The time that spans a student’s completion of high school to their final degree can span anywhere from two to eight or more years. Capturing the attention of students in the early years of their higher education plans is important for helping them find the pathways they need for success in their careers. Yet, it’s also important to consider how many students who are currently enrolled in university programs may choose to obtain credits from community colleges in their area as a way to save time and money.
Creating dynamic partnerships between community colleges and state universities is a unique marketing technique that you might not see in other industries. Taking a look at the interconnectedness between these two types of educational insinuations makes it clear why forming partnerships is one of the most effective strategies to use in higher education marketing plans.
Establishing Clear Pathways Through Higher Education
Students tend to begin their search for higher education programs by looking for academic plans that lead to the degree they aspire to earn. Unfortunately, there can sometimes be dramatic differences between the classes that a community college offers and the credits a student needs to earn once they advance to the university level.
Creating dynamic partnerships involves community colleges and universities collaborating to define clear degree plans that a student can use to navigate the next four years of their academic career. A student who sees exactly which classes they need to enroll in each year is more likely to not only enroll in an academic program but also keep going.
Improving Enrollment Rates Through Brand Awareness
In the past, many students chose community colleges simply based on the fact that only one existed in their local area. Today, students have more options, which means that community colleges must focus on increasing brand awareness beyond their immediate location. Universities also strive to recruit more students from distant areas in their higher education marketing plans, and combining resources can make it easier to build a recognizable brand.
Maximize Your Education Marketing Budget
Sharing resources is key to reaching more future students:
- Combined email and social media campaigns: Stretch your marketing dollars further by teaming up with other educational institutions.
- Attract undecided students: Highlight seamless transfer pathways between community colleges and universities, showcasing the value of both.
- Target the right audience: Collaborate with local institutions to reach students in your specific area or launch global campaigns together.
Benefits of a joint marketing approach:
- Cost-effective: Share resources and expertise to maximize your marketing budget.
- Unified message: Showcase the complementary nature of your programs and create a stronger value proposition.
- Wider reach: Target a broader audience and attract students from diverse backgrounds and locations.
Increasing Conversion Rates Through Dynamic Partnerships
In the marketing industry, realizing that students are clicking on every page of an educational institution’s website except the enrollment application is a sign that it’s time to take action. If students seem to be getting stuck mid-funnel, then it’s possible that they might be finding it hard to envision themselves transferring between two institutions.
Dynamic partnerships highlight the necessary information that students need to make a final decision on both community college and their chosen university. One way to achieve this goal is to create pages that provide information regarding transferrable credits. Students will be more likely to choose a community college that is partnering with a local university to ensure that their time and money aren’t wasted. Meanwhile, a student will also be more likely to choose the university that they’ve already set in their mind to attend once they finish the first few years of their education.
Forging Connections That Bolster Retainment
Higher conversion rates are just one of the many benefits of focusing on partnering with other educational institutions in your marketing plan. You’ll also find that students are more likely to re-enroll in programs that continue to offer them a direct pathway to success. Forming a long-term partnership between community colleges and universities requires in-depth research and planning to ensure that the pathways and marketing materials align with the expected need for specific forms of education and training in the future. But, the effort is worth it when more students choose to stay where they’re at to continue working towards graduation.
The higher education marketing industry is constantly evolving, and even a small drop in an email or social media campaign can generate waves that reach a wide audience. Our team at Semgeeks is experienced with helping to forge partnerships between coexisting higher education institutions that are mutually beneficial. From bridging a connection to generating marketing materials that incorporate both brands, we’ll be there each step of the way toward building strong student populations in your community.
