We all see how the world has changed. Now it’s not enough to have a glossy brochure or a billboard to get students rushing to your campus gates. Today’s students are online, scrolling through their feeds, not looking up at billboards. They’re savvy, skeptical, and they crave authenticity more than ever. In this case, content marketing for higher education is about creating a story they want to be part of. It’s about showing students the real deal:
- what life on campus is actually like
- the success stories of alumni who’ve walked the same halls
- the groundbreaking research happening in your labs.
It’s about engaging them in a conversation, not just feeding them a sales pitch.
So, now we all live in a digital world where students seek help online. That’s exactly why integrating references to digital resources and a reliable essay writing service becomes very important. These platforms are a key part of academic support for anybody who needs it. They can guide essay structuring, research, and clear expression of ideas. Acknowledging such essential online help within their content marketing can enhance universities’ and colleges’ connections with students. This approach demonstrates the institution’s dedication to supporting every aspect of their academic journey.
A Few Words About Content Marketing Strategy
Imagine that you are a storyteller, but your listeners are scattered across the globe. The only thing connecting them is the vast web of the Internet. Besides, your tales aren’t just spoken. They can be written, filmed, illustrated, and shared far and wide. This is what the essence of content marketing strategy is like.
What’s more, your stories are not that simple. They are carefully crafted messages designed to captivate, educate, and engage your audience. On top of that, they aren’t about you but about your audience. In this case, you are the mentor who does so many things at the same time:
- guiding your listeners
- offering them value
- solving their problems
- making their day just a bit brighter.
Content marketing is a creative plan that outlines:
- what tales you’ll tell
- the paths you’ll take to reach your audience
- how you’ll ensure they’re listening.
It involves understanding your audience’s deepest desires and challenges. The next step is crafting content that resonates with them on a personal level. This content can be blogs, videos, podcasts, or social media posts.
As your stories spread, they leave a trail—a connection between you and your audience. Over time, this connection deepens, trust is built, and your audience doesn’t just listen. They engage, they share, and they come back for more. In business, these engaged listeners become loyal customers, advocates for your brand, and the next chapter in your ongoing story.
Marketing Strategies for Colleges
To achieve great results, institutions should apply principles for marketing for higher education. What are those? Let’s consider university marketing strategies that can bring the best outcomes.
Storytelling Through Alumni Success
Universities and colleges have this goldmine of success stories. Here’s the game plan: Hunt down these former students who are killing it in their careers or making a dent in their communities. We’re talking about the recent grad turning heads in the tech world, the decade-out alum who’s now a CEO, or the one who’s dedicating their life to a cause that’s changing lives. Sit them down, get the lowdown on how their education played a part in their badassery, and then blast that story everywhere.
Mix it up. Write about it, sure, but why not throw in some videos where they tell it straight or podcasts where they can dive deep into their journey? Use social media not just as a megaphone but as a conversation starter, letting these stories spark chats, debates, and maybe even dreams.
Why? Because showing the diverse paths alumni have taken proves that the piece of paper you’re working your ass off for is more than just that. It’s a ticket to wherever you want to go.
Interactive Social Media Campaigns
That’s where the gold is. Think about it: live Q&A sessions where anxious prospects can throw their toughest questions at admissions officers without the formalities. It’s raw, it’s real, and it demystifies the whole “Am I good enough for your school?” nightmare.
Then, imagine faculty members jumping into the mix, hosting live discussions right from their labs or offices. They can share what’s buzzing in their world, making those lofty academic ideas feel a bit more down-to-earth. It’s like breaking down the ivy-covered walls of academia and letting students peek inside.
And don’t even get me started on student takeovers. Hand over the keys to your social media castle to the real stars of the show—the students. Let them share a day in their life, the unfiltered version. It’s authentic, relatable content that shows what being part of your community really looks like, beyond the polished brochures and staged campus shots.
Interactive campaigns on social media tear down the barriers, making the institution feel accessible and, dare I say, human. They’re not just boosting engagement. They’re building relationships and trust. In a world where everyone’s fighting for attention, those genuine connections are what make your institution stand out and stick in people’s minds. So, yeah, interactive social media campaigns are a no-brainer for colleges and universities wanting to make a real impact.
Customized Email Newsletters
Highlight programs that spark curiosity, stories of student achievements that inspire, and sneak peeks into campus life that make them think, “Hell yes, I want in.” It’s about turning that “maybe” into a “definitely” by hitting them with content that resonates with their dreams and goals.
Current students? They’re in the thick of it. They need the lowdown on career services that prep them for the real world, insider tips on acing their courses, and maybe a dash of motivational content to keep the academic burnout at bay.
Alumni, those proud flag-bearers of your institution’s legacy, they want to know their alma mater doesn’t just remember them when it’s fundraising time. Share updates that make them puff up with pride, opportunities to mentor current students, and events that rekindle their connection to the community.
Final Thoughts
Content marketing for higher education has shifted. Now it blends traditional and digital marketing for higher education techniques to directly engage students, alumni, and prospective learners. Utilizing education content marketing, from alumni success stories to social media interactions and personalized email newsletters, is a great decision.
These approaches are at the heart of content marketing for university engagement, representing key marketing strategies for universities and integral college marketing strategies. They not only boost the institution’s visibility but also strengthen community bonds. In short, they make the educational journey more connected and impactful. As we move forward, these content marketing strategies will continue to be essential.
Featured image provided by fauxels; Pexels; Thanks!
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MISSOURI CITY, Texas – Many parents feel overwhelmed by the idea of teaching their kids about money. But what if financial education could be fun, engaging, and most importantly, effective?
Inside the tiny and progressive WIDE School in Missouri City, students are taking a unique approach to their finances and learning about life skills.
“The biggest thing that you really need to be considering on anything you’re going to do is: Can you recognize opportunity, and if you can’t, can you make opportunity for yourself?” said WIDE School Financial Literacy Coach Mark MacInerney.
As part of the curriculum, students agree to exercise, medicate, and do house chores all before heading into class in the morning, which is known as project-based learning.
“These kids have to do a triathlon,” said MacInerney. “We’re training now, it’s part of the course.”
MacInerney is determined to push these teens to hustle and learn how to manage their money once they start making it.
“What do you do with it then? The next things we’re seeking are the cars, houses, and material goods that make up a life, but it’s amazing how most people are unaware of the importance of credit, and the importance of how to build it, and how to save money in order to buy that house, or you know, to invest,” MacInerney said.
“Mr. Mark is a very inspirational teacher and he focuses more on motivating students in class,” said student Alex Ambrese.
Each student is required to participate in the 90-day challenge. MacInerney said it’s a way to teach students to commit to something.
The challenges focus on picking and sticking to four core habits.
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Body – Staying active and healthy.
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Being – Doing acts of kindness.
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Balance – Spending time with family and friends.
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Business – Actively trying to start or grow a business idea.
“We pick a topic or goal and we try and better ourselves in that area,” said fellow student Hendrix Preston.
Some students in the class are marketing and selling their music on YouTube.
Preston said he picked boxing.
“It’s something new. I was looking for a new sport. I’m enjoying it a lot.”
Accountability is part of the lesson too. Each student sends video proof of their daily challenges to a group chat with their classmates, parents, and teacher.
“If you have someone holding you accountable, that will train you to hold yourself accountable,” said Ambrese.
“I can tell since we started this core for all of this, I’ve felt more disciplined and more driven to do more things and explore new areas that I never even thought of doing before,” Preston adds.
MacInerney said you can do this same challenge at home with your kids.
The most important thing is to establish good habits they can stick to and talk to them openly about money.
If they see and hear you talking about it openly, chances are they’ll be more interested in it and remember what you’re saying.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
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The UAB study revealed that specific linguistic styles within influencer posts can enhance or diminish engagement with the content.
Parker Woodroof, Ph.D.
Photography by Lexi Coon New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business explores the impact of language on engagement with influencer affiliate marketing posts on social media.
The study, published in the Journal of Business Research, shares that traditionally major brands have embraced affiliate marketing programs; but the factors influencing engagement with influencer-generated content have remained largely unexplored. To bridge this gap, the research team applied the Elaboration Likelihood Model to investigate how the linguistic features of influencers’ affiliate marketing posts influence consumer behaviors. By employing text mining and natural language processing techniques, a vast data set of influencers’ affiliate marketing posts from Instagram was analyzed.
The study revealed that specific linguistic styles within these posts can enhance or diminish engagement with the content. Certain factors, like word count and analytical thinking, negatively impact engagement, while elements like clout, authenticity and positive emotion have a positive effect. These findings not only advance the understanding of influencer affiliate marketing and social media engagement but also offer crucial insights for both brands and influencers participating in affiliate marketing campaigns.
“Affiliate influencer marketing is a good example of a social media marketing strategy that is evolving before our eyes in real time,” said Assistant Professor of Marketing Parker Woodroof, Ph.D., lead author of the study. “We see various phenomena that barely existed five years ago, and now they’ve become mainstream overnight. Companies have to figure out what to do. That is what happened with influencer marketing in general, and now we see that the industry is maturing and dealing with new concerns around artificial intelligence, bots and fake followers, and brands are still trying to figure out how to utilize influencer marketing in order to drive value.”
The research conducted by Woodroof and the team provides valuable insights into the dynamics of influencer affiliate marketing. As the industry continues to witness a shift toward micro-influencers, who offer cost-effective and hyper-targeted campaigns, it becomes crucial for brands to comprehend audience interactions with this category of influencers. Micro-influencers could establish trust with their followers and offer authentic brand recommendations, making them an integral part of brand strategies. By leveraging affiliate programs, brands can mitigate risks and collaborate with micro-influencers effectively.
“Affiliate influencers offer companies a lower-risk strategy to partner with influencers utilizing a commission-based pay formula rather than an upfront investment,” Woodroof said. “For smaller brands especially, utilizing affiliates may be the winning strategy moving forward.”
This study represents a significant contribution to the field as it is the first to examine the impact of language cues on consumer engagement with influencer-generated affiliate marketing content. The unique nature of influencer affiliate marketing, situated at the intersection of social media marketing and traditional affiliate marketing, necessitates an in-depth exploration of its effects on marketing outcomes. The findings expand the existing body of research on social media engagement behaviors and provide crucial insights for marketers in utilizing language effectively to drive engagement.
As social media usage continues to grow, with consumers spending an average of almost 2.5 hours per day on these platforms and affiliate spending reaching billions of dollars, influencer affiliate marketing emerges as a viable strategy in the social media e-commerce landscape. This research serves as a significant contribution to understanding the dynamics of influencer affiliate marketing and its potential impact on marketing strategies.
Other contributing authors in this study include Holly A. Syrdal, Ph.D., and William C. McDowell of Texas State University; Susan Myers, Ph.D., of the University of Central Arkansas; and Sandipan Sen, Ph.D., of Southeast Missouri State University.
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Entrepreneurial pursuits have expanded through a maturing e-commerce model impacting buying habits, … [+]
Professional independence has historically been viewed as a goal rather distant for the majority of working-age adults. However, the residue of a pandemic created a main artery of communication, commerce, and education that was pixilated through Zoom, causing many to rethink those previously lofty goals.
As a result, industry and education converted onboarding, professional development plans, and curriculum to reflect new opportunities for respective independence, the retention of talent, and the support of new economic structures.
The e-commerce industry represents a growing trend of professionals seeking independence, relative control, and opportunity without classic revenue ceilings. In 2021, global e-retail sales stood at over $5.2 trillion, projected to reach $8.1 trillion by 2026. The move of commerce to the digital space has produced industry juggernauts like Amazon and Alibaba, representing companies recording over $1 billion in daily sales.
E-commerce has continued splintering into different sub-niches and unique job roles. It may beg the question: how important is creating an educational system to feed this emerging industry with skilled human resources? Many business owners and industry leaders in the space believe e-commerce should be a distinct degree or integrated more fully into a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree.
Ryan Buttigieg, a marketing and e-commerce consultant from the U.K., believes knowing what role one wants to participate in is essential in the sector. “Since e-com came on the scene, there have been many success stories where people have made it big by building online stores and selling products remotely.”
Buttigieg founded the online educational marketing program, Change Online to meet the growing demand of early-career professionals looking to add the trending skill set to their repertoire. “Today, there are many more business models in the industry and, consequently, more emerging roles that need to be filled. So, while a BCom degree may not be necessary for everyone, it could be useful in several scenarios,” says Buttigieg.
BCom Education
Universities are also beginning to respond to this reality of an expanding digital marketplace by creating their own e-commerce or e-business degree programs. Some of these are shorter in commitment than a Bachelor of Commerce education. Seattle University, the University of North Carolina, and Walden University belong to this category.
Business schools have also started to integrate e-commerce into their curriculums. While there could be a serious case for a standalone e-commerce degree, the Bachelor of Commerce academic program is often suitable for gaining a more robust understanding of the wider commerce industry and cultivating a useful skill set for e-commerce and beyond.
BCom degrees are currently bolted onto specialties such as banking, finance, economics, and computer application fields. “The BCom in e-commerce course prepares students to pursue careers related to online shopping. The course typically includes a combination of practical and theoretical knowledge related to commerce and trade practices, the internet, and technology,” states Indeed.
BCom degrees have gained popularity outside the U.S. in Canada, the U.K., Australia, and India. According to India’s Financial Express, “Universities are stepping up and adapting their pedagogy to prepare students for future workplaces through specialized courses such as BCom in e-commerce marketing. These courses aim to impart business fundamentals and equip young professionals to better understand the areas of marketing, digital marketing, accounting, finance, strategy, pricing, analytics, and social media marketing.”
E-Commerce Adoption
Following the pandemic, the U.K. saw a massive shift to e-commerce adoption, like most of the western world. In the first quarter of 2020, there were reportedly about 85,000 new online businesses, and as of April 2022, the U.K. has more than 850,000 websites with e-commerce functionality.
The U.S. leads the charge in digital commerce interaction. According to Statista data, there were 268 million digital buyers in the U.S. during 2022, with nearly 285 million projected by 2025. “Digital commerce just passed the $1 trillion mark in a single year for the first time, according to Comscore. The Statista report adds that e-commerce hit $1.09 trillion in the U.S. in 2022, with the last quarter accounting for $332.2 billion. This doesn’t include the travel [industry], which would likely add a few hundred billion dollars of revenue,” says John Koetsier in Forbes.
For those in the trenches, like Buttigieg, the massive growth of e-commerce’s adoption can be attributed to the significant development of innovations.
Ryan Buttigieg represents a growing generation of business owners leaning into the digital … [+]
“Spaces like Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Checkout combined the powers of e-commerce and customer service. And then there’s Amazon which essentially pioneered the affiliate marketing model, incentivizing others to market Amazon products for a slice of the sale,” says Buttigieg.
“There are also other innovations like geotagging or having store-specific online wallets to shorten the purchase process. New e-com solutions keep coming out every day, and it’s necessary for every player in this space to understand and educate themselves on their respective applications. I started Change to help students and professionals fully grasp how e-commerce works so they can build successful and sustainable businesses now while the future unfolds.”
Benefits of E-Commerce Knowledge
With increased online shoppers and products sold, the knowledge base in understanding shopping behaviors, patterns, and customer needs keeps evolving.
Jeremy Leung, COO and co-founder of the e-commerce logistics company Ascend Ecom studied the changing habits of corporate environments and spending habits prior to starting his organization. “I realized my interest was not really in finding that classic or expected corporate job after getting my MBA. I saw an opportunity to make the most out of a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The pandemic enforced the necessity of logistics to support global economies, and I was ready to embrace the startup, e-commerce culture,” says Leung.
According to Sprout Social, online shoppers’ social media use redefines how they shop. As commerce moves to virtual settings post-pandemic, customers’ values and preferences follow along.
The advent of parasocial relationships that used to remain in the realm of celebrity is now spilling into bloggers, gamers, and a growing number of social media users. As a result, communication, connections, interactions, and learning online are shaping buying habits.
“Parasocial relationships between consumers and influencers have become a key driver of purchase intention. Influencers commit to putting their followers first and to cultivating communities of consumers with shared passions and interests. In turn, consumers look to influencers for credible recommendations and honest product reviews. Parasocial relationships remove friction from the purchase process by saving consumers time and making influencers the go-to experts,” says Dr. Jenna Drenten, department chair and associate professor of marketing at Loyola University Chicago.
A BCom degree provides exposure to different aspects of digital commerce, which include finance, risk assessment, management, marketing, economics, and accounting. Knowledge in these areas exponentially expands opportunities for professionals targeting independent career paths.
As Buttigieg puts it, “It’s better to have a commerce degree and not need it than to need it and not have it. Knowledge will always be power; the more you have, the better positioned you are for success in this industry.”
Buttigieg uses his e-commerce business to deliver experience and expertise to his students. “Change is a robust educational program. We take our students through several stages of practical training that prepares them for starting any kind of online business from the ground up. Our training is useful for people looking to go into traditional e-commerce, private labeling, and more. And we only teach established trends and proven methods regarding business setup, marketing, scaling, etc. Change is essentially an e-commerce degree program.”
Students matriculating through higher education continue to question the value proposition their current degree programs offer in an ever-digital and global marketplace. And as certifications and micro-credentialing continue to secure broad-based acceptance, the day may be coming when BCom may become the new Psychology 101 on campuses around the world.
Independent thinkers and soon-to-be participants in the global marketplace appear to be one step ahead.
Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
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