Why you should start considering content marketing as part of your student recruitment strategy

It´s not a secret for anyone that students consume a good deal of professional content on social media, for this reason you should start thinking about creating some as part of your student recruitment strategy. It’s time to get really familiar with content marketing. Content marketing for recruiters and admission officers means spreading your message through original or curated content, while delivering actual value to your readers, potential students. And “delivering value” is the key concept here.

Remember that as you share information about your university or business school online, it should always answer the questions “What’s in it for the students? How is this information useful for them and not just promoting us?”

Starting to use content marketing as part of your student recruitment strategy is crucial. As you start thinking about how to engage the potential students, here are a few popular content tactics and formats you can use:

✓ Video testimonials 

An authentic voice from a relatable source is incredibly powerful in sharing details about your school, your programmes, and the student life at the campus. A great way to do that is to create a video testimonial, showing students and recently- graduated talking about what it’s like to study at your school.

✓ Quotes that talk about the advantageous aspect of studying at your university

Sometimes you don’t have the time and resources to film a full-blown video testimonial. Instead, get a few written quotes from your students and alumni, and splash them against an eye-catching background. If possible, include pictures of the students/alumni. This will still give you the authentic voice of the student but save you production expenses.

✓ Blog posts with details about the students’ experiences in your school

If you want to give potential students an in-depth look into your school, ask one of your students to write a 500-word blog post about its experience. This will provide more color and detail to the potential students and will give them a better idea on why they should choose your school instead of another one.

✓ Thought leadership and advice from your alumni

The next generation of talent is hungry for insights from today’s leaders. They crave advice from thought-leaders on how to be successful, entrepreneurial, and how to lead. Leverage your high-profile alumni to share expertise and capture the potential students’ attention. This will not only inspire them, but also make them feel that they will become great leaders by studying at your school.

✓ Photos celebrating your students and their achievements

It´s a great plus for your school if the potential students can view photos of actual students interacting in the campus. Why? they like to picture themselves! Post photos of your students “in action” — be it at their classrooms, working on a team project, or just enjoying a fun activity.

Related: 5 Tips for a Successful Student Recruitment Webinar

Source: LinkedIn