Many colleges and universities struggle with a small marketing budget, or fear the results of a marketing and advertising campaign will not be worth the money or effort it takes to pull one off. It’s a real concern that extends throughout the world of higher education marketing, among big and small players alike. But with a few simple strategic adjustments, you can step up your game and secure a much higher return on investment (ROI).
ROI is the bottom line for your marketing campaign. Without ROI, your money has essentially been wasted. But even the highest conceivable marketing budget can be worth the money as long as it has a high ROI. With these four simple steps, you can take your higher education marketing campaign to a new ROI plateau.
Step 1: Focus on Value
Limiting your marketing spend is not a good way to improve your ROI. Instead, focus on marketing methods that offer the highest possible results for the money. For instance, a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign might cost a bit more than a social media campaign, but it will also guarantee you a certain amount of leads.
Step 2: Integrate
Using multiple marketing channels is only half the battle. You have to make sure and integrate all your marketing efforts, keeping them under one definitive campaign umbrella. Use traditional outbound and cutting-edge inbound marketing tactics together for the best results.
Step 3: Measure
You’ll never know how your marketing campaign performed unless you measure the results. Always, always, always select campaign strategies that allow you to view the metrics on a regular basis. Many companies choose strategies without measurability, and end up never knowing their ROI.
Step 4: Analyze and Adjust
Once you have the final metrics in place, take a close critical look at the picture they illustrate. Determine what’s worked and what hasn’t, then make adjustments to your future campaigns.
With these four steps, you can create, adjust, and eventually perfect a multi-channeled higher education marketing campaign that will grant you a tremendous ROI.
