Innovation & data-driven digital marketing.

Numerous colleges, universities and technical schools offer higher education programs—students have so many educational opportunities to choose between that it takes an effort to stand out.

That’s where higher education marketing comes into play. Higher education marketing helps schools create a reputational brand image that distinguishes them from their competitors. 

Without a developed brand, prospective students won’t know what makes your school special. They would have no reason to choose your school over a similar one offering the same program.

How to Uniquely Position Your School’s Brand

Depending on the type of institution you run, you may seek to attract students just graduating from high school, older adults who never attended college, or intrigued career-switchers. Your school may offer training in one area, like computer science, or you may have programs in a wide breadth of topics, like that of a university.

That’s why your institution’s brand matters. When potential students understand what differentiates your school from others and why it should resonate with them, they’re more likely to apply for admittance.

You can advertise to prospective students in numerous ways:

Determine What Makes Your School Special

If you look around, there’s probably a lot about your school that makes it stand out from others. Perhaps you have a strong emphasis on diversity, so there are lots of students from different races, ethnic backgrounds, or countries.  Your school may thrive in a small college town, where the locals are mainly prior graduates and professionals who work for the school. There might be many restaurants, bars, and entertainment options to attract the young population.

Once you’ve identified what is different about your school, you’ll develop the brand around it. You can use several phrases to distinguish it and help you uncover opportunities for higher education marketing.  For example, a school emphasizing its sporting events and clubs might select terms like “top football team” or “fun sororities and fraternities.”

Identify the Common Characteristics of Your Student Body

You likely have lots of statistics about your student population. You can use these common characteristics in your advertising strategy; start marketing to people that fit those parameters through online ads or high school college fairs for a good shot at success.

Deliver the Same Messages Across Marketing Channels

Your next step is to ensure you deliver a consistent message across all your marketing channels. Whenever prospective students think of your school, they should immediately associate it with your brand message. While you shouldn’t replicate your ads, they should all deliver a similar message.

Take Note of What Your Competitors Are Doing

You should pay attention to your competitor’s advertisements. They’re likely competing for the same students as you! You can see what factors they emphasize to encourage future students to apply. While you don’t want to copy their advertising, you can use it for inspiration. 

You can also distinguish your school from theirs in minor ways. For instance, if their advertising emphasizes how technologically advanced their courses are, you could identify ways that your school is at the cusp of technology through its remote learning policy or focus on AI development. 

Get Help Developing Your Higher Education Marketing Strategy

No one knows digital marketing like 10x Digital. We offer a full suite of advertising and branding services to help companies and organizations stand out. Contact our team today to get help developing your school’s brand and marketing strategy.