Dive Brief:
- Known for listicles and guides to better millennial living, pop cultural web destination BuzzFeed is also meeting a growing demand from colleges and universities seeking innovative recruitment outreach to potential students, The Chronicle reported yesterday.
- Temple University was named as one of several schools that have worked with BuzzFeed's higher ed consultancy to develop niche lists and content designed to engage students about living in the city surrounding a campus, or college life navigation tips.
- Temple's sponsored content, according to BuzzFeed officials, reached three people for every 10 views which the university paid for.
Dive Insight:
BuzzFeed works with a number of for-profit institutions, and this is the primary competition for colleges looking to stabilize or to grow enrollment in the near future. The ability to reach potential online learners requires strategic investments in keyword acquisition and sponsored content campaigns that can resonate with regionally-based students.
Specifically, schools should focus on marketing degrees that are most closely aligned with workforce development trends in the city or state, which are the greatest elements in convincing a student that the cost of the degree is valuable and will yield profitable returns for them after graduation.