How to Improve Your Marketing Efforts to College Students – Part 1

By Elana Goodwin

College students can be hard to market to successfully. That’s why you need to really tailor your marketing approach to that specific demographic when you want to appeal to them as a potential customer base. In this article, the first of a three-part series, we’re going to take a look at some of the best methods at your disposal for appealing to college students and getting them to engage with your company and products.

1. Get Social. This cannot be stressed enough. If your business does not have social media accounts on at least Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, you should stop reading this article and go make company profiles on those sites right now. College students are increasingly connected via online platforms and you need to maximize your presence on the sites to engage and influence the demographic. Other sites that can be useful tools as well include Google+, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Reddit.

Once you’ve got accounts on these sites, keep them updated with fresh content. Promote your business but don’t limit yourself to just self-promo. Share interesting articles, videos, links, etc., with those who like or follow you, even if they’re not publicizing your business or products. Engage with your followers and be active. Let them know you care about them, their passions, and that you’re responsive and plugged in.

2. Keep It Short. College students are a lot like babies or puppies; their attention span isn’t all that long. Whenever you’re posting, emailing, or otherwise engaging in marketing efforts, keep your content short and snappy. You don’t need a lot of text to pack a punch; sometimes a meme with a one-liner or just a few sentences can really do the trick. You’ll find that less is more when it comes to drawing in college students’ interest and compelling them to learn more about your business and its offerings.

Consider eye-catching photos, inspirational quotes, or funny quips to set your posts apart and appeal to college students who will enjoy the fact that you’re interacting with them on their level and attempting to speak their language.

3. Mobile Matters. We’re living in the smartphone era; so if your content is not completely mobile-friendly and digestible, you’re going to miss out and drive away potential users and customers. Whatever you’re posting, promoting, and otherwise sharing should be able to be read on any and all devices. Think tablets, phones, and laptops. Make sure your content is optimized for mobile — and being on social media accounts and keeping your text short will only help users on phones and tablets take in your marketing campaigns.

Stay tuned for next month’s blog where this series will continue and we’ll impart more advice for marketing to college students, and in the meantime, start putting these tips into action!

via Pexels.com

via Pexels.com