8 Education Marketing Strategies to Increase Your Enrolments in 2024

A study by Niche, a college search website, found that social media is the most effective marketing channel for college recruitment, with 52% of students reporting that they discovered a college or university through social media. It’s a fact that social media is a powerful tool that you can use to reach out to potential students. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are great for promoting the institution’s programmes and events, engaging with students, and sharing valuable content.

How can we leverage social media to increase enrolment?

Create a strong platform presence: Creating and maintaining a strong social media presence on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and Twitter is crucial. By regularly posting engaging content, sharing success stories of students and alumni, and highlighting your institute’s strengths and achievements, you can create a positive image and attract prospective students.

Use social media advertising: social media advertising can help education institutes reach a wider audience and target specific demographics. You can create targeted ads based on age, location, interests, and other factors to ensure that your ads reach the right people.

Share alumni success stories: You can share the success stories of your alumni on social media. This helps to build a positive image of the institute and will act as a powerful tool for attracting new students.

Host social media contests: Hosting social media contests is a fun and engaging way to attract prospective students. For example, you could host a photo contest where students can share photos of their campus experience or a video contest where students can share their talents and skills.

Host live sessions: Host virtual events or live sessions such as webinars, Q&A sessions, and virtual campus tours on social media. This allows potential students to get a feel for the institute and its programmes without having to physically visit the campus.

4. Host Webinars and Virtual Events

Webinars and virtual events are great ways to engage with potential students and provide them with valuable information about the institution’s programs and admission requirements. These events can be hosted on platforms such as Zoom, and they can be recorded and shared on the institution’s website and social media platforms for those who missed them.

How to host successful webinars and virtual events for your institute?

Prior planning: Just like in-person events, virtual events require planning and preparation. The goal for the event needs to be defined.

Choosing the right platform: There are many platforms available for hosting virtual events, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. Choose a platform that meets your needs in terms of features, functionality, and ease of use.

Multichannel promotions: Use landing pages on your website, social media, and email lists to promote the event and encourage people to register. Consider offering incentives, such as early-bird discounts or freebies, to boost registration.

Test the platform before going live: Before the event, make sure it works properly. This includes testing the audio, video, and screen-sharing capabilities.

Present it well: Make sure your presentation is engaging and informative. Use visuals, such as slides or videos, to help illustrate your points.

Engage the audience: Encourage audience participation through Q&A sessions, polls, and chat features. This will keep the audience engaged and help you tailor the content to their interests.

Post-event follow-up: Send a follow-up email to attendees with a summary of the event and any relevant resources. This will help keep the conversation going and encourage attendees to stay engaged with your institution.

5. Invest more in Video Marketing

A study by Google found that 67% of prospective students used video to research colleges and universities, making it one of the most effective marketing channels for educational institutions. Video marketing is becoming increasingly popular, and it’s a great way for a booming institute like yours to showcase its programs and facilities. Videos can be used to give potential students a virtual tour of the campus, showcase student life, and provide testimonials from current students and alumni. These videos can be shared on social media, the institution’s website, and YouTube.

How do you effectively promote your institute through video marketing?

Showcase your campus: Create videos that showcase your campus and facilities. Highlight the state-of-the-art equipment, labs, libraries, classrooms, and recreational spaces available to students. This can give prospective students a glimpse of what they can expect when they enrol.

Share testimonials: Create videos that feature successful alumni or current students. This can help prospective students see the value of your educational programmes and the impact they can have on their careers.

Market the benefits of your programs: Create and post videos that provide information about the various programmes and courses offered at your institute. This can help prospective students make an informed decision about what to study.

Leverage social media platforms and SEO: Use social media platforms to promote your videos. Post them on your institute’s website, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other relevant platforms. This can help increase visibility and engagement. Optimise your videos for search engines to increase visibility. 

Collaborate with influencers: collaborate with social media influencers, bloggers, and YouTubers who have a large following in the education space. This can help increase the reach of your videos and attract more prospective students.

6. Adapt Mobile-First Marketing 

According to a report by Google, 70% of prospective students use their mobile phones to research and explore educational institutes. Additionally, a survey conducted by Noel-Levitz found that 73% of college-bound high school students use their mobile devices to search for information about colleges and universities. These statistics highlight the importance of mobile-first marketing for education institutes, as it allows them to reach a large portion of their target audience through the devices they are already using to search for information.

How can you leverage mobile-first marketing to become more discoverable?  

Develop a mobile-friendly website: With more and more people accessing the internet on their mobile devices, you must have a mobile-friendly website. The website should be designed to offer a seamless experience on smaller screens, with easy navigation, clear and concise content, and fast-loading pages.

Use social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are highly popular platforms among the younger generation. By creating engaging content on these platforms, you can reach out to potential students and parents. You can also use social media ads to target specific demographics and promote their courses.

Develop mobile apps: Many education institutes have already created mobile apps that provide students with easy access to course materials, schedules, and other important information. Apps can be used to send push notifications to students, reminding them of important deadlines or events.

Use SMS marketing: SMS marketing can be a highly effective way to reach out to prospective students and parents. You can use SMS to send reminders, updates, and other important information directly to their student’s phones.

Leverage the potential of WhatsApp: With over 2 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp is supreme for education marketing. It is a great source to send personalised messages, answer queries, and share relevant information about courses and admission procedures. 

Use location-based marketing: Location-based marketing uses GPS technology to target users based on their location. Use this to send targeted messages to users who are in your vicinity, promoting open houses, campus tours, or other events.

7. Partner with High Schools and Community Colleges

Partnering with high schools and community colleges is a great way to reach out to potential students who are already interested in pursuing higher education. You can offer workshops and seminars to these students, provide them with information about the institution’s programs, and answer their questions. This can help your institute build a relationship with these students and increase the likelihood of them applying.

What are the programs through which you can partner with high schools?

Dual enrollment programs: High school students can take college-level courses while still in high school, earning both high school and college credits. These programs can be offered in partnership with local institutions and universities, allowing students to get a head start on their college education.

Research partnerships: High schools and universities can collaborate on research projects that offer valuable learning experiences for both high school and college students. This can involve joint research projects, mentoring, or internships.

College preparatory programs: Your institute can partner with high schools to provide college preparatory programs that help students develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college. These programs can include workshops, mentoring, and academic support.

Articulation agreements: Universities can partner with high schools to create articulation agreements that allow students who complete specific courses in high school to receive college credits when they enrol in the university. This can help students save time and money on their college education.

Summer programs: Universities can offer summer programs for high school students, providing them with an opportunity to explore academic interests, develop skills, and prepare for college. These programs can be offered on the university campus or online.

8. Offer Scholarships and Financial Aid

This point may seem a little theoretical to you at first, but look at these practical cases:

• The University of Utah increased its enrolment by 22% over six years by introducing the “Utah Promise” scholarship program, which provides full-tuition scholarships to eligible low-income students.
• The University of Alabama increased its enrolment by 58% over 10 years by offering generous merit scholarships to high-achieving students, which helped the university attract more academically talented students.
• The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point increased its enrolment by 30% over five years by offering a tuition freeze, reducing out-of-state tuition rates, and providing more scholarships and grants to students.

Scholarships and financial aid are important for many students, and offering these can help attract students who may not have been able to afford the institution’s tuition otherwise. You can offer scholarships and financial aid based on merit, need, or other criteria. These programs can be promoted on the institution’s website and social media platforms.

Final Thoughts 

What we have learned from the past about marketing is that it evolves along with the technologies that influence it. We strongly believe that keeping pace with the emerging trends in marketing and setting the right marketing strategy will result in a heavy influx of leads.

However, it’s very important to know which source works best for you or which was that one top-performing channel of yours. For this, you need to have a seamless reporting dashboard with easy-to-comprehend reports. 

ExtraaEdge education CRM has it all for you under a single platform. You can manage all your leads from various sources and use a reporting dashboard to measure the performance of your marketing strategies. To get a 360-degree view of the product, book a 30-minute demo with our admissions expert.