How to Make Marketing to College Students Cost-Effective

Though college students are infamous for their empty wallets, this population still spends a lot of money on products and services they find important and valuable. One of the notable aspects of marketing to college students is that they respond to grassroots marketing messages as opposed to flashy ads, saving you money while building up your consumer base.

Here are three ways to make marketing to the college student audience cost-effective.

1. On-campus ads

Cost-effective marketing can prove as easy as getting on campus and doing some low-budget advertising. For instance, college students talk to each other a lot, so word of mouth marketing goes a long way with this audience. Give students something exciting to discuss about your products or services and initiate some free marketing.

Use free tactics like sidewalk chalk to create ads on campus, or post flyers on campus bulletin boards to catch the attention of students. Or, buy some advertising space in your nearest college or university newspaper or TV station to reach college students at low costs.

2. Social media

Whether on the way to class, during class, or in between classes, college students eat up social media. Most college students have profiles on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Thus, creating a voice and building your brand on these sites becomes important when trying to reach college students.

Social media marketing is extremely effective for this audience and advertising on these platforms is affordable and valuable. Host competitions through social media to drum up a conversation, advertise your campus events, and spread the word that college students need what you are offering.

3. Guerilla marketing 

In an article from The Huffington Post, Shawn Prez discusses how guerrilla marketing has a strong impact on driving sales and brand awareness while utilizing minimal resources.

According to Prez, guerilla marketing “focuses on non-traditional tactics, using various brand ambassadors to interact one on one in a very intimate way ([like] being on the ground).”

In other words, get on campus! Hire student ambassadors or representatives to do your marketing for you. Talk to college students where they eat, sleep, and play, and show them why they need your brand to amp up or survive their college experience. These cost-effective tactics will save you money while spreading the word about your business.

Another cost-effective way to market to thousands of college students? Post your press release to UWire.com!

Cost-effective marketing

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