Online or digital marketing is the process of using the web and internet-connected services to promote a product or company. There are a number of disciplines within online marketing, some of which include social media, search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, online advertising and mobile advertising.
Old traditional system of college promotion with passing leaflets and TV ads is not that effective any more, prospective students are more likely to pay attention to a funny YouTube video than to a poster on the school board.
Www.joinitaa.com offers top 5 online marketing tips for college directors that could be of use /a>.
Create a simple and informative website
By keeping all useful information at one place with easy navigation you will help a prospective student to get a first taste of your college. Don’t forget about updating it with current news and offers, and create a positive image with covering the events of students’ life. Search engine optimization (SEO) will help you with attracting new visitors, so it is always a good idea to find a good SEO specialist, who will make your website show up at the top of the search engine results.
Think young and use social networks
There is a big possibility that your future student will notice the information about you in friend’s post on Facebook or at recommended video channels on the YouTube. Create a fun and catchy contest, especially if your target group is high-schoolers, make them press the “like” and “share” buttons. Remember that they can pay your ad about 30 minutes of their attention and time, so better bring it short and smart.
Share you knowledge online
If your prospective students are not 17-18 year old teenagers, but adults searching to continue their studies or get a new qualification,
you should think of giving out some educational materials to raise their interest particularly in your educational institution. You can easily conduct free webinars with your best professors or upload new scientific researches of your students. Make sure to choose and interesting topic and a great presenter.
Offer something free as a reward for “likes”
When students are about to finish their high school, they count every dollar and the word “free” sounds super catchy. Conduct a contest – best essay on global warming, funniest photo of the junior prom, most interesting scientific invention – post the works on your Facebook page and ask the contestants to collect the “likes”. You can come up with a price on your own, from the T-shirt with college logo to a partial scholarship, but the attention to your Facebook profile is guaranteed.
Understand your online audience
Learning the habits and preferences of your target group will help you to put the right contexts in all mentioned above. Analyzing your web-site statistic and using Facebook’s Audience Insights you have an ability to see what your audience engages with and likes so you can profile your target audience in much more detail than ever before.
For online marketing tips for college directors and other interesting topics, feel free to contact ITAA now.