Digital marketing for educational institutions requires diving deeper into existing channels and optimizing content to meet the needs of your target audience. Students want to connect with others and develop meaningful relationships.
Alums want to stay in touch with their alma mater. Facilitating engagement among every group associated with your school means providing tools for communication and information.
Here you will find six ways your college can use apps to elevate your digital marketing strategy.
1. Digitize Your Application Process
Applying to college should be simple. More students are looking for ways to obtain the information they want to know about potential school choices and conveniently submit applications. A recruitment portal can streamline the process while serving prospective students' needs.
Applicants shouldn't have to search for a link to the portal. It should be easy to find and navigate. You can design the application form for customization so prospective students can tailor each field to their unique needs. You should also enable applicants to track the status of their application and update information or upload additional documents requested by the admissions office.
2. Offer an Immersive Digital Experience
Technology allows educational institutions to bring their campuses to prospective students. Geographical and financial limitations no longer exist when your target audience can access immersive virtual worlds.
Consider offering self-guided campus tours so prospects unable to travel to your school can get a feel for campus life. Our Campus Visit Experience allows you to showcase your campus to visitors from anywhere. They can take in the sights with video and learn more about each location with informative text and audio.
An interactive campus map is another valuable app you can use to promote the story of your college. Instead of only showing prospective students the budlings, allow them to walk around virtually and experience the feeling of being on campus. You can integrate your app with Google maps for real-time navigation and 360-degree images of recreational facilities, academic buildings, and other stops you want to promote.
Traditional in-person events aren't accessible to everyone. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more schools have switched to virtual events, allowing prospective students to connect with faculty, alum, and other prospects in a virtual world. Incorporating a virtual events space removes barriers many people encounter while searching for a school suited to their needs. Attendees can participate from the comfort of their homes and interact with others on demand.
3. Keep Students Informed of Important Events
Campus event marketing is a way to publicize your school's recent developments. You can leverage social media to keep your campus community up to date on the latest information, such as:
- Opening of a new academic building
- Upcoming job fairs, alumni reunions, and other events
- A sports team's victory at a recent game
Posting on social media allows you to reach a larger audience. More people will know what's happening around campus. It also starts conversations among students, faculty, and alum and keeps them connected.
4. Encourage Alumni Involvement
Blasting generic emails to stay in touch with alumni won't benefit your college much in the long run. Former students don't want to feel like a number among thousands of alum. They want to feel like they matter to your educational institution.
Engaging alumni requires techniques to elicit strong emotions and tap into nostalgia about their time at school. They're more likely to participate in fundraisers, networking, and other campus events if you use personalized messaging to keep them in the loop. Recognize them for donations they make, recruitment events they attend, and connections they forge with prospective students.
5. Emphasize Community Involvement
A good education is vital to every student's future. However, getting good grades isn't the only important aspect of the college experience. You should instill healthy values in upcoming generations by encouraging involvement in the local community. They will leave your school with experiences promoting positive relationships with their family, friends, coworkers, and community members.
Use a campus calendar, social media, or other website features to announce opportunities for contributing to the betterment of the community. Inform your students of non-profit organizations looking for volunteers. Post about an upcoming 5K to raise money for a good cause. You can also ask your students to recommend projects that solve community problems. They might come up with something you haven't thought about that makes your campus and city safer.
Take Your College's Digital Marketing to the Next Level
StudentBridge can help you incorporate the most effective apps into your digital strategy to promote engagement, reach a wider audience, and drive student enrollment.
Request a demo or contact us today at (678) 824-8181 to learn more about our services and what we can do for your college.
