Instagram Marketing Marketing Guides Social Media

Using Instagram Stories to Promote Your School

February 12, 2019

With more than 200 million users, Instagram Stories has surpassed Snapchat as the leader in applications sharing real-time (disappearing) content. Is your institution taking advantage of this free marketing tool? Here are some of the many ideas for using Instagram Stories to promote your school or business.

Using Instagram Stories to Promote Your School

Idea #1: Show a typical day as a student

Potential students will benefit from content that shows what a typical day is like. Recruit a student to be an ambassador and show what a day is like, including transportation to and from the school, coffee or cafeteria breaks, classes, and after school programs. Save these and make them a “saved” story that users can easily access at the top of your Instagram page.

Idea #2: Give campus and classroom tours

Provide insight into what your campus and classrooms look like. Have a student advisor or administrator provide tours and introduce the staff members that students may work with when they attend your school. This serves as great orientation content for new students as well!

Idea #3: Highlight activities

Many schools put together incredible activities, yet feel frustrated that potential students do not see this content. Instagram Stories is an excellent way to give potential students an idea of what they may experience after school. It’s also an excellent opportunity to show some of the area’s highlights.

Idea #4: Highlight campus events

What is happening on campus? Share this in IG Stories!

Idea #5: Share blog posts

In addition to sharing blog posts on Facebook, use IG Stories to notify followers that a new post is up. You can also recycle old posts to generate more readers for articles that were published in the past.

Idea #6: Post news for students

Let students know of school news using IG Stories. Examples include posts on the following:

Last-minute changes
Tuition and application deadlines
Weather advisories
Birthdays

Idea #7: Share user-generated content (student photos)

Utilize user-generated content by sharing photos that students posted. It’s an excellent way to highlight the experience of students through their own eyes!

Did you know? A third party marketing team can help organize and motivate your internal staff to continually promote your school on social media channels. Contact Lastarria Media for more information.

0 Comments

Higher Education Industry Statistics Marketing Marketing Guides SEO Social Media Video Content Web Content

Weathering the Storm: Tips for Surviving the U.S. International Education Recession

October 26, 2018

The international enrollment numbers are in, and they reflect what those who work in international education know: these have been a troubling few years for the U.S. international education industry. The strong U.S. dollar, disturbing media reports about safety amid gun violence, xenophobia, and the current political climate are all factors contributing to this downtown in enrollment numbers.

In the middle of this perfect storm, international education administrators and recruiters are left with the challenge of promoting U.S. programs. To weather this storm, Lastarria Media has provided some tips for surviving the U.S. international education recession.

Weathering the Storm: Tips for Surviving the U.S. International Education Recession

1. Reorganize/restructure internally as needed

Numbers are down: use this time to your benefit. Take a look at the administrative structure of your institution and make the changes needed to survive (keeping in mind that you will probably need to implement another restructure when numbers again improve). Plan for these fluxes accordingly: have one structure for assigned duties based on low enrollment, and another based on high enrollment. Utilize this period of low enrollment to prepare for the implementation of each of these plans.

2. Complete a website audit

Your website is a marketing and recruiting tool . . . are you using it as such? Take this downtime to review your website and make sure that it has all of the elements it needs. During this audit, ask the following questions:

Is all information up to date?
Are all programs fully explained?
Are the photos fresh?
Do all links work?
Are all forms updated?
Is the privacy policy GDPR compliant?
Is it the site easy to navigate?
Is it easy for students to sign up for classes?

Consider hiring a consultant to make suggestions regarding user experience (UX) and to edit the site as a whole. The best time to double your online marketing presence is during times of economic slowdown.

3. Consider revising/updating admissions forms and systems

Now is the time to fix or improve your admissions system. Instruct employees to test your systems and review each step of the online admissions process and PDF application process. Remove unnecessary items and streamline the application to ensure the application process is fluid.

4. Review your message and marketing materials

What is your institution’s message? Do your marketing materials reflect this? Do they clearly show what sets your institution apart from your competitors? While looking for the answers to these questions, it is a good idea to take a look at your competition’s websites and marketing materials. This will show you how your school stacks up.

5. Update and refresh your branding

Is your logo up to date? Is it used throughout your materials? Now is the time to look at this and decide if your school needs a marketing makeover. These investments will pay off when it comes to recruiting in 2019.

6. Focus on your message through social media

Social media costs very little, but the rewards are great. During restructuring, recruit an internal employee to share your school’s message via social media. Have this person do the following:

Carefully select your school’s branded hashtag
Follow agencies and partners on Instagram
Post daily: share school activities, classroom activities, and anything that makes your school special!
Run IG contests with small prizes (and have students use the hashtag in order to participate)
Promote activities on Instagram and Instagram stories
Use Canva to create IG posts (it’s free!)
Share all IG posts on Facebook

7. Pay close attention to Google Analytics and use Analytics for sales plans

Google Analytics provides useful metrics in regard to your website: our article about Using Web Metrics for a Successful Website explains the ways to turn these statistics into effective marketing and sales plans.

Use your Landing Pages and Pages reports to understand user activity and trends over time: these reports will also aid in identifying underperforming pages that need SEO improvement. Use the Location report to identify emerging markets, and consider translating your website’s main pages into other languages based on this data.

8. Blog, blog, blog

A blog is your marketing tool, your way of connecting to current and potential students, and your key to improving SEO (learn all about this in our post, Why IEPs Need Blogs). The most important aspects of blogging are to blog consistently and to integrate keywords into all posts: both will improve your SEO rapidly.

When blogging, follow these ideas:

Encourage teachers to host writing contests: publish the winner on the blog
Have teachers guest blog
Ask your Activities Coordinator to provide photos and updates
Have a Student of the Week
Share on social media

9. Connect with alumni

Word of mouth remains an excellent marketing tool. Connect with your alumni through a newsletter, alumni events, or a LinkedIn group. Offer them specials if they’d like to return, and seek testimonials from them as well. Consider embedding a custom Google Map to illustrate the diversity of your student population: add testimonials and photos to each popup to recycle your testimonials in a unique and engaging way.

0 Comments

Marketing Marketing Guides Social Media Video Content YouTube

YouTube for Higher Education: Tips for Creating and Sharing Video Content

April 4, 2018

YouTube is a valuable marketing tool for higher education and allows institutions to send a message about the voice of their campus. Is your school using YouTube effectively? Follow these tips to ensure your higher ed institution is creating useful content, engaging with users and providing a pleasant user experience, and getting the most out of the content that is created.

Creating valuable content

What types of videos should you make? With higher education, there are many options.

Guided tours of your campus and/or department
Guided tours of housing accommodations
Testimonials: students, alumni, staff
Student services interviews
Tips for incoming students
Facebook Live events
FAQs video

Tips when filming

Remember that a user will subliminally connect the quality of a school’s video to the quality of its programs. Be sure to create videos that are clear to see and hear, and choose backgrounds and shooting locations wisely.

Choose well-lit locations
Record videos with a minimum of 1080p resolution
Make sure the camerawork is steady: use a tripod
Beware of background noise that can distort
Test the sound and lighting before filming all of the testimonials
Get plenty of b-roll footage (footage of the campus, buildings, etc. to play while a person is narrating or providing a testimonial)
Brand when possible: have people giving testimonials wear a shirt with the school logo, or place students near a sign with the campus name.

Tips when posting

Posting content is an opportunity to improve your school’s SEO. Don’t miss this opportunity.

Video title should be within 70 characters
Use keywords in the title if possible to improve SEO
Use proper tags: YouTube provides suggestions when uploading
Make sure the video description is clear in the first 100 characters: this is what is shown when sharing on social media.
Feel free to use the rest of YouTube’s allotted 1,000 characters for the description: this is a good place to use keywords and link to the other sites and social media accounts

Marketing Higher Education Institutions via Instagram: A Posting Guide for IEPs

April 4, 2018

Instagram has become a valuable marketing tool for many industries, including higher education. Yet many institutions are unsure how to utilize Instagram (or remain unconvinced of its influence on consumers). Is your institution profiting from this beneficial form of social media?

Why use IG for marketing?

Reach potential students: 80% of IG users live outside of the U.S.
Target international student demographic: 59% of users are ages 18-29
80% of IG users follow a business
71% of businesses use IG, double from 2016
Influencers overwhelmingly prefer IG for brand collaboration: consider scholarships for international influencers*

Tips for posting school photos on Instagram

Develop/use branded hashtags (7 out of 10 hashtags on IG are branded!)
Always use a location (posts with a location receive almost 80% more engagement)
Post on weekdays: this is when engagement is highest
Photos receive 36% more engagement than videos.
Post photos of students and staff: photos with faces receive 38% more likes
Consider the overall look of the gallery (vertical vs. horizontal photos; consistent filters and borders)
Use logos (naturally) in photos when possible
Create a gallery that is a mix of campus activities, academics, and social outings
Use photos to illustrate your school’s diversity
Make use of Instagram stories for content that is relevant but not necessary for your gallery (posts disappear within 24 hours)
Don’t be afraid to promote programs and specials: 65% of top performing IG posts feature a product
Host IG contests with your students: user-generated content has a 4.5% higher conversion rate.
Don’t be afraid of emojis: 50% of content on IG has at least one emoticon

Need more tips on marketing your educational institution online? Contact Lastarria Media.

* be sure to develop a clear agreement regarding the content that must be posted in exchange for an influencer’s scholarship

Statistics source.

1 Comment

Social Media