Dive Brief:
- Facebook is still the premier network for marketing and outreach for colleges or universities, but an effective marketing strategy requires an understanding of how different generations interact with the medium and what they are seeking in a school, according to Olive & Company.
- Generation Z, or the students just beginning to enter college, are digital natives, and are sensitive about marketing which comes across as inauthentic. Millennials are earning less than their parents did and are seeking values for their education, while Gen X (Gen Z’s parents) are dealing with their own student debt and encouraging their children to be flexible.
- Facebook remains a formidable platform, with an average of 2 billion users each month, and all generations are using the platform in large numbers. There are a variety of ways to advertise on the site, and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, is also an option.
Dive Insight:
Colleges and universities are now targeting students who have never existed in a world without Wi-Fi connections. These “phigital” students do not make a strong distinction between the physical and digital world, and conversations and considerations about college must be addressed in both spheres. Colleges and universities are sometimes lax in supporting a social media staff and strategy, but schools must work to make sure that they have the means to pinpoint potential students wholly through social media.
Increased social media outreach can also help schools branch out to previously underrepresented groups. Schools may find a new spring of interested applicants if they put in the effort to expand beyond their typical marketing strategy. Digital marketing can enable schools to be more proactive, in conversation with potential students in a way that billboard or physical marketing could never accomplish. Digital marketing can also help schools make ambassadors out of intrigued applicants by creating community in the social space, allowing prospective students who are excited about the school to reach out to other potential students, getting the college or university positive earned promotion.