6 marketing strategies for educational institutions

Implementing marketing for educational institutions is very important as part of the economic reactivation of the sector. There is no other industry as affected as education , since many centers remained closed for quite some time. In addition, virtual classes are just being applied.

Educational centers of all kinds have been so impacted by the pandemic that it left absolutely no room to survive. Students have turned to e-learning apps and tools to keep up with their educational goals.

Therefore, marketing for educational institutions from 2022 onwards must understand the new change in the lifestyle of students . On the one hand, there are those who have realized the power and benefits of online learning. However, there is another group that prefers attendance.

In this article you will learn about 6 modern marketing strategies for educational institutions that will help you get many more students than your competition. In addition, you will know what actions you must take to enhance your educational marketing plans.

But first, know the points that will be addressed in this article.

Importance of marketing for educational institutions

It is very clear that the main objective of any educational center is to ensure the quality of education that its students receive. However, being a private entity, there is also the commercial aspect . And that is why marketing for educational institutions was born, in order to get more potential leads or students.

As we mentioned at the beginning, there is a need to rethink marketing for educational institutions. You must have an information approach for both parents and students. Nowadays, educational centers face new habits that the pandemic has left us.

There are many marketing strategies for educational institutions that have proven to be successful. But before that, let us know some points of its implementation importance.

1. The student population is online today .  Therefore, it makes more sense for educational institutes to market courses on digital platforms to tap into the right set of audiences. But also without neglecting attendance.

2. Online response is almost always instant .  Digital platforms are mediums through which you can easily reach your intended audience and communicate with them at ease. Digital platforms provide ample scope for brands to engage with their audience and respond instantly as they respond to your message.

3. Conversion rates are higher .  Marketing for educational institutions with a digital focus is more persuasive as it can reach a target audience on a more personal level and also get them to take positive action on your message, thus seeing more conversions.

4. Digital increases brand awareness .  Marketing for educational institutions helps establish your brand online and grow your presence as well. By undertaking social media marketing activities , you will be able to build a loyal set of followers, therefore spreading the word about your brand to a wider network of people.

6 marketing strategies for educational institutions

You have already learned the importance of having a marketing plan for educational institutions. Next, learn 6 strategies that will help you have more potential leads.

1) Serve your students by WhatsApp

The first marketing strategy for educational institutions is to create a WhatsApp communication plan . Being one of the closest messaging applications for parents and children, your institution will be closer to all of them .

Therefore, purchase the WhatsApp Business API . With this tool you will be able to implement chatbots within the application, have multi-agent management, send personalized notifications and much more. As you can read, it is much more powerful than WhatsApp Business.

Remember that WhatsApp is the app with the most contact worldwide. This means that all your potential leads will be in this application and they will feel good if you are there.

2) Have testimonials from existing students

One of the best social proofs, especially for educational institutes, are testimonials from existing students. This is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies for educational institutes. Include student testimonials in both your social media content strategy and on your website.

In addition to this, you can ask your students to leave online reviews on Google and other platforms, as people tend to check online reviews before going any further.

3) Use video content strategy!

Another effective digital marketing strategy for educational institutes is the promotion of video content. Invest in producing a good quality video that covers different aspects of your institute including campus tour, courses offered, additional student amenities like labs, library, and more, student housing, etc.

Showing all of this in real time will help the audience see your institute for what it stands for and spark interest.

4) Promotes safety

The COVID-19 crisis of 2020 will continue to reverberate to this day and likely into the foreseeable future. Moreover, in some countries they have returned to face-to-face attendance on a daily or inter-daily basis. For this reason, it is vital to publish the protocols with which your institution complies.

On the other hand, relying on promoting the safety and convenience of learning from home is going to be a winning strategy for educational marketing . Let the audience know the benefits of using your service as part of their education plan and how it contributes to the safety of students or families.

Distance learning websites and apps are well positioned to take advantage of and stay on top of the moment, but even traditional educational institutions can support themselves by promoting your home-based options when marketing education offerings.

5) Use chatbots in all your service channels

60% of students expect a response  from a university representative within the same day after completing a form. To make sure students are answered quickly, some universities are using online chatbots.

By implementing this type of tools in each interaction channel, both students and parents will be able to have much faster and easier access to information.

Chat platforms like Ticker allow you to respond to student inquiries instantly by automating the first few steps in a conversation before escalating the conversation to a real person. Since it has predetermined answers to what a user usually asks.

This makes students or parents have a very good interaction with your institution. What finally helps to retain them since they will feel that you will always be there to support them .

6) Create a message they care about

These words make or break first impressions and quickly turn a potential student into someone who really wants to learn more about your school or someone who is going to check out a few other options and just might be back.

Marketing messages must align with goals and address pain points or challenges . Sure, you can share everything about accessible staff, convenient class schedule, online options, and track record of success, but a lot of those elements are to be expected.

If you talk about what’s causing them to seek to further their education with actionable benefits that resolve or soften the pain points they’re experiencing, you’ve got them hooked. They want to know more about how you can help them achieve their goals.

Skip the vanilla message and get straight to the point. Your marketing message should speak to them in a way that shows you understand and have a solution.

3 keys to marketing success for educational institutions

They want to know how they can be successful through and after your program. They already know why they want to go to school, they may know what they want to be, but they don’t know why they should go to your school.

Understand your potential students

Before you do anything, you need to understand the ideal student you want to attract to your school . Not everyone is a strong candidate to enroll in one of your programs or want to enroll.

You want students to be excited about their chosen field of study. You want students to engage with courses , fellow students, and faculty. You want students who complete your program and succeed beyond their dreams.

These ideal students share many common attributes. They share similar weaknesses and challenges. They share similar goals.

You have to ask yourself:

• What are those weaknesses that you share?
• What are those similar goals?
• What do you provide that speaks of these things?

Once you know and understand the ideal potential student you want to attract, your marketing will become more focused and produce more quality leads .

Segment your database to send effective messages

Using your database is highly effective . However, all the contacts in your CRM are not at the same point in the buying cycle or interested in the same things . So why send everyone the same message? The more data points you have about contacts in your CRM, the more targeted your marketing messages will be.

Start by identifying how you want to segment your students in your CRM. Are you a potential student, a current student, or a former student? Having an organized approach ensures that your institution’s digital marketing succeeds.

It is not very professional to send messages to alumni and current students about enrollment , that message does not apply to them. You don’t want to send psychology school students information about what’s going on in the nursing program, and you want your message to be clear and relevant to what the recipient’s goals are.

Are they still discovering your brand? Or have they toured, do they understand your shows and are they ready to sign up? Segment your messages to create a personalized connection . This is where the value of an organized CRM shows its value.

monitor your progress

Numbers don’t lie and making decisions based on your gut may have led to some success in the past, but it shouldn’t be the only method of measurement. Determine what success looks like. What are the marketing KPIs that drive enrollment?

Make sure you have the ability to track progress. Automate as much of this as possible to eliminate manual processes that will definitely lead to inefficiencies.

Review these KPIs on a regular basis to spot areas where you’re doing well and areas that need attention.

Congratulations! You already learned all about marketing for educational institutions . As you could read, for part of the plan to be successful, it is important to have good communication with potential clients.