Digital marketing strategies to attract students
Are you familiar with the value of carrying out digital marketing actions in order to attract students? The importance of digital marketing in today’s world is already well-known for organizations and even schools. Users use digital and social platforms, hence the need to create digital marketing actions to attract students.
The channels that are used are varied, from email to social networks. Specifically, it is in the education sector where it is necessary to place a special emphasis on these social media, particularly because young students are on Instagram, Snapchat, Whatsapp and other social networks.
However, if your goal is to attract students from a study center, you will need to create a roadmap first. It is necessary to design a digital marketing strategy to attract students and set the objectives to be achieved. If you do not have a specific goal, it will be difficult for you to achieve your goals in the long term.
The reality of the education sector in digital marketing
There are two distinctly differentiated realities of particular significance. On the one hand, the large competition among educative institutions, particularly with the arrival of IEs, Distance Education. This circumstance has led all centers to generate their own digital marketing strategies to attract students and promote their business, trying to achieve positive outcomes in this way.
The educational sector has undoubtedly become the star in Google, as the keywords related to education have a huge demand.
As a result, it is difficult to differentiate yourself from the rest. This is why carrying out digital marketing actions is essential to solve these issues and obtain the best results in order to make your Institution appears among the first results on Google.
Data on digital marketing for the education sector
According to the analysis carried out by Rock Content and called EduTrends 2016, 81% of IE invest in digital marketing. Also, of that 81%, 41.7% assigns 10% of their budget for digital marketing actions.
This is because the user, in this case the student, is present on these social platforms. Therefore, if you want to capture his attention, it is important that you have an appropriate online presence.
A student who looks for a course or a master’s degree will first browse the Internet to find it. Young people spend almost the entire day connected and they look for instant answers to their questions.
The Internet thus becomes the ideal place for institutions to generate new business opportunities. But do you know exactly which social platforms your students use? This knowledge is the key to generating more efficient communication between both of you.
Social platforms your students use
In the studies carried out by IAB Spain, whatever the device used is, there is a clear leading social platform. On the computer, cell phone or tablet, Facebook is the most used social network by Spanish users.
YouTube is in second place as one of the channels that has grown the most in recent years. Thus, video marketing is positioned as the most used format by companies due to its engagement with the audience.
Snapchat and Instagram as the leading networks for young people
It is possible that your students are both from the Millennial Generation and the so-called Generation Z. The first one includes people born between the 1980-1999, while the second one includes those born from the year 2000. The characteristics shared by millennials are mainly three:
- They are multiscreen users.
- They are connected to social networks.
- They make purchases online (ecommerce).
This means that if you want to reach them, you will have to be familiar with all the screens available to display contents: cell phones, tablets, television and computers. Each of these devices is part of their daily life.
As for the social networks they use, the generation between 16-30 years old (millennials) prefers Facebook. It is their favorite social network to connect or share content. Close by is YouTube thanks to videos, and finally Twitter.
What about Instagram? This platform is positioned in the fourth place. It is worth mentioning without doubt, as it is the app that has grown the most in user volume in recent years. For young millennials, Instagram stories or photographs have become the most used type of content.
What about generation Z?
They are the generation under 16 years old of age, so they can also be part of an educator’s target. If you want to carry out a good digital marketing strategy to attract students, the main social networks of Generation Z are:
- Snapchat.
- Instagram.
These networks are used especially because of photographs, the popular stories and live videos. This generation only wants to be connected and share everything on their networks with other users. But what other factors define these social networks?
Reasons for Instagram and Snapchat success in Generation Z
Generation Z is the generation that follows the Millenials. If you want to be closer to them, you will have to be familiar with their favorite sites. Here you will find key on how to create the best digital marketing strategies to attract students.
These strategies and tips are based on the social platforms they use the most, Snapchat and Instagram.
Digital marketing strategies to attract students of generation Z
1.- Communication
This generation is continually connected. Both Instagram and Snapchat fulfill that role through comments, private messages, stories, etc. There are several ways to begin a conversation with another user.
You can send emojis on both platforms. However, it is Snapchat the one with more options such as funny stickers and Bitmojis.
2.- Public presence
This happens especially on Instagram. On this platform, users post photographs that last forever. This is why the images are chosen based on their quality. Additionally, there are many followers, so it is necessary to offer them good content. It portrays an ideal and perfect world that is unreal at the same time.
However, with the launch of stories, this has changed. They are more similar to Snapchat. This generation loves temporary things that last a short time. Hence, Instagram’s success in recent years.
3.- Sharing daily
Another digital marketing strategy to attract students is to share content with them. This is the world of sharing. More specifically, generation Z is focused on sharing their lives with all their followers. This can be done through stories, where it is possible to know who saw your picture. Additionally, Instagram offers you the option to share things with all your followers or only with those you choose.
However, and unlike Snapchat, brand image and reputation matter on Instagram. It is important to take care of them. The content needs to be compatible with your public image.
For its part, Snapchat is more selective. Generation Z users are not usually friends with their bosses or teachers. In this social network, content is shared with friends or acquaintances and you can also block people if you do not want them to see your stories.
4.- The secret and private part
Despite being applications where almost everything is public, they also have a more secret aspect. What if you want to send a private message to your student? You can do it through direct messages. Not everything should be public comments everyone can see.
Also, many generation Z users create two Instagram accounts. One of them is real and the other fake. This is the so-called Finstagram or sinsta, from the word fake. This means the creation of fake or secret Instagram accounts. In this way, they can share information with users they have chosen for that group.
The app and its functionalities are the same, but here they show a natural aspect and not the ideal and unreal world they usually show on this social network.
In Snapchat, as it is an app they use to interact with friends, users share everything they want, even the most absurd nonsense. That is what it is about. Only temporal and short-term things matter.
5.- Flirting
Finally, social networks are a means for generation Z to have the opportunity to meet other users. Most do it through Snapchat, as Instagram is more formal and more used by Millennials.
Snapchat is an ideal way to send photos that will disappear later on. It is the most informal way of communication. Hence, flirting is easier. Unlike Instagram, in this app if a person makes a screenshot of a photograph, the creator will be notified immediately. Therefore, the game is over.
These are some highlights of the two most important social networks for the generation Z. If you want to reach students, you will have to be familiar with their favorite media.
Analyzing and measuring are essential strategies in marketing
These two platforms continue to look for features that may make them more attractive to users. The analysis and measurements are essential to find the right key.
If you do not want to stay behind, you will have to design digital marketing strategies to attract students. Understanding their actions and behaviors will bring you closer to the fulfillment of their needs. Do not forget that Generation Z is defining the future of the technological industry.
Even with this information, there are many educational institutions that have not designed marketing strategies for social networks because of their lack of knowledge. This is a great mistake, as they clients are there.
Do you need to attract more students for your center?
At Antevenio we have worked closely with the main universities, educational centers and online training companies in Europe and America for more than 20 years. We are focused on the results we obtain. If you work in an educational center and you want to be where your students are, choose a company with experience and ready to work with specific objectives to attract new students.
If you want more information about our student recruitment services, do not hesitate to contact us here.
