8 Ways to Boost Social Media Marketing for Educational Institutions

Education has turned its pages from manual study material and the walking distance of schools or universities. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the Education Sector has shifted learning to online modes.

Initially, students found the shift challenging. The impact of online education on learning remains a debated topic.

So, when talking about online mode, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Social Media could be your answer to most of the points.

High school seniors who preferred reading student and faculty blogs to other marketing information: 60%

High school students who would consider reading or responding to an instant message from a college representative: 80%.

What is Social Media Marketing for Educational Institutions?

Social media marketing for educational institutions has become an essential tool.

Whether you are in a primary school, secondary school, or higher educational institution, harnessing the power of social media can greatly enhance your outreach and engagement.

The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences reports primarily explored the strength of social media engagement, not its nature or connection to content strategy.

9% and 26% of authors advocated for content analysis to understand what customers engage with, not just relying on basic metrics like likes and comments.

Social media enhances higher education marketing by connecting with audiences, boosting brand awareness, recruiting students, fostering engagement, and establishing thought leadership.

Promote educational institutions through brand-building programs on various social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Facebook is dominated by young users (18–24 years old) and is experiencing rapid growth at 74% per year, boasting over 500 million users worldwide in 2012.

What is the Importance of Social Media Strategy for Educational Institutions?

According to Forbes, with over 4.9 billion active social media users globally, social media platforms offer a unique opportunity to connect with potential and current students, alumni, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders.

The importance of having solid social media strategies for educational institutions to generate growth in the digital education sector:

1. Brand Awareness

• Utilize engaging content and social media tools.
• Establish yourself as thought leaders in your respective fields.
• Attract new students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

2. Student Recruitment

• Share program info, financial aid details, and campus life.
• Attract prospective students and encourage applications.

3. Student Engagement

• Create interactive content for enhanced student involvement.
• Foster a sense of community within the educational institution.

4. Alumni Engagement

• Share institution news and updates.
• Keep alumni connected and involved.

5. Thought Leadership

• Share research, insights, and expert opinions.
• Build trust and credibility within the respective field.

According to Milena  Vuki’s report on Brand Awareness for educational institutions:-

What are the Challenges to Higher Education Marketing for Social Media?

Social media marketing for educational institutions can be an impactful tool to reach prospective students, engage with current students, and build their brand.

However, there are also some unique challenges that higher education marketers face when using social media:

• knowledge of attracting the right audience from the crowd of students and standing out from the crowd.
  
• Develop creativity within your content and make it interactive, interesting, and relevant to your target audience.
  
• Handling multiple social media platforms and maintaining regular scheduling and posting.
  
• The difficulty in measuring Return on Investment (ROI) and decline in engagement and conversion rates.

How impactful is The Return on Investment (ROI) for the educational institutions' social media marketing?

Let’s explore!

What are the Best Practices of Social Media Marketing for Educational Institutions?

It is stated that social media marketing for educational institutions is an impactful utilization of social media itself.

For marketers, it is essential to stick to some of the following practices for university marketing strategies:

Understanding Your Target Audience for Higher Education Marketing

• Define your target audience for educational institution social media marketing: prospective students, alumni, faculty, staff, or parents.
• Tailor content and campaigns based on your identified audience.
• Understand your audience by creating personas and analyzing demographics, preferences, and behaviors.
• Modify your social media strategy to resonate with the specific characteristics of your target audience in higher education marketing.

Crafting a Comprehensive Social Media Strategy for Educational Institutions

Crafting a comprehensive social media strategy for higher education for social media marketing in educational institutions requires a well-thought-out plan to effectively engage with students, parents, alumni, and other stakeholders.

You should define your SMART Goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).

In a 2019 study published in the journal Evaluation and Program Planning, researchers analyzed 128 SMART objective statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine whether they incorporated the four components of the OITT goal framework.

The OITT goal framework is a conceptual template for writing SMART objective statements that include the following components:

• Objective: A clear statement of what is to be achieved.
• Indicators: Measurable variables that will be used to track progress towards the objective.
• Targets: Specific and measurable goals for each indicator.
• Timeframe: A specific deadline for achieving the objective.

Developing a diverse content calendar for an educational institution involves planning educational articles, videos, infographics, testimonials, event promotions, and more, customized to match platform formats and audience preferences.

In parallel, establish a crisis management social media strategy for handling negative comments, public relations issues, or crises swiftly and professionally, recognizing that crises can arise unexpectedly. This strategy ensures a proactive and effective response to maintain a positive online presence for the institution.

For creating social media strategies for educational institutions to build content around institutions:

• Programs and Learning Objectives for Students
• Interactive Campus Tours
• Overview of the programs and degree requirements
• Information and Facts about Campus
• Tips and advice for students and parents
• Alumni stories and Current students' profiles
• Announcements and Updates about events, examinations, and other activities
• Publications by faculty and staff

Structuring your educational institution’s marketing strategy like this can catch enormous attention.

Best Platforms for Educational Institutions Social Media Marketing

Not all social media platforms are created equal.

For educational institutions, it's essential to identify which platforms are most effective for their specific needs. Some may find success on Facebook, while others may thrive on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Social Media platforms are essential interaction, communication, and marketing tools for higher education marketing.

According to Global Web Index Data; internet users have an estimated 5.5 social profiles, accounting for 30% of their browsing time. Through research, it was observed that 39% of marketers got their generation leads from Facebook and 30% secured leads from Twitter campaigns.

LinkedIn

• Ideal for reaching professionals, sharing educational achievements, and networking.
• Major contributor to B2B sales, generating 80% of B2B leads.

Instagram

• Highly visual platform for showcasing campus life, events, and appealing educational content.
• Over 1 billion monthly active users make it an impactful promotional tool.

YouTube

• It is powerful for educational institutions to share videos, tutorials, and virtual campus tours.
• YouTube Ads reach 2.5 billion users, with 122 million daily visits, enhancing engagement and conversion rates in higher education marketing.

Social Media Content Creation and Management for Educational Institutions Marketing

Social Media Content Generation and Management allows you to connect with prospective students, current students, alumni, and other stakeholders in a way that is both informative and engaging. It is an essential social media strategy for educational institutions to build relationships with students as well as parents.

To create effective social media content, you need to start by understanding your target audience.

What are their interests?

What kind of content do they consume?

Once you understand your audience, you can start to create content that is relevant and valuable to them.

As per the reports of Mark van ‘t Hooft, Ph.D. Josiah Nyangau, Editor Managing Editor, Participants with at least one social media profile are 95% and most used social media platform by students are YouTube (60.1%) and Facebook (40.3%).

Here are some tips for creating engaging social media content for educational institutions:

• Use a variety of content formats, like text posts, images, videos, and infographics.
• Frame your content in a way that tells a story about your institution, your students, or your faculty.
• Your content should be both informative and engaging.
• Visuals are highly engaging on social media, so use them liberally in your content by using the creative app- Muse.
• It's important to interact with your audience, respond to comments and questions, and participate in conversations.

Engaging with Your Audience through Higher Education Marketing

Effectively engaging with your audience in higher education marketing is crucial for attracting and retaining prospective students. Utilize digital channels and strategies to share compelling content like campus photos, success stories, and event updates. Leverage social media for live Q&A sessions, contests, and giveaways to enhance your outreach.

Email marketing is a great way for educational institutions to stay in touch with prospective students and provide them with personalized content.

The chart shows the email preferred subjects from the report of Pantea Carmen:-

You can use email marketing for higher education to send out newsletters, event invitations, and special offers.

You can create an effective social media marketing strategy for educational institutions that will help you engage with your audience and achieve your enrollment goals.

Measuring Success: Where Does Your Social Media Strategy for Educational Institutions Go?

After implementing various social media strategies for higher education marketing, it's crucial to assess their effectiveness. A well-defined strategy involves setting goals, crafting engaging content, and utilizing analytics tools to track performance.

The data obtained helps in making informed decisions and refining strategies for better results. Given the dynamic nature of social media, continuous improvement is essential. Regularly measuring the ROI of these strategies ensures their ongoing success.

Social Media Advertising for Educational Institutions

Social media advertising has become an increasingly crucial tool of social media marketing for educational institutions to reach their target audience, engage with prospective students, and promote their programs.

Social media advertising is used by educational institutions, providing various benefits and some key strategies.

Social Media Ads deliver the most complex and personal data relevantly to audiences, like Facebook ads strategy for higher educational institutions, where social media advertising makes it easy for students, parents, alumni, and the faculty to connect from a single point of view.

Observing Social Media Marketing Strategies of Your Competitors for Educational Institutions

You’re in a race with similar competitors; this is a very effective and smart tip to sharpen your social media strategy for educational institutions.

Knowing and understanding what your competitor is doing is not cheating or copying anything. Just analyzing the marketing campaigns that your competitor’s doing for the university.

Learning from the competition around us can make us creative and unique in social media marketing for educational institutions.

How do you schedule your social media strategies for educational institutions?

So, you have an Educational Institution and you are on social media too.

But do you have consistency in posting?

If not, you need these steps and guidelines for the same.

Create a content calendar: A content calendar will help you plan and schedule your social media posts in advance. This will save you time and ensure that you are posting consistently. When creating your content calendar, consider the following:

• What type of content will you post? (e.g., news, announcements, event promotions, student spotlights, etc.)
• How often will you post? (e.g., once a day, three times a week, etc.)
• When will you post? (e.g., in the morning, afternoon, evening)

Case Studies: How to Elevate Your Social Media Marketing Strategy for Educational Institutions

Case Study 1: University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne aimed to strengthen its online presence to attract more international students.

The university employed a paid social media strategy to target specific regions, demographics, and interests of potential international students. They addressed concerns through tailored content, covering visa information and campus life. Success stories and testimonials built trust, while regular updates on admissions, scholarships, and cultural events kept the audience informed. Despite COVID-19 challenges, their strategic social media use boosted international student admissions, solidifying their position as a top choice.

Emerging Trends in Educational Social Media Marketing

As the social media of higher education continues to evolve, new trends are emerging that can be leveraged to create effective and engaging marketing campaigns.

Here is a specific emerging trend in educational social media marketing:-

Micro-credentials are short-term, focused learning programs that are designed to help students develop specific skills.

Educational institutions can use social media to market their micro-credentials to potential students.

• A study by Ghasia (2023) found that 90% of educators and 85% of students believe that micro-credentials would be beneficial for expanding the reach and revenue of universities, inspiring creativity and personalized and lifelong learning, and motivating educators and students to be in charge of their professional development.
• A study by the Digital Marketing Institute found that 90% of students use social media to research educational institutions. Additionally, a study by Hootsuite found that 78% of students say that social media has had a positive impact on their decision to enroll in an educational institution.

Why these micro-credentials are important for Educational Institutions?

Microsoft prioritizes hiring individuals based on their skills, irrespective of their learning sources. They provide diverse micro-credential programs and accept credentials not only from their own offerings but also from external providers like Coursera, Credly, and Mozilla Open Badges, enhancing opportunities in areas like data science, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.

Conclusion

Social media marketing for educational institutions is more than just a trend; it's a necessity. By crafting an effective strategy, creating engaging content, and adapting to changing trends, educational institutions can build a strong online presence that benefits students, parents, and the community.

Educational Institutions' social media marketing is a fast tool to make students enroll in universities.

This can all happen to your educational institution by utilizing social media marketing for higher education because of its higher reach.

FAQs for Educational Institutions Marketing

1. Can social media marketing for educational institutions be free for institute owners?

Yes, You can do higher education social media marketing for educational institutions for free.

2. How can I generate AI content for my educational institution’s website?

You can generate AI content for any purpose by Creatosaurus’s app Captionator.