Storytelling for Gen Z: How to Tailor Your HE Marketing Campaigns for a New Generation
It’s no secret that the younger generation of school and college leavers have different needs and interests to the cohorts that have preceded them. Generation Z – roughly, those who were born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s – have seen their pre-tertiary learning disrupted by a global pandemic, with many leaving compulsory education in the throes of a cost-of-living crisis.
With the challenges faced by their generation come new attitudes to higher education. Understandably, then, this presents new pitfalls – and opportunities – for those striving to market the higher education experience to a new cohort of young people, who are more politically active and digitally agile than the generations before them.
There are many tips and tricks for marketing to this younger audience, such as developing a glossy and seamless UX, personalisation and targeted advertising, offering a range of off- and online experiences and delivering authentic, engaging content. However, as higher education marketing professionals know, recruitment cycles are much more complex than selling a product to an audience; instead, it’s about highlighting the enriching and valuable nature of the student experience altogether. In short: storytelling.
In this article, we explore how universities can tailor storytelling techniques in their marketing campaigns to appeal to this new generation’s sensibilities, needs and characteristics.
Highlight Social Impact, Ethics and Values
Gen Z are known for being more socially conscious than generations before them. Having undergone a global pandemic, punctuated by growing social inequality and continuous destruction of earth’s climate, it’s no surprise that racial and gender equality, climate change and healthcare are among the top concerns for young people today.
Research also shows that Gen Z are increasingly concerned with civic engagement and social impact, with more than half of young people in Britain saying they would like to have a job that has a positive influence on society or their community.
Universities are in a unique position to appeal to these sensibilities. As agents for change in local, national and global communities – be that through research and innovation, outreach or inclusive practices – they can provide the ideal space and opportunity for Gen Z to centre these socially-minded priorities.
When building your brand and storytelling techniques, draw on the work your university might be doing in this area. For example, you might:
Highlight research and innovation efforts. Is there a member of academic staff who is publishing work on social issues that would engage Gen Z, such as climate change or equality? Consider featuring them in your outreach campaigns. By pointing to work that is ongoing in the university, you can cultivate an authentic brand.
Emphasise institutional efforts that speak to social concerns in your campaigns. This could be sustainable practices in the university or attempts to build a more equitable community, perhaps through EDI or APP initiatives. At open days and online events, be ready to answer questions about how your institution is striving towards positive social change.
Focus on how your institution is positively contributing to local, national and global communities. Getting current students involved in these efforts can be beneficial. Middlesex University recently ran an ‘Agents of Change’ competition, which saw students deliver a piece of work to help drive positive cultural change.
Give examples of how your university has responded to student feedback and demand for change. This might include examples of your work with student societies and unions or targeted interventions such as student advisory panels.
Young people want to feel like they are part of something important. By centring the ways in which your institution is concerned with and striving towards positive social impact, the storytelling in your campaigns will be inspiring and appealing, helping to deliver an authentic brand for your institution that is backed up by evidence.
Illustrate the Whole University Experience
Research has shown that Gen Z are more interested in dynamic, immersive learning experience than traditional lecture-style teaching delivery. So, in your recruitment campaigns, it’s essential to highlight how the student experience is much more than attending classes and taking exams.
When developing your campaigns and deciding on a mode of storytelling, consider the following:
Where are the interactive learning opportunities on each programme? This could include collaborative working, student competitions, interdisciplinary projects, alternative assessment models or work-based learning opportunities.
How are student sports, clubs and societies positioned in your storytelling efforts? Young people will want to know how they can meet like-minded people and build communities while at university, so it’s important that they feature front and centre.
What opportunities for collaboration and co-working are available to students throughout the lifecycle?
Gen Z are digital natives. What opportunities to further develop their digital skills and work with new technologies and software will your university offer them?
How does the experience of being a student at your institution prepare them for life beyond university? This could include focusing on the employability and careers support your institution offers.
Your storytelling should focus on the dynamic, multifaceted and – ultimately – long-term valuable impact of the student experience.
At the centre of this storytelling should be the ways the student experience can help to build young people’s confidence. Recent iterations of Youth Employment UK’s Youth Voice Census and the Prince’s Trust NatWest Youth Index identified low confidence poses a major barrier for young people when it comes to achieving their goals.
So, whether you’re promoting innovative teaching and learning techniques, the roles of clubs and societies or the support students can receive from employability professionals, make sure to point to how these initiatives all serve to build confidence and support them in achieving their goals.
Confront the Cost of Living Head On
A recent survey found that the rising cost of living is the biggest worry for the future among 57% of young people, with 44% feeling anxious about it on a daily basis. On top of this, employability is a major concern for this generation, who see securing a good job as key to their sense of purpose, financial stability and wellbeing.
This practical, value-for-money attitude among young people is important to consider in your communications. Prospective students are inclined to feel that taking out a student loan is a big financial commitment. So, how can you illustrate to young people – in accurate and clear terms – the outcomes and returns they might expect from a university degree?
Consider the following:
Reports over recent years have highlighted how many young people don’t understand how student loans work. Providing a guide that clearly and concisely communicates this can be helpful to assure young people that a student loan isn’t actually as big as a commitment as they may think. Include facts and figures – the system is built so that around 80% of graduates will never fully repay their loans.
Consider tried and tested routes to success for graduates from your institution. You could identify alumni who have gone on to be successful and include them in your communications campaigns, making them authentic and evidence-based.
Emphasise the support offered by your careers and employability services, such as placement schemes, employer events, finding part-time work and CV and covering letter support.
Young people will also be concerned about whether they can afford to go to university in the first place. Indicate the support your institution has rolled out for current students struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. This should include everything from financial interventions such as bursaries and providing heated study space to increased mental health support.
Whatever you do, don’t ignore the cost of living in your outreach to prospective students. There is a wealth of research that shows it’s a major concern for this generation, so you need to indicate that you understand their concerns and that your institution is actively working to support better student outcomes and experience despite rising costs.
The Future of Student Recruitment
With a new generation of young people come new demands and expectations from the student experience. For marketing professionals across the sector, adapting your storytelling to show how your university can deliver on the needs and aspirations of this generation will be key to sustainable recruitment patterns.
To explore the latest dead and innovations in delivering distinctive, high impact and engaging student recruitment campaigns, discover what a HE Professional membership can do for you.
