There isn’t a single industry that wouldn’t gain from digital marketing. But unfortunately, the ongoing global epidemic has taken a toll on the economy and businesses that play a vital role.
The education industry is one of the hardest hit, with no chance of surviving on traditional marketing alone. As universities and other educational institutions remain closed to students in most parts of the world, students have turned to apps and e-learning tools to keep up with their educational aspirations.
Due to the epidemic, students have become more aware of the power and benefits of online learning. As a result, many educational institutions have begun to offer online versions of their courses to students. However, spreading the word has been a difficult, if not ineffective, effort, and digital marketing has proven to be a lifesaver in marketing courses.
This article will go over the top digital marketing tactics for educational institutions. While traditional marketing is beneficial to the education sector, digital is unavoidably the need of the hour.
Before we go into the digital marketing strategy for educational institutions, let’s look at why they need it in the first place.
What Are the Benefits of Digital Marketing for Educational Institutions?
Because of the pandemic, businesses must now use digital marketing to sell their products and services rather than relying solely on traditional marketing tactics. In addition, more students are electing to take courses online and learn from the comfort of their own homes, which is causing a change in the educational sector from on-ground education to online education.
Educational institutions must have an online presence to advertise their courses to the correct audience in a shorter amount of time. Many proven-to-be-successful digital marketing tactics for educational institutions exist. But first, let’s talk about the advantages and significance of digital marketing techniques for educational institutions.
- Digital platforms are mediums that allow you to effortlessly connect and communicate with the audience you want to reach. For example, digital marketing platforms give brands a lot of room to communicate with their customers and respond to them as soon as they respond to your marketing message.
- Digital marketing has a higher level of persuasion. Emails and SMSs can assist educational institutions in connecting to their target audience on a more personal level and encourage them to take positive action in response to their message.
- As compared to traditional marketing strategies, digital marketing is more cost-effective. For example, email and SMS marketing strategies have meagre expenses. That is why internet marketing is more cost-effective than traditional on-ground efforts.
Now let’s look at the top ten digital marketing tactics for educational institutions.
Top 10 Educational Institutions Digital Marketing Strategies
In today’s marketing environment, adopting digital marketing techniques for educational establishments is a must-do. As mentioned in the previous section, digital marketing has numerous advantages for the education industry, particularly in reaching out to the right audience at a low cost.
Digital marketing also has a variety of strategies in its arsenal that apply to various businesses. Let’s look at a few of the most effective digital marketing methods for educational institutions.
1. Establish a presence on social media
On social media, the student community is very active. As a result, one of the most effective digital marketing techniques for educational institutions is to have a solid social media presence. It will assist you in gaining popularity among the youth. Adapting to social media trends and posting relevant content – a mix of quirky, relevant, and educational information – will help you establish a solid social media following and presence.
2. Make your website mobile-friendly
More people than desktop internet now use mobile internet. Because most of your target audience, primarily students, uses mobile devices, make sure your website is mobile-friendly. For educational institutions, this is a vital digital marketing strategy.
Make sure your website is user-friendly regarding loading time, relevant content, a FAQ area, a contact option, a signup/inquiry form, and other factors. Creating a mobile-friendly and user-friendly website for educational institutions should be on the list of digital marketing tactics.
3. Student testimonials
Testimonials from current and former students are among the best forms of social proof, particularly for educational institutions. Moreover, it is one of the most effective internet marketing methods for educational institutions. Therefore, include student testimonials in your social media and website content strategies.
Furthermore, you might ask your pupils to submit online reviews on Google and other platforms, as most individuals examine online reviews before proceeding.
4. Take advantage of the video content strategy
Promoting video content is another efficient digital marketing technique for educational institutions. Invest in a high-quality film covering various features of your institute, such as the campus tour, courses offered, additional student amenities such as labs, libraries, more, student housing, etc.
5. Develop an educational app
Create an app for your institute – it can simply be a management app for students to keep track of various metrics such as attendance, leaves, scores, exam schedules, and more, or it can be a functional app that will assist them in studying with the help of study materials, sample papers, and other resources.
6. Use SEO content on your web pages
Your website and content must appear on the top page of Google. It is only achievable with SEO. Making your material SEO-friendly should be a part of your educational institute’s digital marketing plan.
Hire a team of SEO experts to research the top-ranking keywords in your field and make sure they’re included in your content. Your page will be more easily found if you use SEO-friendly content.
7. Focus on technical SEO
Technical SEO is the process of ensuring that your website pages are free of faults and broken links. The main goal is to fix the website and eliminate any technological errors. You’ll need the assistance of a web developer to accomplish this. However, it is one of the most important digital marketing techniques for educational institutions, so hire one and get it done.
8. Pay attention to the placement of your advertisements
Where you show your adverts is more essential than digital advertising itself. For educational institutions, this is the next most important digital marketing strategy. Place your adverts on websites with material related to what you’re selling. For example, if you’re promoting a new digital marketing online course, advertise it on digital marketing-related websites. It increases the likelihood of readers clicking on your adverts and is also an efficient technique to contact your target audience.
9. Use retargeting campaigns to increase your conversion chances
Retargeting efforts are a slower but more consistent way of increasing conversions. And for every business, including education, conversions are the ultimate goal. As a result, retargeting ads for educational institutions should be a part of your digital marketing plan. Retargeting campaigns allow you to reach out to people who have already expressed interest in your course. As a result, it’s a practical approach to increasing course conversions.
10. Host industry expert webinars regularly
Today’s students are on a never-ending drive to learn. Webinars are thus a practical digital marketing approach for educational institutions. In addition, organizing free webinars where industry leaders speak to students might help promote your institute and increase admissions.
