Think about how students research prospective schools. They look up each university’s website, check it out on social media, plan a campus visit, and talk with their friends. In fact, some students consider 12 or more colleges before making a decision.
With that in mind, it’s important to stay in front of your prospects during the research phase by retargeting them with display and social ads as they browse the web.
Target Interested Prospects
After a student visits your university’s website or engages with your college in some other way, you know that your school is already on his or her radar. This makes that student a more promising lead than a student who has never expressed an interest in your institution. Retargeting campaigns are built for those prospects.
After the student makes contact with you online, such as by visiting your website or signing up for your email list, he or she will see ads for your university as they browse other websites. Each appearance serves as a crucial reminder of the things he or she likes about your college and invites him or her to re-engage.
You Don’t Have to Capture Contact Information
As Hubspot points out, retargeting doesn’t rely on your ability to capture data from your visitors. This digital marketing strategy uses cookies to identify anonymous users. When that happens, the system automatically targets that user for retargeting. It requires no manual intervention or intrusive behavior on your part.
This doesn’t make your prospect list obsolete, though. You can also use a list-based retargeting strategy that specifically targets prospects who have parted with their contact information. Discuss your options with an experienced digital marketing firm that can help you create a custom campaign.
Serve Up New Ads
Today’s students are smart, savvy individuals. If they continuously see the same ads with the same messages, they’ll tune them out. However, retargeting allows you to serve up fresh advertisements based on the prospect’s specific needs and behaviors.
You can get as complex as you want with these campaigns. The important thing, though, is to re-engage the prospect soon after he or she connects with your school. You know that person is interested in your university, so subsequent ads reinforce that connection.
Use Several Platforms
You can use retargeting for social media advertising, such as on Facebook, or through other platforms. The former often works for schools because students spend considerable time on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media networks. Therefore, they’re more likely to see and interact with your ads.
However, you can also experiment with multiple platforms as you refine your digital marketing strategy. Retargeting offers a fast and easy solution that capitalizes on prior behaviors. If you’re thinking about setting up a retargeting campaign for your school, contact us. We have the skill and expertise to take your higher education marketing strategy to the next level.
