Your college or university has a story to tell — here’s how to share it across multiple marketing channels.
Your institution has a rich history, distinct culture, and other features that distinguish it from other schools. By using appropriate digital marketing channels, you can share this information with a global audience and tell your school’s story.
The link between storytelling and digital marketing
A good story engages audiences, regardless of medium. Every college or university has a story to tell, but how you share it is paramount.
If you use the right digital marketing channels, you can share a story that tells your audience what your school is all about. Plus, your story will help engage students, faculty, and alumni, as well as enhance your brand reputation and boost enrollment.
4 digital marketing channels you can use to tell your story
These are some of the most powerful digital marketing channels you can use to share your story:
1. Blog
Blog posts are shareable, so you can use them to tell a story that readers will share with family, friends, and others across myriad online platforms. In addition, you can use blog posts to show the “human” side of your school, helping readers see what your school is all about and why it is distinct.
The effectiveness of your blog depends on the quality of its content, how frequently you publish new content, and other factors. In addition, you should account for your target audience in every blog post — otherwise, you risk producing blog content that fails to engage the readers you want to reach.
2. Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms let you position your brand however you choose. So, if you want to show your higher education institution puts its students first, you can use its social media accounts to share pictures, videos, and other content that highlight those students. On the other hand, if you want to increase enrollment at your school, you can use social media to showcase the campus, promote virtual and in-person tours, and offer updates on enrollment deadlines.
Any story you tell on social media should connect with readers on an emotional level. Remember, anyone can post an update on these networks, so your ability to inspire and motivate readers to take action will dictate your content’s success.
3. Emails
How your higher education institution uses email marketing to tell its story can have far-flung effects on its enrollment. For example, if your college or university crafts engaging emails that consistently pique readers’ interest, it is well-equipped to optimize for enrollment. Conversely, if your school sends too many emails that come across as overly promotional, it risks alienating recipients to the point where they could tune-out your messages altogether.
Sending clear, concise emails at regular intervals can help your college or university connect with its target audience. These messages should be timely, accurate, and relevant and include stories of how your school is different from others. That way, you can use email to foster meaningful connections with your target audience.
4. Video
With videos, your school can build awareness and boost web traffic. it can publish videos that highlight the school faculty, campus, and other features. Meanwhile, you can easily share the videos via your blog, social media, and emails.
Of course, merely producing a video about your college or university and publishing it online is insufficient. You need to carefully consider what you want to accomplish with video marketing before you start producing videos. This enables you to figure out which videos to produce and what footage to include in them. Then, you can create exceptional videos that tell your school’s story and help engage your target audience like never before.
Tips to share your school’s story across multiple marketing channels
There are several things you can do to effectively share your school’s story across multiple marketing channels, here are five keys to using them effectively:
1. Choose the right channels
Learn as much as you can about your target audience. Conduct surveys, host brainstorm sessions, and perform other research to identify your target personas. Next, craft a marketing strategy to engage these target audiences across the appropriate marketing channels.
2. Share the right stories
Promote positive, uplifting stories about your school via multiple marketing channels. These stories can inspire and motivate readers and lead them to share your content.
3. Use quality images and videos
Utilize high-resolution images in blogs, social media posts, and other web content. Also, ensure your videos are easy to watch or download on any desktop or mobile device.
4. Include backlinks
Incorporate backlinks into your web content whenever possible. Backlinks to previous content can drive web traffic and boost your site’s SEO rankings.
5. Track your results
Establish baselines and metrics for your marketing strategy. Monitor the results of your storytelling via different marketing channels and update your plan as needed.
Digital marketing success won’t happen overnight. But the sooner you start using multiple marketing channels to tell your school’s story, the sooner you can reap the benefits of these efforts.
If you want to develop a digital marketing strategy or revamp your plan, KWALL is here to assist you. Contact KWALL to learn how we can help you use multiple marketing channels to share your school’s story — and much more.
