Marketing your school and its programs through various digital media is an absolute necessity. In fact, data has shown that digital advertising can increase your “brand” awareness by 80% or more.
But, while there are literally hundreds of “things” you should be doing with your digital marketing, and a laundry list of things you should never do…
There are eight easily avoidable, yet very common digital marketing mistakes, that once corrected, can lead to a higher engagement rate, stronger ROI and better enrollment numbers. They are…
- Don’t focus solely on paid ads: Create and distribute “longer-tail” organic-style content that’s fun, interesting, and valuable.
- Don’t ignore your email lists: Continually send “uplifting” and informative content, former student testimonials and success stories, and always segment your lists properly.
- Don’t forget to add your “contact us” link above the fold in your emails: 53% of prospective students say they’ll contact a school via email. Give them the opportunity, right up top. [1]
- Don’t use your social media channels solely for “pitching” your programs: Mix in creative, fun, engaging and informative content that offers value.
- Don’t ignore your social media comments: If they’re legitimate comments, respond. If they’re bot comments, delete them. By responding back to real comments, engagement rates will increase.
- Don’t forget to use video content on your landing pages. Video on landing pages has been shown to lead to an increase in conversion rates by as much as 80%.[2]
- Don’t forget mobile optimization: Well over 60% of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. If your site and video aren’t optimized for mobile, those visitors will leave almost immediately.
- Don’t forget the human touch. Although digital marketing offers great advantages, nothing may be more effective than physically speaking with prospective students.