Back when I was a senior at Assumption College, there were phones on the dorm walls, cell phones sat in the glove compartments of your car for emergency use only, and unless you were lucky to have a roommate like me who would let you use her computer, you were going to the computer lab to write your papers. Though it probably goes without saying, a lot has changed since 2001! Now what were once luxuries in college life are expected amenities.
This is true in higher ed marketing too—not the phone on the wall, of course, but online marketing being that expected amenity. Rarely are universities able to recruit their class by only buying names and sending out mail pieces the more traditional way. The marketing landscape has changed, and many universities simply need to be doing more. What were once “luxurious,” more creative ways to spend their budget are now must-haves. Online marketing is one of those must-haves, indispensable in higher ed these last few years, and being a part of a leading company in this field has been exciting!
Many of our most successful clients adopted these new marketing techniques early on and saw great results . . . and, to their surprise, did so affordably! They didn’t replace their more traditional student search buys but instead used online marketing to complement their efforts.
Online Display and Retargeting are just two simple ways to get a brand in front of the right audience. Most universities have invested a great deal of time and money in their traditional marketing—not even realizing how a small investment in online services can go so much further!
SEO, YouTube videos, social media, website content (all made mobile friendly too!). These efforts can make such a difference in marketing and student recruitment if done the right way and with the right partner—and if you’d like some help, just let us know!
So if you find yourself planning a budget, make sure you’re setting aside dollars to invest online. Even a little can go a long way! (I mean, really—you don’t want to be one of those still using a wall-mounted phone!)