagement.

Leveraging Digital Marketing Channels

Social media has become a cornerstone of university marketing. It’s a versatile and accessible way to connect with students. Social media can be especially useful for reaching younger generations who spend considerable time on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Each platform offers unique opportunities for your institution.

For instance, MarcomCentral offers video bookends that allow you to personalize opening and ending slides around a hosted Vimeo video.

MarcomCentral enables your marketing department to create platform-specific content using customizable templates. Our templates ensure brand consistency while enabling you to create better content faster. Additionally, our DAM system keeps your assets organized and accessible.

Four Core Marketing Strategies for Educational Institutions

The most successful higher education marketing strategies include these four pillars:

Content Marketing: Develop High-Quality Video Content and Infographics

Video is one of the most compelling formats for storytelling and student recruitment.

Video marketing gives you the freedom to create a wide range of content, including virtual campus tours, student testimonials, and faculty interviews. You can also publish cool, fast-paced videos that highlight all of the perks of choosing your institution.

MarcomCentral’s DAM allows you to easily store, tag, and retrieve video files and infographics. With our platform, your team can effortlessly access the resources they need. Your marketing team can repurpose old videos for new campaigns and recruitment efforts. The result is faster content creation and reduced marketing costs.

Email Marketing and Automation: Personalize Email Campaigns for Prospective Students

While using video is vital, you can’t neglect the basics, either. Email is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to reach prospective students and influence decision-making. You can tailor your campaigns to student interests, application timelines, or the academic goals of different groups of learners.

The key is to find a CRM and asset management solution that automates email creation and delivery. Enter MarcomCentral. Our workflow automation streamlines your email marketing efforts and provides relevant metrics about the performance of each campaign.

MarcomCentral not only saves you time, but it also helps you build on what works, fix what doesn’t, and meet the changing needs of your target audience.

Most importantly, a modern solution like MarcomCentral helps you create a cohesive experience that spans across email, landing pages, and off-site content.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Optimize Landing Pages for Enhanced User Experience

Paid campaigns are only as effective as the landing pages they lead to. A smoother user experience and consistent branding help drive conversions. For instance, investing in chatbots that answer common user queries and direct prospective students to engaging content helps create a more enjoyable landing page experience.

Not sure where to begin? MarcomCentral empowers your team to create dynamic, brand-compliant collateral that can be adapted for various PPC campaigns. You can attract prospective students with the collateral within our platform and seal the deal with engaging landing pages.

MarcomCentral makes it easy for your marketing teams to adjust visuals and copy to optimize performance.

Role of Marketing in Higher Education

As you begin creating modern higher education marketing strategies, it’s important not to lose sight of the underlying purpose of educational marketing. Most educational marketing strategies are focused on one (or both) of the following objectives:

Enhancing Student Enrollment

The higher education market seems to be shrinking. It is also becoming more competitive due to the expansion of online and hybrid programs. With that in mind, your institution should prioritize marketing as a tool for enhancing student enrollment. You’ll need to align your marketing campaigns with the institution’s short and long-term recruitment goals.

When planning your next campaign, consider how to time your content to support upcoming enrollment deadlines. For instance, you can start promoting open campus days four to six weeks before the sign-up deadline and ramp up your content in the final one to two weeks before the event.

MarcomCentral helps your team align content with student enrollment goals by ensuring that your assets are consistent across every channel. Whether you are publishing content on Instagram or running a PPC ad to encourage new enrollment, our platform helps you plan and execute with on-brand, accessible marketing assets.

Building Brand Awareness

The second primary goal associated with higher education marketing strategies is raising brand awareness. Increasing brand awareness helps your institution engage with stakeholders, including prospective investors, alumni, educators, students, and parents.

Not everyone you reach will be ready to enroll next semester. Some prospects may be in the early consideration stages of selecting an institution for higher learning. Other audience members may be contemplating a career change but aren’t sure whether they are ready to take that leap or not.

Educating these individuals with podcasts, webinars, and engaging videos can help put your institution on their radar. The goal is to inform stakeholders about your programs and offerings so that they keep the institution top of mind when they are ready to enroll.

MarcomCentral makes it easy for your institution to share branded content like virtual tours and alumni success stories. These assets are great tools for incentivizing prospective students to learn more or research your school.

Targeting Students From Universities and Colleges

Higher education marketing strategies aren’t all about recruiting brand-new students. You can (and should) also target individuals who are already enrolled in colleges and universities in your region. You can even target people who are enrolled in one of your programs.

When reaching out to students who are enrolled in other higher education institutions, the goal is to win over individuals who may be dissatisfied with their current programs. 

For instance, some students may be completing their prerequisites at their local community college. However, they may be open to switching to your school if you offer a more reputable and highly-rated program.

Crafting a Comprehensive Marketing Plan

Many students continue their academic journeys within the same institution, especially if they have already obtained an undergraduate degree from said school.

With that in mind, you can create marketing campaigns that highlight continuing education, graduate programs, and certifications offered by your institution. These campaigns encourage undergraduates to explore your other programs.

Using MarcomCentral, your institution can segment campaigns by academic level and program interest. Your marketing team can deliver relevant, personalized content to encourage re-enrollment or win over students at other schools.

Utilizing Social Media and Influencers

Influencers, especially student ambassadors or alumni with large followings, can humanize your institution. There are lots of ways to integrate social media personalities into your marketing mix. For instance, you can play a live session or host a Q&A panel with alumni. These campaigns offer fresh, authentic perspectives about your school and what it offers.

MarcomCentral’s asset management and workflow tools simplify campaign creation and ensure brand guidelines are followed. Influencer campaigns typically move fast. With MarcomCentral, you can match the speed of influencers without compromising your messaging or content quality.

Best Practices in Higher Education Marketing Strategies

Marketing your institution’s program offerings and campus culture is both an art and a science. To succeed, you’ll need to address the unique needs of each audience segment and adopt established best practices that deliver real results. Here are two areas to focus on:

Embracing New Marketing Trends

Your institution should borrow marketing tactics from consumer bands. However, that doesn’t mean you should jump on every marketing trend that emerges. Instead, you should focus on the approaches that appear to have staying power. Short-form video and live streaming are prime examples.

Your marketing teams need to remain agile and adapt to new content formats. Short-form video can grab your audience’s attention and get your message across in a digestible, engaging way. The same applies to live streams.

MarcomCentral makes it easy to update campaign assets and distribute new content types to all departments. You can stay ahead of trends and capitalize on student preferences in real time. 

With MarcomCentral, you can maintain your edge over other institutions and target your audience with relevant offers that appeal to their educational needs.

Fostering Student Engagement

Getting your message out there is only half the battle. You need your audience engaged and intrigued. Digital tools are critical for engaging with students who cannot visit your campus.

Hosting virtual campus tours allows prospective students to explore all your school has to offer. You can also offer interactive webinars and host real-time Q&As to provide a deeper look at the institution’s culture.

Building virtual content is easier than ever with MarcomCentral. The platform allows your team to collaborate in real-time, share assets, and make updates to marketing materials. With your teams on the same page, you can deliver compelling, polished virtual experiences that resonate with your audience.

Empower Your Marketing Team With MarcomCentral’s Platform

The modern higher education marketing landscape demands more than creativity. Your institution must demonstrate consistency, efficiency, and the ability to scale. MarcomCentral’s digital asset management and workflow automation platform equips your institution with the tools to:

• Personalize messaging for diverse student segments
• Streamline content creation and approval workflows
• Ensure consistent branding across all channels
• Adapt quickly to changing trends and tech

Ready to explore how MarcomCentral can help your institution enhance its marketing efforts and increase student enrollment? Request a demo and experience the power of our digital solution.