Increase College Admissions with Inbound Marketing

Did you know that there are over 9,000 colleges and universities in the United States today? With that kind of competition, it can be difficult to continually increase admissions numbers. Institutes of higher education need to diversify their organizations to attract a higher volume of students. This can be achieved through inbound marketing.

Here are four key components of an inbound marketing plan built to increase college admissions.

1) Create an Inbound Marketing Strategy

Every inbound marketing campaign should begin with a strategy phase. An effective strategy is important because every action you take stems from it.

Once you have a strategy in place, you will be able to acquire new leads (potential students) and nurture them so that they establish trust and a relationship with your brand (college or university).

2) Identify Your Audience

Before you try to reach your target audience, it’s important to identify who they are. Do you want to reach juniors and seniors in high school or all high school students? What about parents? The content you create and the campaigns you choose to execute should relate directly to your target audience.

3) Build Your Digital Presence

Being visible online and having an active website should be your number one priority. Not only will this help with brand awareness and provide helpful information to those looking for it, your website serves as your inbound marketing hub – many inbound marketing activities will link to and push traffic to it in order to capture lead information.

Feature original, engaging content on your website and in your inbound marketing campaigns in order to bring potential students to your site and give them a reason to keep coming back.

4) Consistent Analysis and Reporting

The ROI of your inbound marketing efforts depends on the goals you set during your strategy phase. Track and analyze your data in order to draw conclusions and see results that relate back to your goals.

As the number of colleges, universities and students seeking higher education continues to increase, you need to rise above your competition. Reach your potential students with personalized, targeted content that they actually want to see, when they want to see it, ultimately drawing them in to apply to your institution.

What’s Next?

Are you looking to increase your enrollment in 2015? Download our free white paper, Increase College Admissions with an Effective Inbound Marketing Campaign, to get started creating your inbound marketing plan.