Educational marketing has become one of the most important tools of universities to attract students. The number of higher education applicants has increased and so has the competition to attract the best students. Higher education institutions compete for the best academic talent with the pressure of filling the places they offer in their programs.
The panorama of the field of university education is a constantly changing field that responds to the trends of society and its future students. 27% of the universities that have participated in the study on trends in higher education indicate that increasing competition is the biggest challenge they have to face in the coming years. For this reason, centers and institutions have the need to adapt their efforts to new trends to get interested students to apply to their degrees and postgraduate degrees.
In this sense, the educational portals educations.es and educations.com have carried out a study in which more than 20,000 international students have participated in order to clarify the trends that future and current higher education students are following at the time. in which they request access to it.
The results discover what information is the most often sought and what content is the most influential in the decision. In addition, data are provided on a change in trend in motivations to choose which career to study. A fact that has consequences throughout the selection and admission process. Finally, the strategies that universities are following today and how communication between students and institutions is perceived are also analyzed.
Current communication and marketing strategies
The digital transformation that universities and students have undergone in recent decades has defined a new scenario in which expectations are much more demanding. This evolution has introduced immediacy as one of the requirements that future students impose in the admission process. Thus, 83% of the study participants indicate that when they make an inquiry, they expect a response in less than a week, of which almost half want to receive it within 24 hours.
This new scenario has led to a change of channels through which contact with students is established. Traditionally, student fairs were the places where more opportunities for interaction occurred between both parties, making a great impact. However, currently students discover information about the centers and their programs mainly through internet search engines and social networks. 80% of searches are done through Google, although part of this percentage recognizes that fairs continue to be an alternative channel through which they come to interact with universities.
Information for new trends
Taking into account the particularities of the situation in the higher education sector, the information that universities offer to future students interested in their programs is key to being successful in the recruitment process. The fact that contact is established through internet searches reduces the opportunity for interaction and control of communication. Therefore, this is one of the main reasons why universities are forced to adapt to new trends and apply strategies tailored to student preferences and behaviors.
To this is added the change in trend in the reasons why students choose which studies to pursue. The study determines that the main reason for choosing a program is based on the passion, interests and personal tastes of each one. This implies that factors such as job opportunities or the reputation of universities play a secondary role.
The main consequence of this change in trend is the customization of marketing and communication strategies. 26% of the study participants indicate that the content that most influences their decision is the one that refers to unique factors of the program. Along the same lines, 15% indicate that the study plan is key in their decision. However, economic factors continue to be of great importance. Therefore, information related to scholarships and grants is the most influential in the decision of 50% of undergraduate students.
In this way, the university sector tries to keep up with the trend changes characterized by the loss of control in the student recruitment process. Even so, educational marketing stands as the strategy that can channel the needs introduced by this new scenario to achieve greater adaptation to the personal interests of future students. One of the keys is adjusting the information about the programs to attract those interested who may become future students.
