| Table of Contents 1. Top reasons Digital Marketing for Educational Institutions is the need of the hour: 1.1 Technology evolution and adoption levels acted as delivery facilitators 1.2 Mindset and revenue frameworks 1.3 Changed demographics in the digital world 2. Tangible benefits across both the sides on adoption of Digital Marketing for Educational Institutions 2.1 Availability of information and channels to support it 2.2 Effectiveness in time spent, safety and convenience 2.3 Enhancing reach for small towns 2.4 Competition is doing it 2.5 Prioritise spends in the right channel 3. Options in Digital Marketing for Educational Institutions 3.1 Know your audience 3.2 First step is to develop an engaging website 3.3 Optimize SEO for making the first impression via your website 3.4 Run Pay Per Click Ads for fast Lead generation 3.5 Social Media strategy for Educational Institutes 3.5 Prioritise spends in the right channel 3.6 Adopt a “Whatsapp share” Marketing strategy 3.7 Domain Authority of your Website 3.8 Harness the power of Videos 4. Creation of Digital Creatives and Videos 4.1 YouTube promotions 4.2 Social Promotions 4.3 Website Promotions 5. Harness the power of data and analytics for your Digital Marketing strategy 5.1 Go by data and proven keywords that are actually searched by prospects 5.2 Google dashboards on search 5.3 Being agile in your approach 5.4 Targeted leads follow-up and conversion |
1. Top reasons Digital Marketing for Educational Institutions is the need of the hour:
Byjus took over as India’s most valuable startup and acquired Aakash, a premier coaching institute for IIT.
Ths is in addition to multiple digital education startups which have been set up recently.
Experts say that there is a huge potential for different types of niche players in the segment. In a country like India with a dominant young population and rising affluence of the middle classes, education is a sector that is bound to see a significant increase in money inflow.
Revolutionary technological capabilities and the digital connection that is now omnipresent provide for a unique mix of opportunities in the segment.i
1.1 Technology evolution and adoption levels acted as delivery facilitators
Technology platforms enabled the delivery possibilities and made way for framing a strong strategy of Digital Marketing for Educational Institutions. Video conferencing Technologies like Google meet, WebEx, Skype, etc., are very common technologies and particularly are free of cost.
These also come with enhanced features like screen share, recording of content, creating whiteboards, interesting aspects like changing the background, etc. The hypothesis from these developments is that it brings the smaller players on a level playing field with the bigger institutions.
The pandemic has been, in many cases, an enabler for the adoption of these technologies not just in the Education sector but across Industries.
People who were reluctant for online education have now been forced to adopt it for good. And with the continuation of 1 + years also has helped the students and teachers adapt to the revised ground reality.
Initial connectivity problems and hardware issues have now been resolved in full. And to support it, the internet and data charges across the countries have never been lower. All these factors provide for an excellent ecosystem for online education to thrive.
1.2 Mindset and revenue frameworks
An important aspect is the mindset which resisted the change to move to online learning is now permanently redefined. People have seen the benefits of online learning by reducing travel and exposure to outside hazards like pollution etc. The government and boards have shown maturity towards this attitude by canceling the CBSE class 12 board examinations. We see this as a very important milestone because it leads us to realize that there aren’t digital technologies that help facilitate the evaluation of competencies.
In light of the benefit of online education, this implies significant signs of progress and work that we will see in the future.
As a model, this is significantly cheaper than the existing brick-and-mortar one. The benefits are realized on both sides- the institution spending lesser money on infrastructure maintenance and the students saving time and energy for commuting.
With the growing enrolment base of students in Online- learning, we believe this is the right time for taking a digital route for any Educational Institute. Digital marketing for educational institutions is fast becoming a high-volume search term on the internet.
1.3 Changed demographics in the digital world
Another aspect of the digital world is that it is extremely agile. There is no permanent market leader, and startups with high-quality services coupled with Digital Marketing can quickly bring up an Educational Institute.
We believe that content and usage of the newest representational technologies will be the key to success in Educational Institutions like Schools, Colleges, Professional courses, overseas education, preparatory schools, etc.
In many ways, we foresee that the way a particular concept is explained will determine which institute gets the maximum traffic- rather than the erstwhile reputation of an institute.
Young individuals with short attention spans and the quest for an easy explanation will gain widespread popularity.
Therefore, it is not surprising that a digital strategy for any Educational Institute is the need of the hour.
2. Tangible benefits across both the sides on adoption of Digital Marketing for Educational Institutions
For a trend to migrate into a permanent societal change, it has to be adopted socially and technologically. Online education seems to be the case on both sides of the table.
On the one hand, students have the advantage of convenience, lower costs, and getting rid of geographical barriers for exposure to the best trainers of the world. The advantages with an educational institute are the opportunity to drive up in relatively shorter order, quality determining the popularity, and lower administrative charges
2.1 Availability of information and channels to support it
The reputation of an educational institution was determined by the number of years in existence, successful alumni, and its presence in the physical world. Not to mention the word of mouth which passes over in the student community.
Facilities like air conditioning, the grandeur of the campus, i.e., real estate, determined the aura which the institution carried. These were difficult to set up for an aspiring educational institution, no matter how much greater value was delivered.
Of course, some of these benefits cannot be replaced completely by an online channel- but certainly, it provides an opportunity for a greater level field.
In the current world, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the website determine the choice of the educational institution among the students.
Student reviews, YouTube promotional materials help students to connect with the institute. Digital Marketing for Educational Institutes is a great idea to bring your Educational brand in front of your target audience.
2.2 Effectiveness in time spent, safety and convenience
An important aspect towards determination might be the overall energy consumption from a student for getting the education. This energy may consist of factors like travel time, money and hassle for reaching the physical location.
The energy will also be determined from the parents perspective, who are in many ways influencers for the decision. Negative influences of a bad company and non crucial competition aspects are safely cornered through an online study approach.
Hence the reasons for adoption outweigh those to continue with conventional channels for studying.
Simply put, this becomes a key focus area for an aspiring Educational Institute where it can target to achieve above industry growth rate.
2.3 Enhancing reach for small towns
Continuing with our argument for expansion of reach for an education institute, the tier B & tier C cities form the bulk of efforts to expand.
The demand for quality content and the increase in spending power has never been so great.
The number of metro selections towards IIT or IIMs significantly outnumber that in the smaller towns. A large contributor to this is the quality of education in the large cities. This has a potential to be expanded and an untapped market to be explored.
In the same breath, a small town institute has the potential of reaching out to a greater number of audiences in larger cities. The quality and content are no longer the only success parameters. Digital presence reach and channels will determine the pace of growth and presence of the institute.
2.4 Competition is doing it
Another way to think of digital channels is that it is no longer a luxury option. The competition to expand its reach digitally would mean a corresponding undercut in the Institutions revenues. Of course, this is not the place anybody would want to be in. Available options are for riding with the tide and swimming in the direction of the Wind.
3. Options in Digital Marketing for Educational Institutions
3.1. Know your audience
The most important step is to have a very clear vision of the target audience. A targeted approach towards growth is more sustainable rather than a ‘go out for all’ approach.
An effective digital marketing agency must know the business targeting strategy and then align the digital efforts in that order.
Like all channels, digital channels bring intangible benefits only if it’s specifically targeted and consistent for a set of audience. If implemented so, they can skyrocket your Institutions enrollments.
3.2 First step is to develop an engaging website
There could be a multitude of ways in which a visitor may interact with your website. A website is the face of a business to the customer in the digital world. Well designed website having good amount of informational content is the basic tenet to start off.
The capability of the website to be correctly visible on mobile phones is very important. Speed of website load is also a critical parameter. Poorly designed graphics, unavailability of contact information and lack of customer testimonials are a sure no no.
For example, an education institute’s website must contain pictures of the students giving it the credibility of a successful institution.
Above are very simple thumb rules in website design that need to be adhered to as the first step in the Institutions digital journey.
3.3 Optimize SEO for making the first impression via your website
Will a prospective client find your website on the 15th page of Google? Of course not! The website in order to gain traction, must present on the first page of google if not on top.
What are the key search terms or phrases where your website has to show is again a science rather than art. Google’s Search Algorithm and Ranking System consists of millions of factors that determine which website to show and at what rank in the search result.
It is the expertise of an SEO specialist to make the backend and frontend of your website in a way so that Google crawlers can rank your website on top of the search hierarchy.
Fair to all, this is a relatively inexpensive step in the marketing parlance as the Institute’s digital face.
3.4 Run Pay Per Click Ads for fast Lead generation
Another very important domain in Digital Marketing for Educational Institutes is Pay Per Click Ads, i.e Google ADs. These are targeted marketing strategies for a specific audience. The reach is far more structured than a newspaper or hoarding advertising.
These offer greater flexibility in terms of target audience and budget. The results are accurately measured and therefore provide an easy to interpret return on investment metric.
It is a fact that there is art and science involved in running these ads. Incorrect targeting or designing the ad may lead to total waste of effort and money spent on the same. Therefore it is extremely important that you choose your PPC agency with due diligence.
3.5 Social Media strategy for Educational Institutes
Digital marketing using WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook will also bring significant Returns. The strategy has to be a mix of influencer Plus social connect framework. Capability to become viral has to be assessed, and it’s not impossible to do that.
Targeted online AI based tools have predicted to a large extent the type of content that becomes viral. It is therefore, a very calibrated usage of tools and intelligence of the marketer that results in a successful social media strategy. Social Media is one of the key branding streams of Digital Marketing for Educational Institutes. Equally useful in generating qualified leads both organically and using paid ads.
3.6 Prioritize spends in the right channel
The Holy Grail of digital marketing is to prioritise the money spent on the most appropriate
channel. All the social channels are relatively new and have some element of uncertainty. There is no singular method to determine the best strategy. It is a process of trial and error. However, the founders’ subject knowledge coupled with the digital marketer’s skill in jotting down the information is the key to developing a successful digital strategy. Most successful digital marketers are aware of the trial and error in the game. The trick, however, is to identify the key areas that are working and specifically target those channels.
The marketer’s skill is a key influencer in getting the right spend in the right channel and consuming the least amount of time in trial and error.
3.7 Adopt a “Whatsapp share” Marketing strategy
As was described, the capability of content to go viral can be predicted. AI-based algorithms point out specific trends that the forwards in WhatsApp. Utilizing these Trends at the right time helps the content move in by word of WhatsApp. This is the most optimal space where the best digital marketing minds are at work.
Imagine the amount of background work and resources that may be at stake that would make a political message that has the potential to go viral.
3.8 Domain Authority of your Website
A few hygiene factors, such as the security of your website, credibility in terms of supported browsers, and mobile-friendliness, are paramount.
A mix of tools and easy fixes should help in increasing the domain authority of your website.
3.9 Harness the Power of Videos
Nothing serves better than an easy YouTube video. The audience does not have to spend any energy reading through your website and content. Avenue, which is self-explanatory and is professionally made, goes a long way in your digital strategy.
It helps in terms of technically making your website link better, thereby improving the domain authority. But it also puts a face and voice to the customer.
The number of softwares available to this aid. For example, Doodly helps create professional-quality videos in a very short period. Similarly, softwares like Canva at 17 have the potential of turning up real good quality stuff in a very short period.
4. Creation of Digital Creatives and Videos
4.1 YouTube promotions
For the convenience of search, YouTube has Now taken to replace any conventional searches. A quality YouTube video of the institution goes a long way in establishing its credibility. Not only does it provide a visual audio aid for the prospective students, but it also provides an opportunity for the institute to present itself. In many ways, a YouTube promotion is more powerful and currently being imagined. For numerous studies, YouTube searches will surpass the conventional website model.
Therefore it is no longer a luxury to have a quality YouTube video about the institute, and it’s more of a necessity.
The second aspect YouTube could be used by the institution by running advertisements. Targeted Ads for the type of content in the peer group are poised to bring significant positive RoI.
4.2 Social Promotions
Other social media like Instagram, Twitter Facebook LinkedIn offer means where the prospective student community interacts and draws its information from. The presence of the institute in these channels in the right way can go a long way in influencing the behavior pattern and choices of the student groups. A positive social media campaign can build the institution’s brand for a longer-term and more permanent basis.
However, targeted promotions on these platforms have a good chance of getting conversions in the desired courses.
An effective social campaign is equally hard to run. It is a mix of Art and Science to figure out the right channel, frequency, timing, and campaign itself -for desired benefits. Merely running a campaign without the necessary thought on the underlined parameters has high chances of being unsuccessful.
The third aspect of social promotion is by individuals contributing positively to the institute’s cause. This can be achieved by existing students posting content, supported materials provided by the Institute, or combining these two. This is the ideal space where the institution wants to be. It carries the credibility of the individual who has posted the message and is likely a precursor of going viral. Positive content in such space has the potential of bringing huge footfalls and Goodwill for the Institution.
4.3 Website Promotions
Another promotion aspect could be website promotions, where targeted ad campaigns are run on Google or affiliated websites. Again, this serves to bring the institute’s name to the forefront of the student community’s minds.
For the RoI this channel brings, we think it is not a bad option to pursue. Ad campaigns are relatively cost-effective and have the potential of bringing the institute’s name to the forefront.
Like all promotions, there is no shortage of professionals offering this service. The catch, however, remains that the timing, frequency, and type of campaign determines eventual success. A campaign supported by factual data and unbiased analysis is the first pillar to get it right.
In many instances, the institute’s founders have a view that is contrary to the data. In such cases, it is the marketer’s job to apprise them with the latest facts. This helps make the right decision concerning the campaign.
The maturity of a digital marketer is not only in terms of making technical assessments and changes about the website or social media campaigns, or other electronic media channels, and it is the consultation service offered and the maturity that a marketer brings to the profession which makes the difference. Nothing is more frustrating for the Institution to run an unsuccessful campaign because that does more than financial damage. Attitudes and mindsets shift from successful experiences, and that is the biggest loss for any decision-maker.
Calibrated approach to disagreements supported by data and an unbiased attitude is the key for running any successful campaign. A skilled digital marketer understands human aspects more than technological campaign-related items. It is this skill set which ultimately creates a difference between a successful and unsuccessful campaign.
5. Harness the power of data and analytics for your Digital Marketing strategy
5.1 Go by data and proven keywords that are searched by prospects
As business owners, there is a possibility of having a strong bias towards previously worked factors. This includes the presence of keywords on the website.
Is it possible that the keywords that have brought success are only 50% as effective?
Is it possible that the potential success would have been significantly higher?
If somebody wants to tell us that the institution has been doing it incorrectly all this while?
This is what data on specific searches performed in Google bring. A skilled digital marketer presents the keywords searched in Google corresponding to the geographical area being targeted. These keywords, along with various other parameters, determine how easy or difficult it would be to target them. These are purely objective points which a marketer can present to the decision-makers. Having the availability of this specific information must be utilized in running a targeted campaign.
5.2 Google dashboards on search
Specific tools like Google dashboards provide critical information regarding searches. This specific information is the key to finding a sweet spot in the minds of the target audience.
5.3 Being agile in your approach
Behavior change, consumer patterns change in very short periods. By short period, we mean 2 to 6 months. It is, therefore, needed to design a campaign based on the latest analysis of the data.
5.4 Targeted leads follow-up and conversion
No loss is more than losing a potential lead. Again digital marketing channels have to help here. This is done by establishing a structured database of all online leads. This can turn it tracked very efficiently by the institute.
Having its structure all in one place makes the task of different sales dashboards and formats very convenient.
6. Conclusion
Digital Marketing will be very critical for Educational Institutes in times to come. Those who adopt it early will be rewarded by huge enrolments, instant connection with target students, hi-tech lecture deliverability, greater reach with expanded geographies leading to an increased profit share. 90% of students and their parents search for an Institute online, if you are not found on the web, you essentially don’t exist.
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