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Digital marketing expert at Gaasly, helping businesses grow in international markets.
The education sector is experiencing big changes. No matter if you are selling online courses or recruiting students for a traditional institution or are a student placement agency you must have a strong digital marketing strategy in place. Prospective students are online and that is where you need to be too. This post dives deeper into key points about digital marketing for the education sector.
This is the most important part. You must know your audience. Are you trying to reach international students or working professionals seeking new opportunities or career advancement? Or perhaps recent high school graduates are your target audience? No matter what the audience is, you need to tailor your messaging accordingly and choose the right platforms to reach them and understand their online habits.
Content is always extremely important. High quality content that is informative and shows your expertise and value to prospective students can make a big difference. Content does not have to be only written words, but blog posts can still be very useful. Engaging videos about courses, your offering or student life is a good way to capture the attention of curious prospects. Also, downloadable resources such as study guides or podcasts are often popular.
Google is the most popular search engine by far, so it makes sense to invest in search engine marketing. People who are already searching with related terms from Google are a good group to target. It is important to understand the search intent and tailor messaging accordingly. Some are searching for initial information, but others might already be searching for starting dates for courses. And Google offers lots of other options in addition to search engine marketing. In some cases display advertising or discovery campaigns might bring good results. Sometimes Youtube or even ads in apps might convert well. SEM is our bread an butter and you can read more about it here.
Social media is very important. People spend lots of time on social media so connect with them there! The most popular options are Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, but some other social media platforms might be worth the effort too. Sharing content and being active shows some social proof to prospects. You can also answer student questions and it is highly recommended to run targeted ad campaigns to reach the right audience. Building a strong presence on social media is beneficial in the medium and long term. If social media marketing might be your go-to solution you can read more about it here.
Optimize your website and content. Make sure all technical aspects of your website are working well and there are no obstacles for search engine visibility. Webpage should be mobile friendly and the user experience smooth and pleasant.
Conduct a thorough keyword research and include relevant keywords in your content to make sure potential students can easily find you when searching for relevant courses or programs.
When it comes to content quality Google has introduced the concept of E-E-A-T. Acronym stands for Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. It is not a direct ranking factor, but paying close attention to these elements can improve your website's SEO and ranking in search results.
Your content should show that you are an expert in your field. By showing expertise you can impress your readers with your deep knowledge and also show to Google that your site can be a valuable resource.
Sometimes a more experienced creator can add additional value, especially in topics like legal advice, finance or health. Additional qualifications might also be beneficial, but are not always necessary.
Backlinks from high quality websites together with citations from recognized sources can help your website to establish your site as an authority in the field.
Website that is secure with a clear privacy policy and positive user reviews can all help to increase your site's trustworthiness in Google's eyes.
By using E-E-A-T as a guideline it can help you to create quality content that Google sees as valuable and trustworthy. This can lead to better search rankings and increased organic traffic. This in turn can ultimately lead to more students or course registrations. You can read more about SEO here.
Success stories and references are great resources. Positive testimonials and reviews are great ways to build trust and credibility. They can influence potential students and remove barriers to buy and help potential students to choose your offering.
People receive all kinds of messages all the time, but email as a medium still can be useful and effective. You can stay connected with your audience through email marketing. Sharing updates, exclusive offers and course updates are good reasons to send emails. To maximize impact email content should be personalized as well as possible.
Often the only way to know what works is to give it a try. Sometimes choosing the right medium for advertising or social platforms can only be discovered through trial and error. Therefore it is advisable to track your efforts closely. Then you can understand what works and what is not worth the advertising budget. When utilizing data it is good to not get stuck with single metrics, but to keep an eye on the big picture to avoid analysis paralysis that can strike if being too focused on individual metrics.
We can help you with your strategy and tactics. We can run experiments to find out what works and find new ways to reach your audience. Taking responsibility for social media marketing campaigns and Google ads is something that we are happy to do.
If you need help with content or keyword research or technical SEO or new landing pages are needed, Gaasly can do all the legwork for you.
Our work style is flexible, and if you need help with a particular aspect of digital marketing do not hesitate to get in touch. We are happy to help with your marketing needs. We currently work with several companies and institutions in the education sector and have delivered good results for our clients.