Choosing a school isn’t an easy decision. Converting an admissions lead into a student is even harder. Prospective students weigh many factors when considering higher education including location, size, majors and, most of all, cost. Choosing a career path can be a lengthy process and a substantial number of schools to choose from can make the decision process even longer.
Separating your school from others isn’t an easy feat. And what if you’re not reaching prospective students? What if you’re not answering prospective students’ questions? An integrated marketing approach helps you reach your audience and convert more leads.
1. Reach Your Audience
Traditional media alone just doesn’t cut it anymore in the world of admissions marketing. Students have more resources than ever with all these different devices literally in the palms of their hands.
According to Millward Brown a person in the USA spends 151 minutes a day looking at a smartphone. That’s four more minutes than they spend watching TV. If you total all portable devices – smartphones, Laptops and tablets – a person in the USA, on average, spends 291 minutes a day looking at a portable device – 150 more minutes than watching TV.
Can you afford to miss out? The first step is to be actively on every screen your audience is spending time looking at.
Graphic created with data based on Millward Brown’s AdReaction Study http://bit.ly/1nB59Ne
2. Connect with Consumers at Different Lifecycle Stages
Reaching your audience on every level is just the beginning of an integrated marketing strategy. Actually connecting with your audience at the proper lifecycle stage is what turns a lead into a student.
All media has a role to play in integrated marketing. Offline media is a great way to start the conversation, but online media keeps the conversation going.
Once a prospective student becomes aware of your school, the goal is to answer that prospect’s questions on subjects like possible majors, financial aid, etc. through engaging content. Answering in a clear and engaging way builds trust, and most importantly, develops a relationship.
3. Consistency
Last but not least, consistency is the most important element of an integrated marketing approach that will increase the quality of your admissions leads. Every day there is a new way of reaching prospective students.
An easy way to confuse prospects, and hinder rather than build a relationship, is having an inconsistent voice. The recommended best practice approach to developing effective content and ensures consistency throughout all components of your integrated marketing is to have one entity managing your brand messaging.
True marketing integration is critical in our evolving omnichannel world. And just as prospects increasingly expect to be able to find you across channels, they expect consistent, positive experiences across those channels as well. Building the right team to help you manage your message will ensure each component of your marketing approach is aligned with your goals and translates to increased lead quality.