Please, advise me on how to market a college

[remnant]

I have been engaged by the owner of a new college to embark on a marketing campaign with the aim of recruiting students. There are many colleges around and convincing a parent or a student to commit money to join a new college isn't easy. Anybody with experience or strategies on how to market a new college?

 

[HooktoWin]

Hi remnant,

Congrats on your new marketing campaign! I've got a few strategies in mind but it all depends on the "intel" you have so far. Some questions for you...

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Target audience: You're targeting two very different customers. Parents paying for their child's education and students paying for their own education.

• What kind of student (customer) do you want?
• Which demographic is willing and able to pay what you're asking?
• Where do you find these customers?

Triggers: These are the emotional tripwires that immediately attract customer attention. If triggers are missing customers typically ignore the message.

• Which emotions create response in your customer?
• Which emotional trigger attracts their immediate attention?

Problem: Every school solves a problem. Great schools solve big problems e.g. 97% of our students have jobs in their fields.

• What are the top five problems your colleges solves (for customers)?
• What's the biggest problem your college solves (for customers)?

Uniqueness: This is the one thing that makes your college different from every other school. It's something customers value, something they can't get anywhere else. Generic statements like "we care about our students" aren't unique.

• What's the one (quantifiable) thing that makes this college unique?
• Is that something customers are willing and able to pay for?

Presentation: This isn't just about how you look. Presentation is a mix of tangible and intangible factors working together. If you're an Ivy League school (tangible), the image, quality and experience (intangible) should match.

• What's the one word that best describes your school's image?
• Is that the image you're trying to convey?

....

Carefully thought out answers to these questions gives you an incredible head start when it's time to market this school. The right research shows you how to market this school properly, attracting students and parents automatically.

I've got a few ideas I can share if you already have this info.

Andrew