It's Time for HE Marketers to Embrace Innovation
Higher Education marketing teams have a tough job.
Not only are you competing against other universities, but you’re also competing against private corporations, apprenticeship and training providers, internship companies, and even the prospect of a gap year.
And that’s even without all the other brands and advertisers competing for young people’s attention.
That is a crowded space, indeed.
Many of the audiences that universities are trying to reach are digital natives. They have never experienced the world without the internet. The internet has empowered them with instant access to vast amounts of knowledge, making them very discerning consumers of educational opportunities.
This digitally native generation has grown up in a world shaped by technology which demands a personalised and authentic approach from educational institutions.
Embracing innovation is the key to standing out in a crowded marketplace.
At Unicom, we see hundreds of pieces of content come through our doors, daily. We use the term ‘University of Anywhere’ to describe the droves and droves of indistinguishable content and messaging saturating social feeds and emails.
You may have the best university in the world, but there are only so many times you can see a ‘Find your place’ or ‘Explore our campus’ next to a typical brick building with a patch of greenery before you are desensitised completely. This is the current landscape.
Universities must find innovative ways to differentiate themselves, compelling prospective students to choose their institution over others.
But where to start?
At Unicom, we have a 3-step, tried and tested approach to the HE marketing briefs we receive. This strategy will serve you well should you adopt it in your planning.
1. Strategies built upon audiences
Remember, it’s not about you. It’s about them. All too often we make the mistake of telling them what we want them to know instead of what they actually want to know.
For instance, in a very topical example, despite 66% of undergraduate students being concerned about the cost-of-living crisis, only 11% said that they remember being given information about it by universities.
With that in mind, instead of “Chat to our students” why not paint a picture of how that conversation could help them? Something like… “Finances were a big concern for Sophie before she started university. She received great advice from a previous student and wants to share her tips with you too.”
Additionally, all too often we lump our audiences in one big bundle. Forgetting that parents will have different concerns to their sons or daughters and PG students will differ from PhD students.
Segmenting your audiences right from the beginning is key.
2. Innovations that work
Once you know who your audiences are, you can figure out where they spend their time (online and offline). We’re not talking about using innovation here for innovation’s sake. We’re talking about carefully selected channels based upon what we know about our audience.
My recommendation is to take an 80:20 approach. Allocate 80% of your activity towards tried-and-tested methods for success. But leave 20% to test new avenues.
Here are some ideas to cross-reference with your target audiences:
Community marketing: Nurture communities in places like Discord, Reddit, The Student Room, and Facebook Groups. These spaces are already occupied by your target audiences, and they are already talking about you and your competition. Are you present in the spaces too?
New advertising platforms: Explore new advertising opportunities like Netflix while they are new and exciting. Remember with Netflix, people are there to watch and be entertained. Your creative will be key to delivering memorable content and elevating your institution above others.
Gaming everything: Leverage in-game advertising to reach students, parents, and even grandparents! Traditionally, gaming advertising has been a big no-no as they are generally disruptive to players enjoying their games. But now there are several in-game options that allow you to be in those spaces without interrupting gameplay. Prospective undergraduates are more than twice as likely to be reached through the medium of gaming.
Harness interactive content options and new features on established platforms: Established platforms are always trying to outdo one another and therefore continually release new features. Use these interactive and newly released content options to demonstrate your willingness to stay up to date. TikTok’s Story Selection Ads are my personal favourite right now.
Virtual reality and augmented reality: Leverage virtual reality and augmented reality for immersive experiences that connect the real world with the digital world. For instance, for open days, overlay your campus with interactive info-points which can provide a rich experience. These can demonstrate your history, heritage, and any points of differentiation you wish to amplify.
Adopt AI: Artificial intelligence and chatbots can be an innovative way to save time and resource while providing personalised interactions in the meantime.
These are just some ideas to get you thinking about innovation that works.
3. Insights turned into action
Finally, we have insights turned into action. What this means is using all of the data and tools available to you at every stage of your planning and execution to make meaningful decisions that will have a positive impact. There are so many free tools available that can assist HE marketing teams in their planning like Google Trends, Keyword Planner, analytics and previous campaign data. Underpinning all activity with data and setting up campaigns designed to test your unique hypotheses will ensure continued improvement.
There will always be some resistance to change
Resistance to change can hinder the adoption of innovative practices within universities. Marketing teams should consider proactively addressing concerns and creating a culture of innovation, encouraging collaboration, experimentation, and the sharing of success stories.
By creating an environment that embraces change, universities can overcome barriers and unlock the full potential of innovation – especially when used strategically with the 80:20 guide for example.
Collaboration with industry partners, technology providers, and other educational institutions can fuel innovation in higher education marketing. By leveraging external expertise, sharing resources, and co-creating initiatives, universities can amplify their impact and stay at the forefront of the evolving marketing landscape. At Unicom, we help universities this by delivering annual innovation workshops designed to get teams excited for the future.
We know too that implementing innovative strategies requires careful consideration of budgetary constraints and a thorough analysis of return on investment. We help universities explore cost-effective solutions and measure the impact of innovative initiatives to ensure optimal resource allocation every day. There is innovation available for every budget!
Be the pioneers
As marketing teams in the Higher Education Sector, the time has come to seize the immense opportunities presented by innovation.
By adopting innovative strategies, leveraging emerging platforms, and embracing new technologies, universities can position themselves as pioneers, attract prospective students, and build strong connections within the dynamic digital landscape.
It is through innovation that higher education institutions can truly shape the future of their marketing efforts and achieve long-term success.
A little about Unicom
Unicom is a full-service marketing agency working with education organisations that like to do things differently. We’re problem solvers and innovators ready to help institutions overcome their marketing challenges. We have HE-focused teams for insights, research, websites, SEO, media buying, brand, creative, and consultancy. Quote this article for a free, personalised workshop for your team at hello@unicom.agency.
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