Higher Education: Content Marketing

What is Content Marketing?

The concept of content marketing seems straightforward enough as the name is generally the definition. Content marketing is the promotion of goods or services through the creation and distribution of relevant, engaging content. It’s used to attract a targeted audience and create relationships with customers, prospects, and/or influencers to drive awareness and loyalty to a product, service, business, or in this case, a school.

What makes content marketing different from general marketing and advertising is its focus on creating and providing valuable and relevant content tailored to a specific audience. For higher education institutions, content marketing can be especially effective because it helps colleges and universities reach potential students, build relationships with them and encourage them to enroll.

Higher Education and Content Marketing

Content marketing can help higher education institutions reach more potential students by creating content that will appeal to them. Content marketing gives colleges the ability to build relationships with those students and create a community around the institution, which in turn helps to increase enrollment.

Countless Applications

Content marketing strategies in higher education should focus on creating helpful content that provides potential students with the information they need to make informed decisions about their college choice. This content can come in an endless variety of forms including webpages, infographics, blogs, articles, videos, podcasts, webinars, apps, and ebooks, just to name a few.

Webpages

Webpages can include a school’s website, individual faculty and staff member pages, departmental webpages, and even student organization websites. These provide an introduction to the college or university and act as a starting point for potential students to learn more.

Infographics

Infographics are pictures that use text and graphics to help make complex information easier to understand. They are an excellent way to introduce a school’s programs and courses, showcase successful alumni, and compare the college to other institutions.

Blog Posts

Another application of content marketing for higher education institutions is through blog posts on topics that are relevant to college-age students, such as career advice, tips on college applications, or even scholarships available. These types of blog posts can offer valuable information and insights that potential students may find helpful in their decisions about which school to attend.

Videos

Another way to use content marketing for higher education is to create videos that showcase what makes a particular school unique. Videos can be used to give viewers a glimpse into the campus and what students experience on a daily basis. They can also provide information about the school’s academic programs, faculty, and student body.

By creating content that is interesting and informative, higher education institutions can build relationships with potential students and encourage them to consider applying for admission. Content marketing provides an opportunity to create a community around the school and foster relationships with potential students before they ever step foot on campus. It’s an effective tool for higher education institutions looking to reach new students and build their enrollment numbers.

Why Content Marketing?

By investing in content marketing, higher education institutions can effectively reach potential students and create relationships with them.

The Buying Cycle

Traditional marketing when used correctly, easily addresses promoting brand awareness and providing product information. Content marketing takes a marketing strategy even further by giving potential students valuable information to aid in their decision-making process. 

Content marketing encourages students to complete the “buying cycle” by promoting awareness of an institution, providing relevant information for them to perform their research, the tools and opportunities needed for consideration, and finally, the necessary connections to buy, or enroll in the college of their choosing.

No Pressure

Content marketing avoids high-pressure sales tactics, which can negatively affect the perception of buyers, in this case, students considering enrollment.  With content marketing, potential enrollees can research and learn about an institution on their own terms without feeling pressured to make a decision.

Building Credibility and Trust

Content marketing helps higher education institutions build credibility and trust with potential students by providing helpful information that is not promotional. By creating content such as blog posts, infographics, and videos that provide valuable resources for students to make informed college decisions, schools can build trust and credibility with their audience.

Inexpensive Marketing Tool

Content marketing is also an inexpensive way for higher education institutions to reach potential students, as a relatively low amount of time can be put into content creation and distribution that will last and be useful for much longer. Additionally, a database of information has the potential to create a lasting impression about the school that can influence enrollment for years to come.

Apply Content Marketing to Your Institution’s Strategy!

Content marketing is an effective tool for higher education institutions to reach potential students and inform them about the experiences, opportunities, and resources that the school offers. By creating valuable content that resonates with their target audience, higher education institutions can build relationships with prospective students and foster connections between them and the school. Content marketing helps drive enrollment numbers and benefits both current and future students.

Colleges and universities can utilize content marketing to drive interest in alumni activities and fundraising campaigns, too! By creating content that showcases the successes of alumni and featuring stories about how donations are making a difference, higher education institutions can encourage involvement from former students and generate support for various initiatives. This kind of marketing is a great way to reach out and make connections with alumni to bring them back into the fold of the school.

Higher education institutions that use content marketing effectively should only have to work out minor details and finalize agreements to complete the enrollment process. By the time a connection is made, prospective students should have already gained enough information and have made their decision.

Looking for help with your content marketing strategy? Contact us today and let our experienced team of digital marketers help you create a powerful campaign!

About Rene | Spherical Strategies – Senior Marketing Strategist Rene works with Spherical Strategies as a Senior Marketing Strategist. She brings a love of business building and decades of marketing experience to every project she works on. Over the past several years she has worked with companies of all sizes developing custom marketing strategies focused on business development and growth. Outside of her work as a marketing strategist, Rene loves to travel and experience food from around the world while encouraging those around her to get outside of their comfort zones.