At times, creating content for your higher institution can feel like a daunting task. Coming up with topics. Doing research. Putting facts, thoughts, and opinions into words. Then there is the work of distributing the content and making sure it gets found by the right people. All of this labor may seem to be for nothing, but trust us, it is worth it. HubSpot research found that marketers who manage quality blogs are 13 times more likely to show a return on investment.
Why Quality Content is the Bee’s Knees
Before we share a few of our favorite tips for curating quality content, let’s refresh ourselves on why you do what you do.
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Share information. The main purpose of blogging is to share information with your audience. In the past, colleges were limited, which meant new programs, student accomplishments, campus renovations, etc. went unnoticed. Today, by blogging, colleges can keep their audience updated on everything from sports to open houses to staffing changes.
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Impress Google. Google loves blogs containing helpful, relevant information that are updated regularly. This shows that the blog is active and provides readers with useful info that can help them make decisions, improve their lives, etc.
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Get inbound links. Another thing that Google likes is inbound links. It views these links as a sign of trust and authority from the online community. As a result, your site will be bumped up in search engine results.
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Drive traffic. The more content that is created, the more visitors will come your way. Be sure to include a call-to-action on your content so that people know what you want them to do. For example, do you want them to join you at an open house? Call your admissions department? Download an ebook?
Tips for Achieving More Quality in Your Content
Every so often, it’s important to do an audit of the content you have created. It’s a big job, but it helps determine what’s out there, what could be updated with new information and what areas are lacking. Here are a few tips for getting your content to a higher standard.
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Reassess your personas. Prospective students change all the time. Reassess who you are writing to and their needs, wants, interests, expectations, etc. How have they changed? Is there new content that needs to be created for this audience?
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Expand your list of sources. Finding inspiration for your blogs can be a challenge. But, the best sources for content creation are right under your nose: current students, staff, faculty, alumni, etc. You can also tweak existing content to fit your current programs.
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Have a pool of stable writers. It’s helpful to have a stable pool of writers to contribute content to your blog. These people should know your school inside out and be committed to generating new and exciting articles.
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Employ a distribution plan. All content should be posted to your social media channels, website, email newsletters, and more. Get the content out there so that it can be seen and heard. Having a blog calendar is a great way to stay organized and utilize all promotional channels.
If you want to be part of the college selection process, you need to be found by your audience. Quality content and blogging is the way to do this while also benefiting SEO, brand awareness, and authority.
