The student market is perhaps one of the most lucrative in the world.

Students are more often than not young and are therefore yet to form loyalties to brands – making them the perfect start for new businesses looking to tap into consumers’ habits and become a part of their lives.

Market your products and services right to a millennial studying at university, and you’ll create a customer for life – long after they graduate and go on to forge their own careers.

With more than seven 7 students in the UK, tapping into the student market is one of the wisest business decisions you can make as a startup. But how can you make a success of a campaign?

Below, we’ve put together five ways to market effectively to students…

Offer student discounts and perks

Let’s face it: very few students are millionaires. If you want to appeal to students as a startup, you need to dive into their way of thinking and understand that funds are tight.

That’s not to say you can find success as a luxury brand, but you need to offer incentives if you want to encourage students to part with their hard-earned loan.

Offer a student discount or perk when promoting your business, and sign up to UNiDAYS and forums to spread the word about your discounts.

Offering a coupon code of just 10% off can make the difference between a sale – it’s all about giving the perception that you offer students more value.

Create video content

We don’t need to tell you about the importance of video marketing – by the end of this year, more than three-quarters of all consumer web traffic will be video.

And it’s even more important for today’s students, who were brought up with YouTube and Netflix to keep them company.

Take advantage of the popularity of video content by creating your own short-form content for YouTube and social media, and remember to tell stories rather than sell products.

Put your brand on campus

Taking your brand to university campuses is another great way to spread the word about your business; in today’s digital-first times, it’s easy to assume everything has to be done through social media and algorithms, but seeing a brand in real life can increase loyalty and recognition.

Place posters around campuses and sponsor events like nights out to get the word out there about your products and services. Which leads us on to our next point…

Use student ambassadors

Student ambassadors are another brilliant way to spread the word about your business and quite literally humanise your brand.

There’s no better marketing technique than word of mouth, and whilst you’ll be paying students to promote your business on campus rather than relying on their personal experiences with your brand, you’re still helping to form genuine relationships between students and your products, and spreading the word about why you’re great.

Working with a company that offers student ambassador marketing makes sense, as you’ll build long-lasting connections with students and quickly scale campaigns nationwide.

Reach customers via social

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of social media.

If you really want to be heard, then you need to hammer your Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat accounts with quality content that students will want to interact with.

Targeted advertisements are the key to success on platforms nowadays, as algorithms make it harder for you to be seen organically.

Set aside a budget and remember to invest in quality content, whether you make it yourself or you rely on students to offer user-generated content that you can use in future marketing campaigns.

There’s no denying that marketing your business to students can be hard work, but with a little effort, you’ll transform the fortunes of your startup. Best of luck with your campaign!

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