The intersection of education and technology offers an exciting opportunity for those with digital skills. Educators and administrators alike can leverage social media marketing to enhance their programs, grow their student body, and improve their enrollment procedures.
Whether you’re looking to nurture your student community online or develop your social media channels from scratch the ideas below will help your university attention grow.
Recruit high-potential students
With the number of students enrolled in higher education expected to reach 262 million by 2025, higher education facilities are starting to realize that they need to stand out amongst the crowd, both online and off. Recruiting students requires creative social media strategies implemented all year long to keep prospects engaged with the school.
Whether it’s providing each department with leverage over their own social media channels or highlighting exciting courses regularly online, universities and colleges can create meaningful connections with prospects with a well-curated social media presence.
Stay connected with your alumni
For the most part, post-secondary facilities require an amount of donated or fundraised money to continue offering best-in-class education. Traditionally, marketing efforts have been directed towards alumni from the school who are now successful members of society. Although this fact remains the same, how they’re being targeted for fundraising has changed.
Social media platforms allow alumni to be reminded to donate to specific funding areas when it’s needed most. From sharing a fundraising event on Facebook or celebrating successes on Instagram, post-secondary facilities are able to connect with alumni in a more meaningful and personal way on social media.
Promoting Research Endeavors
Higher education and research go hand-in-hand. Social media has provided a base for universities and colleges to share their future-forward innovations and research opportunities with a much broader base than ever before.
Higher education thrives on a healthy community, and a college’s social media presence is an essential extension of that community. Throughout the world, universities and colleges are implementing social media strategies to connect with students, parents, prospects, staff, and even other educational facilities.
Not only can a best-in-class social media presence better your relations with all parties involved with your institution, it can also make their lives easier like any well-marketed product or solution should. If you’re missing a robust social media strategy for your higher education facility, you’re missing out on a variety of opportunities to generate high-quality leads and prospects.