The college student population is a fantastic, diverse group with specific needs and wants. Marketing to college students can be hard as you compete for their attention with their school duties and responsibilities. Consider the following four things to focus on that can help you grab college students’ attention.
1. Focus on: Technology!
Colleges experience a large amount of turnover, as students typically take about four to five years to graduate. Students are constantly arriving and leaving, meaning you have a whole new crop of students to impress every semester.
Additionally, many students — especially at community colleges — commute to campus, meaning they really only come to campus for class and then go home. So, while you could go on campus to display your products, an easier and more efficient way to reach students is via technology.
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Advertising to students via social media, email and blogs is a great way to get your product or event in front of them. Students spend countless hours on the Internet, scouring the web throughout the day. Going mobile will allow you more access to more students.
2. Focus on: Social Media!
As their professor drones on and on, students struggle to pay attention and stay awake in class. So, what do they turn to? Social media! Students constantly check their newsfeeds on Facebook and Twitter, send snaps to friends via Snapchat, and document their meals over Instagram.
Because students cannot stop scrolling through their social media accounts, this avenue is the perfect marketing tool for reaching them. Set up accounts for your company and start advertising what you have to offer.
Writing a press release? Include links to your social media pages at the end of the article!
3. Focus on: Humor!
Homework, exams, rent, part-time jobs, clubs, food, and friends: students get pulled in so many directions with tons to pay attention to. That leaves little time for looking at much else, so you want to create advertising that is interesting enough for students to spend time reading.
Humor goes a long way with students, as it is interesting and entertaining. Students are more likely to share the ad with someone else if they find it was worth their time. Think about how students like to share funny memes online or how they read articles with funny titles.
4. Focus on: The Parents!
Targeting college students is your goal, but sometimes students do not have the money to buy what you’re selling. Who typically funds the student experience? The parents! Consider targeting your marketing towards parents of students, who will likely pass on the information to their child.
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If parents find an event or see a product they think their college student would enjoy, they will likely buy it for them or encourage them to attend. With this type of marketing, consider using language directed towards a mature audience and explain how your event or product benefits college students.