10 Effective Higher Education Marketing Strategies for 2020

Learning new ways during tough times

The global pandemic has changed the way people live, work and play. While many industries have already adapted with parallel means to sustain operations, none other would have evolved like the way the education sector has. The recent developments have been a gamechanger in empowering and enabling educational institutions to come up with innovative and ground-breaking marketing solutions leveraging the power of latest technologies.

Today, classrooms have moved to the virtual arena fitting in the space of your palm or pocket, add to this the fact that there are more mobile phones than toilets in the world, and it becomes evident how the higher-education is all set to proliferate exponentially over the coming years. In this light, it becomes crucial for educational institutions, faculty members and marketers alike to frame and follow effective marketing strategies to help enhance reach, presence, awareness, and enrolment. Discussed below are some of the marketing trends and innovations that are redefining the future of education.

1. Say it better with videos

• The reduced attention span and hyper active lifestyle means that majority of users pay better attention to moving visuals and static images than reading words.
• This makes video an integral part of effective higher education marketing mix.
• Video ads are versatile to be published on a number of diverse digital platforms, while offering scalability to be extended to traditional TV and dynamic outdoor signages.

2. Mobile-first institutions and virtual classrooms

• Mobile-first has been the guiding mantra for many global brands and industries
• Recently, a number of educational institutions are adopting a more holistic approach towards developing digital assets.
• Focusing on mobile-friendly websites with precise and concise content that is engaging and appealing to students, parents, stakeholders and employees alike.

3. Staying relevant on social

• Since education is perceived a social service focusing on collective transformation, social media is the perfect platform to drive forward the revolution.
• Schools, colleges and universities are already exploring the power of social media to understand public emotions, trends, affinities and awareness regarding various disciplines to forecast demand for new courses, curriculum, subjects, trainings and other value offerings.
• It is also becoming an increasingly important platform to connect with like minds, discuss ideas and be thought leaders among peer groups and pioneers.

4. Setting better search rankings

• It is common knowledge that better content leads to higher search rankings and as a result – greater website traffic.
• Search Engine Optimization will continue to be a driving force in developing strategies that increase search rankings.
• Greater focus on keyword research, strategic target keywords integration, meta description optimization and well-written content driven by online marketing goals.

5. Back to email marketing

• If email marketing has been on the backburner of your marketing mix, then it is time to rethink and redeploy.
• As Education-As-A-Service slowly transcends physical boundaries, email marketing will regain significance.
• Email will evolve as a key tool to deliver relevant information in a concise manner without needing extensive capital investment or resources, making it efficient, effective and engaging.

6. Open door classes

• Having live stream of discussions on topics that appeal to prospective enrollees can captivate their minds to be open and curios about new subjects and pursue emerging career opportunities.
• It encourages students to voice their queries, doubts and concerns so as to be effectively addressed by the faculty prior to their joining.
• Further it also helps create market buzz by enabling millions of users experience the culture and quality of education through experts, events, peers and technologies.

7. Chatbots and live support

• Self-learning chatbots and live chat feature allows website visitors to learn about the institute, courses and faculties directly from a source in real-time.
• They can be powerful organic lead generation tools that can engage with potential students, parents or key decision makers located on the other side of the planet or returning home after visiting the school.
• There are tools that even allow interested users to schedule a video call with a student or faculty representative to learn more about service offerings.

8. Influencers, high-profile alumni and expert endorsements

• The credibility and repute of any institution is defined by the status and success of its alumni.
• Educational institutions often take pride in showcasing the famous figures and personalities moulded by their values, teachings and offerings on television and print media to add to their trust and repute.
• The trend will extend to the digital and more specifically the social media space with a greater share of content in the form of testimonials and endorsements from influencers, alumni and industry experts.

9. Blogs will form the backbone

• Faculty columns, guest reviews and new breakthroughs will form a major share of the blogs that will drive traffic to website
• Blogs can be further used to feature and inspire user generated posts social media, which can be repurposed to act as powerful promotional and educational tools.
• Further, collaborating with outside experts and including backlinks in blog posts can get extra web traffic and help improve site’s search rankings.

10. Connected apps and referral marketing

• Besides simplifying access to information and resources, apps can serve as a platform for existing students to connect with aspirants and discuss about various subjects, topics and fields on interest.
• It can also help students become institutional ambassadors reaching out to potential candidates from across the globe to join their school/college.
• There may even be a provision to offer financial incentives linked to the referrals converted so as to aid in fee payments and future education.

Powered by some of the most creative minds and experts in the industry, Wisoft has been successful in helping several educational institutions improve student enrolment and engagement though strategic digital transformation and end-to-end digital marketing. Check out the latest Wisoft case studies and success stories in higher education marketing, or learn more about how Wisoft can help you raise your institution's enrolment quotient with digital marketing.