The main task that an educational institution sets for itself is to interest the student. It is necessary to make considerable efforts to distinguish itself from many similar institutions. The choice of a university is influenced by many factors: the ranking of the university, the possibility of studying on a budget, the prospects for studying, further employment, the location of the university, and others. Any of these factors can be a determining factor in a person’s choice.
Today, the education market is developing rapidly, which forces higher education institutions to look for new ways to attract applicants. Event marketing has become one of these methods, but most events for applicants are not original and do not use new formats. In addition, universities do not segment the target audience of applicants, which seems necessary. Thus, in order to successfully attract students to CityU, it is necessary to develop an effective business model with a marketing bias.
Social Networks as Part of Modern Marketing
For students, many nuances are important: the opportunity to get to know their abilities better, meet interesting people, get carried away with a new hobby, acquire new skills, accelerate career development, or even completely change their life. Education institutions, e-learning platforms, and other types of educational activities can achieve their goals and attract, engage and retain students after graduation. Educational organizations need to be more creative in their marketing activities, and this goal can be achieved through marketing automation.
Along with traditional methods of engagement, such as open days, school events, educational exhibitions, distribution of printed information products, and various seminars, one can use the power of the Internet, specifically social networks. According to statistics, 53.6% of the world’s population uses social networks (Tsybuliak, 2022). One can say that social networks are a great place to conduct an advertising campaign (Valova & Marinov, 2022).
Universities and individual institutes and faculties within it create Facebook pages of the same name, where applicants can find all the information they need in a familiar format. It will allow potential students to ask them questions of interest and contact the students of the educational institution directly; that is, it is not the representatives of the institute who answer, but students who have been studying for more than a year. Such pages have photos and other materials about ongoing events. By subscribing to the page, the applicant can follow the institute’s life and be aware of events regardless of the place of residence.
Strategy Components
In addition to the listed tools, it is advisable to use new marketing tools based on the research and analysis of various points of view. As a marketing innovation, one can use a virtual assistant, which involves the creation of a software product using artificial intelligence with a voice assistant function. Through gadgets and smartphones, a virtual assistant will allow the user, by going to the university’s page, to get an answer to any question in an interactive form. As expected, students using a virtual assistant will feel more confident and comfortable, which is the main advantage.
Virtual Tour is the following product that could be used as a marketing tool. To launch the project, it will be necessary to selectively record short videos about the university, individual laboratories (video interviews of laboratory staff can be supplemented), their equipment, and the possibilities of using the equipment. That will allow new students to get acquainted with the structure of the educational institution and feel more confident when choosing and enrolling in the future.
Zones for intellectual recreation or co-working at universities will make the institution more attractive to students. Ecozones can be created in universities, so students attend educational institutions more often and do not skip classes. In ecozones, shelves with books and magazines can be placed, and computers can be installed to access the databases of electronic library funds, archives, scientific and educational portals, and official websites of state authorities and institutions. A feature of ecozones is the use of environmentally friendly materials for decoration. It will show the position of the educational institution concerning environmental issues, which is essential for today’s young people.
Conclusion
Currently, the most common means of viral marketing is the Internet. The user (students, teachers of the social network, or other distributors of information) posts a message in the group, where the rest of the group members spread the information further in the circle of communication. At the same time, information is perceived not as advertising but as leisure and entertainment. Increasing the attractiveness of an educational institution is central to creating a successful business strategy to attract students. Given the proposed components of the strategy and marketing campaign, it is possible to increase CityU’s awareness and make it more attractive to students.
Thus, the dissemination of information occurs virally: the essence of a viral marketing strategy is that users broadcast a message containing the necessary information voluntarily since it is of interest to them. Promotion through social networks is a great way to draw the attention of new students to a particular educational institution.
References
Tsybuliak, D. (2022). Social media usage statistics, metrics, facts, and analytics. Itrate. Web.
Valova, I., & Marinov, M. (2022). Facebook as a Tool Aiding University Education-Whether it is Possible and Useful. TEM Journal, 8(2). Web.