There is absolutely no industry that will not benefit from taking up Digital Marketing. The ongoing global pandemic has struck a hard hit on the economy and the businesses that contribute significantly to the economy.

The education industry is one of the worst-hit industries, with absolutely no scope to survive with just conventional Marketing. Students have been leaning towards apps and e-learning tools to keep up with their educational goals, as universities and other educational institutions remain closed for students in most parts of the world.

The pandemic has also helped students realize the power and benefits of online learning, and as a result, many educational institutes have started offering online versions of their courses to students. Spreading the word has proven to be quite a task, even inefficient, and digital marketing has been a saving grace in terms of marketing courses. Thus, adopting clever Digital Marketing Strategies for educational institutes.

In this article, we will discuss the top 10 digital marketing strategies for educational institutes. While conventional marketing does help the education sector to a large extent, digital is inevitably the need of the hour.

Before we move on to discuss the digital marketing strategies for educational institutes, let us see why they need digital marketing in the first place.

Why Do Educational Institutes Need Digital Marketing?

The pandemic has induced a serious need for businesses to take up digital marketing to promote their products and services as opposed to sticking to just conventional marketing methods. The educational sector is currently experiencing a shift from on-ground education to online education, with more students opting to take up courses online and learn from the comfort of their homes.

There arises a need for educational institutes to be present online in order for them to market their courses to the right audience in a shorter span of time. There are many digital marketing strategies for educational institutions that are proven-to-be-successful. But before that, let us discuss the benefits and importance of digital marketing strategies for educational institutions.

1. The student population is online today. Therefore, it makes more sense for educational institutes to market their courses on digital platforms to tap into the right audience set.

2. The response online is almost always instantaneous. Digital platforms are mediums through which you can easily reach the audience you intend to and communicate with them at ease. Digital marketing platforms provide ample scope for brands to interact with their audience and reply instantly as they respond to your marketing message.

3. Conversion rates are higher in Digital. Digital Marketing is a more persuasive platform. Tools like emails and SMSs can help educational institutes reach their target audience on a more personal level and also get them to take positive action on their message, thereby seeing more conversions.

4. Digital boosts brand awareness. Digital marketing helps establish your brand online and boost your presence as well. By taking up social media marketing activities, you will be able to build a loyal set of followers, therefore spreading the word about your brand to a broader network of people.

5. Digital marketing is more cost-effective as opposed to conventional marketing strategies. Strategies like email and SMS require very minimum costs. This makes digital marketing more economical compared to traditional, on-ground activities.

These are a few benefits of digital marketing for the education industry (and any industry at large).

Let us now move on to discuss the top 10 digital marketing strategies for educational institutions.

Top 10 Digital Marketing Strategies For Educational Institutes

Educational institutes are all flocking towards offering online courses for students, as students are also looking to study from the comfort and safety of their homes, courtesy, the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

In this case, adopting digital marketing strategies for educational institutes is a must-do in today’s marketing world. As discussed in the previous section, digital marketing comes bearing many benefits for the education sector, especially in reaching out to the right audience in a cost-effective manner.

Digital marketing also carries a lot of different strategies in its pockets that work for different industries. Let us look at some of the best digital marketing strategies for educational institutes.

1. Build A Social Media Presence

The student community is highly active on social media. Therefore, building a solid social media presence is one of the best digital marketing strategies for educational institutes. It will help you become popular among the young crowd. Ensuring you adapt to social media trends and post relevant content – a mix of quirky, relevant, and informative content – will help build a solid follower base and a presence on social media.

2. Create A Mobile-Friendly Website

Today, more users use mobile internet than browsing on desktop. Most of the target audience, i.e., students, browse on mobile, so make sure your website is optimised for mobile phones. This is an essential digital marketing strategy for educational institutes.

Make sure your website developed is also user-friendly in terms of minimum loading time, relevant content, FAQ section, contact option, signup/inquiry form, and more. Creating a mobile and user-friendly website should be in the bucket of digital marketing strategies for educational institutes.

3. Have Existing Student Testimonials

One of the best social proofs, especially for educational institutes, is testimonials from existing students and those who have passed out. This is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies for educational institutes. Include student testimonials in both your social media content strategy as well as your website.

In addition to this, you can request your students to leave online reviews on Google and other platforms, as people tend to check online reviews before taking a step further.

4. Utilise Video Content Strategy!

Another effective digital marketing strategy for educational institutes is the promotion of video content. Invest in producing a good quality video that covers different aspects of your institute, including the campus tour, courses offered, additional amenities for students like labs, library, and more, student housing, etc.

Showing all these in real-time will help the audience see your institute for what it stands for and kindle interest in their minds.

5. Create An Educational App

Create an app for your institute – it can simply be a management app for students to keep track of different metrics like their attendance, leaves, scores, exam schedule, and more, or it can also be a functional app that will help them study with the support of study materials, sample papers, and more.

An application simplifies the process of being a student of your institute while also keeping tabs on one’s own activities. This is an extremely useful digital marketing strategy for educational institutes.

6. Have SEO-Friendly Content On Your Web Pages

It is crucial for your website and content to rank on Google’s first page. This is possible only with SEO. Making your content SEO-friendly should be part of your digital marketing strategy for educational institutes.

Hire a team of SEO professionals, figure out the top-ranking keywords in your field, and make sure you incorporate them in your content. SEO-friendly content will make your page easily discoverable.

7. Take Up Technical SEO

Technical SEO is nothing but the process of ensuring your web pages don’t have any errors or broken links. This is another helpful digital marketing strategy for educational institutes. The main aim here is to repair the website and negate any form of technical error.

To do this, you will need the help of a web developer. Hire one and get this done on priority, for this is one of the most significant digital marketing strategies for educational institutes.

8. Focus On The Placement Of Your Ads

More than digital advertising itself, where you show your ads is more important. This is the next most significant digital marketing strategy for educational institutes. Place your ads on sites with content relevant to what you are promoting. For example, if you are advertising your new digital marketing online course, advertise for the same on sites that talk about digital marketing.

This paves the way for the possibility of readers clicking on your advertisements and is also an effective way to reach your target audience.

9. Up Your Chances Of Conversions Through Retargeting Campaigns!

Re-targeting campaigns are slow but a steadier way of getting more conversions. And conversions are the end goal for any business, including education. Therefore, retargeting campaigns should be a part of your digital marketing strategy for educational institutes.

Re-targeting campaigns help you reach out to an audience that has already shown interest in your course. Therefore, it is a very effective way to get more conversions for your courses.

10. Organise Frequent Webinars By Industry Experts

Students today are on a rapid quest to learn. Therefore, conducting webinars is an excellent digital marketing strategy for educational institutes. Organising free webinars where industry experts are brought on board to address students can help advertise your institute, thereby garnering a solid number of admissions.

These are our top 10 digital marketing strategies for educational institutes. But there’s one more we would like to add to the list!

BONUS – Leverage The Power Of Email Marketing!

Emails are a very personal way of connecting with your audience database. This is a technique that is proven to be successful in almost all major industries! Adopt clever email marketing strategies and create an effective funnel, stay in touch with your audience and keep them informed about your courses and offers.

Email marketing comes with its own success stories, and make sure you include this in your digital marketing strategy for educational institutes.

Are you a professional digital marketer who has handled digital marketing for educational institutes? Let us know about the strategies that have worked out for you in the past.

If you are looking for an agency that can help you market your educational institute, echoVME is your ideal choice! We are one of the top digital marketing agencies in Chennai, with solid experience working with educational brands. We offer services including social media marketing, 360-degree digital marketing, SEO, web development and management, and more! For more details, visit www.echovme.com.