In the face of expanding higher education options and declining enrollments, strategic marketing has become increasingly crucial for universities. There are several key marketing trends that highlight tools and strategies institutions looking to increase visibility and conversions should consider adopting.
Some of these tools are relatively new, while others are more familiar but have gained new importance due to evolving consumer habits. All remind us that we must reach people where they are, communicate with them effectively, and be ready to continually adapt our marketing efforts.
Let’s examine six innovative marketing approaches that are transforming how we connect with and attract prospective students.
1. AI Automation
AI-driven chatbots that answer common questions and keep online prospects engaged while they’re waiting to chat with a live representative are proving increasingly valuable to organizations. Despite initial criticisms, institutional attitudes toward chatbots are shifting, particularly once university leaders witness the rapid response to prospects they provide and the increase in productivity their human representatives can enjoy while leveraging the technology.
2. Predictive Analytics
Also driven by AI, predictive analytics tools are helping higher education institutions forecast enrollment trends and interpret student behavior, enabling them to target their marketing and retention efforts based on solid data. These tools are helping to eliminate the guesswork from marketing.
3. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing allows real people who reflect prospective students’ demographics to market college programs through social media. Though concerns exist about this marketing method losing effectiveness through oversaturation, influencer marketing is adapting, combating fatigue by providing more authentic, exclusive content and adding employee influencers—which in higher education, could be faculty members.
4. Mobile Optimization
Statistics from early 2024 suggest that nearly 96% of smartphone owners are using their phones as their primary means of internet access—a number that is expected to grow. This underscores the need to prioritize the mobile experience with mobile-friendly web pages, applications, and messaging in higher education marketing.
5. Voice Search Optimization
Will internet users type a search term into Google using their phone or laptop when gathering information about colleges? Maybe, but many of them are also using voice assistants. Given that nearly 133 million people in the U.S. are projected to be voice assistant users by 2025, optimizing for these tools is crucial to reaching a broader audience of prospects.
6. Personalized Content
AI technology is empowering marketers to deliver highly personalized content to prospective students. Drawing from extensive data based around prospects’ prior browsing habits and online behavior, this technology can help deliver truly personalized messages, acknowledging their known programs of interest, encouraging them to take the next step in their educational journey, and introducing them to alternative programs that may also align with their interests.
A Leader and Partner in Your Marketing Efforts
As a full-service online program management and marketing firm, Apollidon is here to lead all marketing efforts for your online programs or offer specific services tailored to meet your enrollment goals.
Our team has extensive experience in bringing degree and certificate programs online and providing support and marketing services that utilize proven methods and the latest data-informed strategies. We stay current with top marketing trends and are committed to leveraging them to your advantage as a dedicated partner in your educational mission.
Reach out to us today for more information.
Sources:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/hubspot-blog-marketing-industry-trends-report
https://www.educause.edu/ecar/research-publications/higher-education-trend-watch/2024
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/public-sector/latest-trends-in-higher-education.html
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2023/12/18/10-marketing-trends-that-will-dominate-in-2024/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1289755/internet-access-by-device-worldwide/
https://www.statista.com/topics/4748/smart-speakers/#topicOverview
https://boomi.com/blog/embracing-ai-and-chatbots/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-we-hate-chatbots-heres-why-krystal-khali-w4gjc
https://later.com/blog/is-influencer-marketing-dead/
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/voice-search-optimization