The competition in higher education marketing (HEM) has intensified dramatically. In recent years, high inflation, a competitive labor market, expensive college tuition, and evolving job roles have collectively changed people's perceptions of higher education.

More and more college-bound students have started questioning the value of college degrees, making your job as a higher education marketer even more challenging.

Unlike before, your institute’s reputation and legacy are no longer enough to fill the seats. With college enrollment declining and competition increasing among colleges and universities year after year, it’s never been this cutthroat.

How can institutes successfully convince students to apply and get ahead in the next enrollment cycle? Let’s find out.

Below, we'll be exploring the best higher education marketing strategies along with real-world examples. We'll also discuss some up-and-coming higher education marketing trends that should be on your radar.

Importance of marketing in higher education

While anyone can design a college brochure, successfully persuading confused and worrisome students (and their parents) to enroll is no easy feat.

But strategic HEM saves the day. It helps you build and manage a strong university brand online, demonstrating your institute’s value and highlighting unique offerings to students, parents, teaching faculty, and other stakeholders.

By actively staying on top of changing student preferences, you also respond and adapt strategies quickly.

When mapped with the student journey from high school to post-graduation, higher education marketing can benefit in the following ways:

• Engages and informs prospective students

• Increases enrollment rates

• Strengthens alumni relationships

• Improves student retention rates

• Attracts donations and corporate partnerships

Best marketing strategies for higher education institutions

Of the many digital marketing strategies for higher education, the following stand out for their effectiveness:

🔎 Search Engine Marketing

🌟 Social Media Marketing

✍️ Content Marketing

📩 Email Marketing

1. Search Engine Marketing

More than 90% of all online experiences begin with a search engine, including college research. This is why search engine marketing (SEM) for higher education is so crucial, as it’s the only way prospective students and parents can find your university website on search engines like Google or Bing.  You can use two methods for SEM:

A. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising or paid search marketing

This higher education marketing strategy involves paying search engines to display your Ads to prospective students when they search keywords like "best law university."

These Ads appear at the top of the search engine results page (SERPs) and are called paid results.

Example: In the image below, all the ads featuring in the top results are bidding for the keyphrase “business programs Boston.”

Also, keep tracking performance and optimize timely to ensure you're getting good returns on the marketing investment.

For example, if you're running PPC ads to target prospective students during the spring intake, start as early as April, track performance, and optimize the ads weekly.

🚀 Learn more about PPC advertising in Google’s guide to paid search.

B. Search engine optimization (SEO) or organic search marketing

Higher education SEO is the practice of including specific keywords (like "best law university") in your web page content to improve your college website's search engine visibility. When a student or parent types “best law university” in Google to research colleges, your website will appear in the organic search results.

Example: Imagine a student looking up engineering degrees in Massachusetts on Google. If you’ve done proper SEO and optimized your website for the “engineering colleges in Massachusetts” keyphrase, it’ll likely appear at the top of their search results, as shown below.

Here are a few ways to improve your university’s visibility on Google and other search engines.

• Create a high-converting landing page: Either way, your website will be the first touchpoint in the student's journey. Three in every four prospective students surf your website to seek initial information, so make sure it's informative without being overwhelming. It should also be interactive, engaging, and easy to navigate.

• Build a keyword cluster to target: Select a list of keywords and prioritize them based on factors like search intent, relevancy, cost per click, search volume—and whether or not they can result in direct sales.

• Make the website mobile-friendly: Most prospective students look up information on their Smartphones, so optimizing your website and Ad copies for smaller screens makes sense.

• If you have multiple campuses, optimize for local keywords. Include keywords related to your city or neighborhood, like “best law college in New York.” You can also create location-based landing pages to provide more contextual information to prospective students.

📒 Note: SEO takes time to show results. The trick is to stay consistent and build authority over time.

2. Social media marketing

Social media marketing can help colleges attract, connect with, and successfully encourage potential students to enroll, as they're scrolling the platform for fun.

As a higher education marketer, you can promote courses, interact with students, organize Q&A, promote student-generated content, connect with alumni, collect emails, and drive traffic to your institute's website.

And it's not just the students. Social media also helps you target groups (who may influence student’s college choices) like:

• Parents

• potential staff and faculty

• aspiring high school students

• alumni

• potential corporate partners

Here are some social media post ideas for your next campaign.

A. Instagram

• Student-generated content

• “Day in the Life” series

• Stories & highlights to provide updates

Best time to post: 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. on weekdays

B. Facebook

• Showcase student and staff achievement

• Provide information about sponsorships and financial aids

• Organize live sessions to answer student queries

Best time to post: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. on weekdays

C. LinkedIn

• Share alumni success stories

• Update students about upcoming career workshops

• Host skill-building webinars

Best time to post: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekdays

D. X (formerly Twitter)

• Tweet real-time updates about campus happenings

• Run awareness programs with Q&As

• Run hashtag contests for special events

Best time to post: 11 a.m. on Monday and Friday

E. YouTube

• Live stream campus tours

• Give a sneak peek of the classes for every academic program

Best time to post: 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Fridays

Pro Tip💡 You can always repurpose content created for a specific platform for another. For example, you can turn a campus tour YouTube video into a 60-second video for Instagram and TikTok.

Examples of social media marketing for higher education

1. Falmouth University shares alumni success stories on YouTube

This YouTube playlist from Falmouth University highlights alum success but in a non-conventional, behind-the-scenes way.

Instead of highlighting why their portfolio of creative courses is the best, FU highlights the life students can live after taking one.

2. University of British Columbia showcases campus life on Instagram

The University of British Columbia (UBC) runs an Instagram page (@ubc_studentlife) dedicated solely to student life. Students can use the hashtag to get featured, encouraging participation and interaction.

3. Harvard University displays social media feeds on its website to engage students

Harvard Kennedy School curates and displays their social media feeds on campus TVs, digital screens, and websites during events like sports meets or fundraisers, keeping the students engaged.

Tip: Like Harvard, you can use Flockler to collect social media feeds and embed them across your digital assets. You can showcase live campaigns with hashtag feeds or curate topic-related social walls that encourage student engagement and foster community.

Utilize social media tools

Social media tools can effectively save time spent on administrative or repetitive tasks. Here are a few suggestions to consider.

• Buffer, Hootsuite: Automate social media scheduling and management

• Canva, Figma: Design graphics with ready-to-use templates

• Google Analytics, Brandwatch, Brand24: Keep track of engagement patterns and monitor social media accounts

• Flockler: Curate social media walls and reviews for your website

3. Content Marketing

Colleges can publish high-quality educational content to inform, engage, and delight prospective and current students. It can help you reach a wider student pool and attract more ideal-fit students.

Beyond blog posts and brochures, offer a variety of informative, relatable content focused on student needs and preferences. For example, Gen Zs prefer visual, humorous, and purpose-driven content, which do well on social media as memes or 60-second videos.

But there’s another side to the 18-year-olds: Like generations before them, they’re also keen on learning about academic programs, campus events, clubs, extracurriculars, and more.

This is where more academically driven content like classroom recordings (MIT OpenCourseWare), admission-related blog posts (Georgia Tech’s Admission Blog), or alumni success stories (University of British Columbia's "From Here" podcast) prove effective.

But before anything, ask yourself: What's the primary goal of your marketing campaign? It could be:

• boosting student enrollment rates

• increasing international student recruitment

• improving student retention rates

• strengthening alumni network and relations

This goal will serve as the North Star to navigate a fresh admission season. Accordingly, you can choose the right topics, formats, and channels for content marketing.

Content marketing ideas for colleges

• A behind-the-scenes look at events, facilities, or research projects

• Commission student creators to amplify authentic voices

• Alumni profiles and success stories

• How-to guides for financial aid, scholarships, and admission process

• Student-created content chronicling campus life beyond classrooms

• A university trailer-type YouTube video

• Blog or newsletter on how to choose a program and career advice

• Achievement posts for current students

4. Email marketing

With a 4.4% click-through and 28.5% open rate, emails can be very effective in higher education marketing. Here’s how:

• You can send personalized emails to recruit the best-fit students. Share information about courses, financial aid, workshops, and other important announcements directly in their inbox to stay top of mind.

• Keep the alumni network connected. Update your graduates about institutional achievements. Send invites for alumni meets and networking events to strengthen relationships, which may earn you donations and sponsorships down the line.

• Provide news and updates to enrolled students. Broadcast important information, gather feedback, promote events, and embed interactive elements like Instagram feeds to boost engagement.

For example: This email from Arizona State University (ASU) brilliantly addresses prospective students using a conversational and warm tone while offering information in a clear and professional manner.

It also features various CTAs, neatly structured in a list, encouraging engagement and further action from the students.

Email marketing tips for higher education marketing

On the Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO podcast, Ashley Budd, Senior Director of Advancement Marketing at Cornell University, shared how they consistently exceed 55% open rates for all their email campaigns.

How do they manage such a feat? She spilled the beans and gave a mini-masterclass on email best practices:

• Are you using the right tone? Students prefer a conversational tone over a formal one.

• Are you covering the right topics? During the admission process, information about important dates, financial aid, university culture, etc., is preferred.

• Are you including a call to action? Provide a link or ask a question to encourage two-way communication.

• Have you included interactive or visual elements like GIFs, images, videos, etc., to make the email engaging? It can break the dryness of a text-heavy email.

• Are your emails even landing in the inbox? First and foremost, make sure your emails reach the student inboxes and do not end up in spam.

• Does your subject line convey the primary message? Trying to be cute or clever in the subject line will only appear gimmicky. Best to use the key message of the email to write the subject line and the preheader and get higher CTRs.

• Are you sending the email from a person or the organization? This will depend on the recipient (student, alum, parent) or how you've funneled your email leads. For example, Cornell students don't have a first-name relationship with the marketing team, so their emails are sent from the organization.

5 higher education marketing trends

Personalization and video marketing have been all the rage in recent years. While they’re still hot and effective, the following higher education marketing trends are also yielding good results:

🤖 AI chatbots

🧑‍🎓 Student-generated content

👁️‍🗨️ Interactive content

✉️ SMS text marketing

🧑‍💻 AR & VR tours

1. Use AI chatbots for 24/7 engagement

AI is having a big moment in the higher education industry with colleges deploying AI-enabled chatbots to engage and interact with students.

They can offer personalized guidance, answer queries, and raise concerns for current and potential students in real-time and around-the-clock. This type of self-serve support creates a warm and accessible environment for students, earning you a nod of approval.

You can use AI-enabled chatbots on websites to engage inquiring candidates. Or, like Walden University’s Julian, provide a dynamic and interactive AI-powered, 24/7 tutor to enhance learning.

2. Student-generated content (SGC) for social proof

Outside of courses and classrooms, prospective students are also deeply interested in learning about campus life.

Unlike university-sponsored content, user-generated content (UGC) by students around academic programs, extracurriculars, and sporting and cultural events can bring the right amount of authentic, relatable, and creative storytelling needed to win over prospective students.

For example, Harvey Mudd University created a YouTube video covering their Alumni weekend, featuring second-long interviews with alums.

A few SGC ideas to consider:

• Instagram takeovers by vetted student ambassadors

• Vlogs on YouTube covering day-to-day lives

• Blog posts detailing experience with an academic program

• Publish student testimonials on YouTube

• Share “what to do on campus” or “hidden spots” type of posts

• Interview alumni, campus leaders, and student ambassadors

3. Interactive content to engage meaningfully
 

Most enrollment content is designed for passive consumption. Introducing interactive content in the materials can promote active participation, encouraging engagement and meaningful connection with the prospective students. Interactive content also sees 52.6% higher engagement than static content. And is particularly effective in improving retention rates among enrolled students.

Here are a few interactive content ideas to try.

• Polls to collect quantitative feedback from students, faculty, and other stakeholders. Or simply engage them.

• Interactive webinars for real-time interactions between prospective students and admission staff

• Hashtag contests or campaigns to mark special events like m and encourage student participation. For example, Oxford University’s #GoingToOxford campaign on Twitter is a great way to build hype and welcome new students.

• Countdowns to build hype before campus events.

• Curate and embed social media feeds on websites to boost interactivity and show social proof. For example, the University of Liverpool uses Flockler to showcase a gallery of tweets spotlighting their DIE efforts.

4. Prioritize SMS text marketing

Roughly 98% of Gen Z (current pool of college-bound students) own a smartphone. Doubling down on text messages to share updates and promotional materials like Ads is the quickest way to reach prospective students.

Text messages have a 98% open rate (emails have between 15% to 25%) and a 90-second time to open. 91% of texts are also opened within three minutes.

But dry texting isn’t the answer to boosting engagement. This is:

• Use AI to personalize responses

• Attach GIFs, images, memes, or videos to encourage interaction

• Send prompts to open two-way communication

• Sound warm and welcoming with a conversational tone

Example: Georgia State University uses AI-powered chatbots for its SMS strategy. They engage and inform admitted students through updates and alerts.

This not only improves the college experience for students but also drives student retention.

5. Offer AR & VR tours to showcase the vibrance of campus life

Campus visits have always been numero uno at driving enrollments, with 95% agreeing that it’s important in the decision to enroll. AR and VR campus tours can do the same in a more immersive and engaging way.

Students can glimpse college life and visualize walking through the campus and sitting in classrooms from anywhere in the world.

Native students and parents who are busy or don’t want to make the drive for in-person visits can also access the virtual tour to decide on a suitable college.

Example: This minutes-long tour by Cambridge University showcases the nooks and corners of its campus, highlighting the scenic landscape, sports facilities, dorms, gymnasium, and whatnot.

Boost student enrollment with higher education marketing

The higher education space has always been fiercely competitive. With Gen Z (and now Gen Alpha) entering the student pool, student preferences and expectations are also changing fast.

Implementing the marketing strategies above can help you reach potential students and win their favor with authentic, relatable communication.

Want to curate social media walls and take your marketing up a notch? Sign up for a 14-day free trial of Flockler and start embedding to boost engagement rates.