How do you build a strong student-focused content marketing strategy? Which landing page elements lead to conversions? How can colleges stand out in a sea of their peers? And what on earth is a “brand cave”?!
About 150 marketing professionals turned out for the 2015 Carnegie Conference to learn the answers. Hosted by Massachusetts-based higher education marketing and publishing firm Carnegie Communications and held at Disney’s BoardWalk resort, the conference brought together industry experts across not just higher ed but all facets of marketing.
So, what higher ed marketing best practices should you pay attention to in planning your 2015 campaigns? Here are five top tips from the conference:
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Nonnegotiable: having a smart, data-driven content marketing strategy. This means figuring out what students want—not giving them what you think they want—and helping them solve problems with useful, relevant blogs, videos, etc.
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Every marketing campaign you run should have its own well-mapped and excruciatingly clear landing page. Yup, every one! And the more personal, the better.
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Speaking of landing pages, use any word but “submit” on your buttons. Even “Click here” is better. Seriously.
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Familiar with the notion that it takes seven “touches” to get a person to interact with your brand? Well, it’s probably closer to 13 “touches” these days, making it more important than ever to use digital advertising to expose students to your brand in more frequent, targeted ways.
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Your students love video. You should love video too. Look for creative ways to engage students on the platforms they’re already on and invest in footage you can cut (and recut) for different uses.
You might be wondering: What about those “brand caves”? Well, like many of the other higher ed marketing insights shared at the conference, brand caves remain an insider secret known only to those who were there. You’ll just have to attend next year.
Want to learn more about the Carnegie Conference? We would love to hear from you.
Contact Meghan Dalesandro, EVP Operations: mjd@carnegiecomm.com