Digital marketing has become an important part of any business or organization’s online presence. Educational institutions are no exception, and those who take the initiative to use digital marketing techniques see results.
Here are digital marketing ideas that schools of all levels can use:
Social Media Plan
Social media platforms have become a requirement for every business, and educational institutions are no different. Social media can be an excellent way to connect with current or prospective students, alumni, faculty members, donors, and supporters.
It’s an ideal setup for a preschool. By creating pages on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, educational institutions are able to build communities around their brand. This helps reach target audiences and creates a space for responding to questions and inquiries in real time.
Email Marketing Campaigns
Email marketing can be used to stay connected with both current and prospective students, as well as parents and alumni. Emails can convey important information about everything, from scholarships, financial aid opportunities, and alumni news to event planning and upcoming deadlines.
Email marketing also allows schools to maintain a sense of community by sharing digital content that prospective or current students may find interesting. By creating email lists with the school’s major target audiences in mind, educational institutions are able to stay connected with their audiences without overwhelming them.
Online Videos
Videos are a great way to relay important information that prospective or current students may find valuable. Organizations can convey everything, from campus tours and student life experiences to admissions procedures and financial aid opportunities through videos posted on sites such as YouTube.
Video marketing also provides an opportunity for educational institutions to clearly express their brand messaging and keep audiences entertained and engaged with their content. As with all digital marketing, it’s important to keep audiences in mind and create videos that they will find informative or entertaining or both.
User-generated Content
User-generated content is a great way for educational institutions to actively get current or prospective students involved with their brand. By inviting past, current and potential students to create user-generated content about their experiences on campus, organizations are able to share valuable information in an organic way that doesn’t come across as overly promotional.
User-generated content can be used to ask questions about school life, solicit advice from past and current students, or share interesting stories creatively. The important thing is for educational institutions to make sure that the content they’re publishing is well-received by their target audiences before going live.
Mobile Strategy
As with all online content, educational institutions should keep their target audiences in mind when creating digital marketing strategies. Mobile devices allow almost anyone to connect to the Internet and access information in real time.
By using mobile-friendly technology such as responsive design and smartphone apps, educational institutions can reach audiences on the go and provide valuable information wherever they might be.
Segmented Email Marketing Campaign
Email marketing is a great way for educational institutions to connect with both current and prospective students, as well as parents. Using targeted email campaigns can help schools reach specific audience segments without overwhelming them with the information they aren’t interested in.
Segmented email marketing allows educational institutions to target audiences based on criteria, such as interests or location, which helps ensure that the information they receive is relevant to them.
Blog
By creating an education-related blog, educational institutions can engage audiences in two ways. First, organizations can use their own unique content to keep people interested and coming back for more.
Second, organizations can highlight other blogs within their industry, which helps improve search engine optimization and generate backlinks to their own site.
Data Gathering
With all the social media channels available today, it can be difficult for educational institutions to keep up with what is being said about their organization online. Using monitoring tools like Mention or Google Alerts are great ways for organizations to stay on top of their brand and correct any misinformation that may be circulating.
Since educational institutions are in the business of furthering education, they should focus on how to best communicate with their intended audiences. Using digital marketing strategies can help organizations do this in an engaging way that is compatible with today’s fast-paced world.
Opportunities for Engagement
Educational institutions should provide opportunities for students and other stakeholders to engage with them online. Whether this means creating a monthly campus events calendar, providing the latest industry news updates through an RSS feed, or partnering with other businesses within the education industry, organizations should always keep communication lines open.
As with all digital marketing efforts, educational institutions should use their target audience to guide digital marketing strategies and initiatives. By using the above ideas as a starting point for digital strategy development, any school will be able to reach its intended audiences and increase its presence online.
