Dive Brief:
- Small and mid-size colleges that don’t have broad name recognition among prospective students often turn to marketing campaigns to attract their next class, and John L. Gann, a Chicago-based marketing consultant, has some advice for them.
- For University Business, Gann dissects one expensive and ill-conceived ad, pointing out that the main point of the ad did not jump out from the headline, which instead trumpeted the name of the (obscure) school, and its claims of excellence went unsupported.
- Ending every sentence with an exclamation point, running photos without captions, advertising price reductions of less than 10%, and choosing colors that don’t enhance readability are all additional “no-nos” highlighted by Gann.
Dive Insight:
Competition in the higher education sector is only increasing as new opportunities for post-secondary studies are created and the number of high school students, in some regions, actually declines. Marketing is an important way to make an institution stand out from the crowd. And good marketing should start with a strong message. Colleges and universities must develop unique brands, and that comes down to a mission statement that sets them apart. Too many higher education institutions have vague commitments to academic success. Reaching students today depends on differentiation.
For returning students, LinkedIn research shows the importance of reaching them early, and customized messages have become key to attracting the youngest generation of college-goers who want to feel special and desired. Low-budget, personal touches like handwritten notes can help even the least-resourced schools compete.