How can technology help in higher education marketing?

Educational institutions have transformed drastically over the years. As higher education has increasingly moved to online mediums, so have the marketing efforts. Today higher education institutions are looking to utilize sturdy and wide-ranging marketing strategies that make it easier to interact with prospective students.

It is commonly acknowledged that higher education institutions have historically been more reluctant to engage in the marketing field than the broader business sector. Still, with the education industry undergoing an enormous transformation, marketing technologies are more critical than ever. As the higher education industry matures and student competition intensifies, institutions need to continue investigating and implementing innovative business strategies and technologies that may help them enhance their operations more efficiently and productively.

Leveraging technology for better higher ed marketing

According to Pantheon’s State of Higher Education Website and Marketing Technology Report (1), the following data has been revealed about the lack of cohesiveness between website and marketing technology strategy-

1. Less than half of the polled institutions had well-established accessibility guidelines.
2. Less than half of the respondents used performance indicators to progress their website and marketing initiatives.
3. Only 35% of organizations have connected their CRM with their CMS.
4. 90% of respondents said they utilize a platform other than their CRM for email marketing.

Apart from the above findings, the data also revealed a shift in the strategy of some segments and how some educational institutions are modernizing their approach-

1. 84% of respondents are satisfied with their CMS system.
2. 72% of respondents have used some form of cloud hosting.
3. 44% said their website is an essential aspect of their institution’s strategic plan.
4. Moreover, 58% focus on updating their UX in the next phase of their makeover

Trending concepts in higher education marketing

1. Digital Marketing

img-alt; digital marketing; With digital advertising, you may immediately communicate with your target audience.

Universities and colleges throughout the globe have utilized digital strategies to engage with potential students since the introduction of the internet. However, the emergence of social media and smartphone technology has changed the entire approach. The goal of university education is to create a youthful, vibrant community and build social connections. Therefore, the social media channel has become a virtual extension of that community’s interest and inclination for involvement and connection.

With today’s students, traditional marketing methods are less successful. Digital media efforts must touch base with several digital platforms and social media. In this context, SEO and SEM operations are becoming increasingly vital.

Most academic institutions worldwide utilize digital marketing technology to connect and interact with their intended audience as well as to educate and learn.

Digital marketing strategies yield regular results and have incredible benefits –

1. They make it easy to communicate with their stakeholders, especially prospective students and potential recruiters. However, institutions must strive to appeal to two distinct groups: millennials and their parents, regarding direct audiences.
2. Following a proper method that ties to the demands of these restricted groups and concentrating efforts in this area will assist the institutions in fast connecting with their target audience.
3. One of the most significant benefits of digital marketing is the democratization of information, which is can be customized, targeted, and made readily available on a previously unheard-of scale.
4. With digital advertising, it is possible to immediately communicate with your target audience. However, with many digital marketing channels to select from, the problem is determining which ones work best.
5. Personalized digital marketing solutions work better. These might be created with the assistance of an ed-tech business in accordance with academic requirements.

Digital marketing has strategic value in higher education. It aids institutions in understanding the inherent benefits of the new medium and recognizing its effect in the appropriate context.

2. Marketing Technology (Martech)

The marketing technology stack, often known as the martech stack, is an integrated set of software tools digital marketers use to create and optimize a holistic consumer digital experience. The marketing technology stack includes the website, email campaigns, customization, social networks, and analytics.

As competition for students heats up, universities and institutions should consider building a higher ed marketing technology stack to give a comprehensive perspective of the potential student experience and improve student outreach.

While there are dozens of tools available to assist marketers in analyzing and improving their digital marketing activities – all of which can be considered part of a martech stack – most firms have a few essential tools –

1. Website
2. CMS
3. Marketing Automation
4. Customization
5. Emails
6. Analytics
7. Customer Database

3. Marketing Automation

Marketing automation refers to software systems and technologies meant to help marketing departments and businesses promote more successfully across many online channels (such as email, social media, websites, and so on) and automate monotonous operations.

A marketing automation technology is used to simplify sales and marketing efforts by automating high-touch, repetitive human procedures. Marketing automation technologies are workflow-oriented and give a platform for communicating with parts of your target audience in a highly tailored but automated manner.

These tools are especially well suited to assist with inbound marketing activities. With its emphasis on tailored content-driven lead creation and lead nurturing, marketing automation fits well into higher education’s lead capture and student recruiting processes.

Marketing automation can also give higher education the analytical basis to analyze initiatives and effectively manage the ROI on its limited financial resources.

In conclusion, marketing automation technologies might be a suitable fit for the aims and basic methodology of a college or university marketing department. A robust CRM and student management system can assist higher education marketers in driving their current infrastructure to a greater degree of customer interaction, marketing agility, and ROI management.

4. Customer Relationship Management

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a system for managing a business’s contacts with present and prospective customers. It frequently entails using technology to coordinate, automate, and synchronize sales, advertising, customer support, and technical support.

According to the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions’ (2) recently released report, “The State of CRM Use in Higher Education Report”, 64% of institutions surveyed (from a total of 604) are now using Constituent (or Customer) Relationship Management (CRM) systems to handle some aspect of the student lifecycle.

CRM and marketing automation systems are sometimes misunderstood as comparable, although they are pretty distinct. Marketing automation is frequently considered a part of CRM, although it has grown to serve entirely different objectives.

Why does the education sector need education marketing?

The education industry has seen a significant expansion due to the myriad options available on the web and modern technology. According to Orbis’s Research (3), the global e-learning industry will exceed $275 billion by 2022, owing primarily to increased internet users and access to broadband internet and mobile with online capabilities. Over 500,000 educational applications (4) have been published by traditional educational institutions and private developers, with many available on the App Store and Google Play.

Aside from education applications, the e-learning industry is flooded with online courses, videos, eBooks, and websites, making it challenging for new entrants to stand out.

Education marketing aims to use diverse marketing tactics to promote quality educational material. It is also sometimes the sole means for new instructional information to reach students to develop momentum. Indeed, doctoral education programs emphasize the relevance of marketing in the sector for driving revenue and growth.

Leaders in the education business must use education marketing to thrive in the field’s cutthroat competition. However, education marketing should not be confused with education-based advertising, which is a marketing technique that emphasizes educating prospects rather than selling them to build trust.

Technologies that can help in smoother functioning of higher education marketing

1. Social and Digital Trends

• In recent times, management and marketing in higher ed have shifted dramatically online, with a greater emphasis on new channels for external involvement and communication.
• The phrases “social” and “digital” allude to social media and digital marketing in general and encompass the responsibilities of successful and user-friendly websites and mobile optimization.
• Institutions continue to sell their programs using social media and digital platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and podcasts. At the same time, website design has become an essential element in how colleges and universities offer themselves to prospective students.

2. Institutional Website

• Based on one recent study, which regards the university site as “the ultimate brand statement,” (5) a homepage is an essential part of the student experience. It may make or break a student’s choice to attend.
• To that aim, institutions must frequently ensure that their homepage is a well-organized link to all of the online resources that students seek.
• A 2015 survey of college-bound high school juniors and seniors found that pages about academics (e.g., program listings, details, and rankings), finances (e.g., cost and scholarships), and student registration (e.g., the application process, admission requirements events, and counselor contacts) are most appealing to prospective students. Fewer students seek information regarding student life (such as dormitories and athletics) and navigation (e.g., location and directions).
• Other developments in higher education marketing suggest that schools should prioritize website personalization and optimization.
• According to a LinkedIn post (6) published in April 2015, “personalized online experiences may be adjusted to a prospect’s needs from the first visit,” They can “enhance the potential student journey, make the admissions staff more concentrated and efficient, and lead to greater enrollments.” The essay discusses how website customization might help increase student enrolment.
• Incorporating tailored content into institutional sites demonstrates the relevance of specialist marketing automation systems, which can gather a wide variety of student data to develop individualized messages.

3. Mobile

img-alt; mobile-marketing; Mobile marketing is essential for interacting with potential and presenting students in meaningful ways.

• Colleges and universities have increased their investment in their mobile presence in recent years, from the institution’s website to the production of mobile-friendly course content.
• Mobile marketing (7) is a very effective method for college-aged students, with 43% reporting “using their mobile devices for all of their online surfing” and 68% having “looked at a university website on a mobile device.”
• Furthermore, two-thirds of students say they would be open to receiving a text message from a potential institution. This implies that mobile marketing is essential for interacting with potential and presenting students in meaningful ways.
• On the other hand, mobile optimization is “more than just making the content fit on a tiny screen.” Instead, mobile marketing tactics must guarantee that information is accessible.

4. Chatbot

• AI chatbots (8) help universities answer numerous questions prospective students ask regarding applications, documents, and other things that are impossible to answer through human resources.
• Universities can improve engagement on their website with all visitor segments, i.e., current and prospective students, by using chatbots to automate certain communication.
• iSchool360 has introduced a highly functional chatbot that can switch between live human chat and autonomous modes.

Conclusion

All in all, for universities to start adopting technology for marketing purposes, it can be said that –

Institutions should examine their current infrastructure and learn about the integration options. Meetings can be arranged among marketing and admissions to discuss desired objectives and issues and to optimize efforts to target potential students.

Moreover, institutions should consider hiring a consultant to lead these discussions and share best practices. They can begin with modest test campaigns to see what works best for them.