How to Get the Most out of your Back to School Digital Marketing Strategy
Maya Rector • Jul 16, 2020
As back to school season rapidly approaches, educational institutions everywhere may be wondering how to engage with potential students before the school year ramps up again - especially in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and a changing digital environment. Keep reading to learn more about how digital marketing can be the perfect tool for building awareness and lasting connections among key audiences despite the distance.
Reach Education Intenders with Targeted Digital Campaigns
There’s no denying that the importance of digital has been brought to the forefront amidst stay at home orders, social distancing, and mounting safety precautions in the face of Covid-19. Students of varying ages from middle school to college quickly adapted to new schedules and entirely virtual learning experiences, people across the country discovered that they could save the hassle of attending appointments in person thanks to tele-consultations, and consumers who once looked forward to in-person experiences discovered how convenient online ordering and curbside pickup could be. While the upcoming school year won’t be quite the same as previous years, digital experiences will be able to play an important role not only for distance learning purposes, but for marketing purposes as well.
Because digital marketing takes place online, it can be a great way to reach potential students who are already spending lengthy amounts of their time on the internet, even prior to the pandemic. According to a 2019 Statista survey
measuring the average duration of daily internet usage by age group and device, participants ages 16-24 were spending an average of 4.1 hours per day on their mobile devices and 3.3 hours online via their PC, laptop, or tablet. Not far behind them was the 24-34 age group with an average of 3.45 hours per day on mobile and 3.37 on PC, laptop, or tablet.
In addition to reaching them where they’re spending their time, digital marketing can take campaigns further thanks to advanced targeting capabilities. Reaching the right audience with the right message - and at the right moment - is crucial to building a successful digital marketing strategy (for more tips, check out our post
on how to create a digital marketing strategy). Digital audience targeting can position your campaigns to make a mark among key target audiences as they look for schools by narrowing down by specific data segments to reach consumers in your area who are college aged, looking to go back to school to increase their earning potential, interested in learning a trade, or generally interested in expanding their education. Today’s students and consumers expect nothing less than a personalized experience - making digital marketing the perfect avenue due to its ability to tailor precise messaging across a variety of audiences to make an impact on potential students.
Integrate a Hispanic Marketing Strategy to Reach a Key Education Demographic
Compared to the general market population, U.S. Hispanics
are 45% more likely to be a full-time college student, 66% more likely to enroll/return to college, and 35% more likely to take online courses/classes. That being said, when looking to reach audiences who are interested in learning more about pursuing their education, it’s crucial to think about adding a hispanic marketing strategy to your overall marketing plans given the growing number of multicultural students across the U.S. As if that’s not enough to take this audience seriously, it’s worth considering that 1 in 4 U.S. Hispanics are college-bound and roughly $16.7 billion Hispanic education expenditures
are projected to take place in 2020 alone.
U.S. Hispanics are continuing to show an interest in enrolling in post-secondary institutions, and they have been catching up to the general population when it comes to educational attainment in recent years. According to insights from The Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI), the number of Latino college students is increasing overall, with these students continuing to be overrepresented in community colleges. A whopping 85% of Latino students enrolled in public institutions in 2016; a higher percentage than any other race/ethnicity group for that same year. Evidently, community colleges and public educational institutions at large already have a loyal audience base among Latinos, yet Latinos are currently underrepresented at four year institutions.
What does this mean when marketing to them? First, local colleges and public universities should continue to reach this audience that is increasingly choosing to utilize their services - or get started if they haven’t already. Second, four year institutions could benefit from increasing their ad spend to reach this underserved group that is eager to learn more about the offerings and opportunities they can receive at these institutions. Hispanic audiences are an integral demographic to reach for those in the educational space, yet despite these numbers, many institutions fail to reach Latinos by either not marketing to them at all, or by falling short with messaging and strategies that lack nuance and understanding. Hispanic marketing can in fact be a success among the Latino market, especially when given careful consideration thanks to expert teams of marketing consultants who know these audiences inside and out. For more information on how to choose a Hispanic digital marketing agency, check out our article on the topic here.
Lead with Value
There’s no doubt that students everywhere are feeling financial pressure as a result of the pandemic’s effect on their finances, but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing for education. The economic slowdown can provide plenty of opportunities for schools that can offer value driven alternatives. For instance, students and their families may be more apt to choose local community schools and public school options instead of private universities that are far from home, making these factors selling points for schools who can emphasize the value they can provide.
According to Robert Franek, editor in chief of The Princeton Review, “As price becomes a growing consideration, 40% of students already have said they would attend public college and 26% have said they would choose community college.” This is in alignment with trends from previous economically slow years, such as the Great Recession. In the five years between 2006 and 2011, the last recession saw a 33% increase
in enrollment in two-year colleges, with Hispanic college enrollment in particular experiencing growth through the recession and beyond.
Other than reaching audiences according to their interests and online advertising preferences, promotions that offer savings incentives can play a big role in winning potential students over. In difficult economic times, consumers may be more likely to switch services or schools if they offer better deals - making it more important than ever to reach them with the right offerings and messaging. Creative digital messaging can be a great way to engage with a “value shopper”
customer base that is increasingly digital-savvy and focused on getting the most value they can out of their budget.
How to get Started with Digital Marketing Today
Although back to school season may not feel as exciting or even as “normal” as it usually does this year, there’s no need for returning to school to be boring - for both institutions and students of all backgrounds alike. If you’re looking to capture the attention of potential students and start building connections with them, reaching them across their favorite online platforms with relevant messaging via digital marketing is a great way to get started.
To learn more about how digital marketing can play a role in building awareness and increasing engagement, feel free to contact
one of our marketing consultants today. Looking for a location near you? Check out our locations page
to find out more. We look forward to hearing from you before class is in session!
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