These days, prospective students are bombarded with digital advertising from every angle – it can be hard to capture their attention (let alone hold it). But the institutions that do succeed in cutting through the clutter and making a lasting impact are schools with strong, consistent brands. That’s no coincidence.
In this guest blog from Glacier, a digital marketing agency who specialises in helping institutions reach prospective students, we’ll explore a few key tips for attracting your ideal audience, establishing lasting connections, and establishing a strong, authentic brand story.
Why A Strong Brand Matters
A strong brand that stands for something can be one of your most powerful strategic assets for attracting prospective students. On the other hand, if your brand doesn’t showcase your values or your strengths – then you risk coming off as “just another school”. In the attention economy of today, that’s a competitive liability.
When you do weld your school’s unique traits to brand messaging that’s impactful, you can differentiate your institute, drive enrolment and even foster a better relationship among existing students.
Brock University is an example of a postsecondary institute that has been able to successfully establish a strong brand. Brock has been consistent in their brand story and, in addition, has implemented a comprehensive marketing mix, including a focus on brand awareness across various advertising channels where Gen Z spends their time most.
For example, Brock has had success with adding content to TikTok, which is incredibly popular with Gen Z. In fact, Brock University reported a 13% increase in application numbers in January 2023, whereas the average increase in applications across Ontario was 2.9%.
The Role of Consistency in Building Awareness
Brand consistency is vital when it comes to building trust and recognition. As any marketer knows, a good story told once isn’t enough. When all of your outreach touchpoints have the same consistent messaging, you are truly “building a brand”. That means also being strict with your use of brand colours, logos, and elements – demonstrating visual consistency.
This not only helps maintain the strong brand identity you’ve worked hard to build, but also promotes brand recall. Remaining in line with your brand guidelines stirs a sense of familiarity in prospective students, more so when they see your brand over and over again.
A proven method for triggering brand recall is through strategic ad placements. 55% of students selected ads or posters they have seen at high schools as a main place they have seen higher education ads. This statistic is especially important as, on average, a student notices a poster in a high school 3.5 times per day. The lesson here is that to leave an everlasting impression on prospective students, your institution needs to constantly be in front of them.
Knowing Your Audience: The Foundation of Authenticity
Before advertising to your audience, it’s essential to learn about their values and behaviour. Figuring out Gen Z’s preferences, beliefs, aspirations, and fears is key for understanding what drives this demographic. Based on a recent report, students selected social media and online forums as one of the main channels they used to learn about postsecondary institutions. Gen Z uses social media on a regular basis because it has the type of content they like to consume. Your institution has the ability to get in front of them by creating content on these platforms.
Social media covers a wide range of content, but there is a certain style that resonates with the younger generation the best. Gen Z has been known to love the messy-real style of short-form video content. They want quirky, goofy, and lighthearted content, which contributes to what we call "authentic content." While you should keep your website polished, your social media presence should be fun and witty.
It might be an adjustment to make content suitable for new channels such as TikTok, but it does not need to be deemed a “risk”. Consider it a strategic move to connect with Gen Z in a place they feel at home.
Exploring New Opportunities (Without Taking Risks)
Higher education marketers face a challenge when it comes to trying new things. Often, this challenge stems from the fear of the unknown. However, you can still be creative and do something new without compromising your brand. The top three social channels Gen Z uses the most are Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. The central understanding here is that Gen Z has a strong preference for visual content but particularly video. There are ways that higher education institutions can use the content styles and formats of these platforms without risking their brand identity.
For example, Instagram and TikTok-style videos are bite-sized and often fairly simple to make, with an unpolished and organic look that resonates with Gen Z. With the fast-paced digital landscape, you should spend some time on the platforms and see what is taking off. Most institutions understand that it is crucial for their brand to be on these social platforms, and in order to do so, they must create content that fits in. With some trends, you can replicate and repeat the same process, while other times you may need to start from scratch. Creating the right type of content can take trial and error, which is why you need to be open to learning.
As an institution looking to appeal to prospective students, creating authentic content, maintaining consistency, and exploring new opportunities is pivotal. We encourage you to check out Glacier if you need some expert help along the way.