Written by the The Melotti Media Team, checked by Christopher Melotti
The education sector has seen a lot of changes over the past couple of years.
As a result, forward-thinking educational institutions like yours are expected to keep up with industry standards and deliver top-quality, yet empathetic and nurturing learning experiences to your students, alumni and key stakeholders.
So – how do you do this?
Well, being in this ever-growing sector, using effective marketing to communicate with people, gain trust and stand out amongst other competing campuses is a must to continuously thrive and grow as an educational institution.
It’s also the key to attracting more students.
To achieve this, you need impactful messaging, valuable content and a brand that your students, alumni, staff and stakeholders will resonate with – this is where education sector copywriting and marketing for educational institutions come in.
The education sector of today is a challenging space, especially because of the evolving needs, demands and expectations of students and the importance of the industry.
So, to help you understand how to articulate the value your university or college offers to students and connect with more students, we have prepared the ultimate guide to education sector copywriting, university branding and professional education content marketing.
Here’s how your educational institution can succeed in such an important sector.
What you’ll find in this ultimate educational institution marketing guide
In this marketing for educational institutions guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about marketing, content and copywriting and how to use it to stand out in the Australian education sector.
By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of how you can leverage educational branding and education-driven marketing content for your university, school or college so you can get ahead of the competition and build meaningful relationships with your students, alumni and teaching faculty.
CHAPTERS
About the education sector in Australia: a competitive niche
Knowledge is power.
As cliché as this sounds, it is still one of the key reasons why Australia invests in education. In fact, 6.1% of Australia’s annual GDP goes to education – that’s equivalent to over $21,000 per student. With over 3.09 million students enrolled, it’s no wonder why the education sector is consistently a fast-growing and competitive industry.
These efforts significantly reflect Australia’s position in relation to worldwide standards: research shows that 54% of Australians aged 25-34 years old have a tertiary qualification – which is 7% higher than the 47% average among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Students of both compulsory and tertiary education have evolving demands that educators across the country strive to meet, as learning remains an essential part of every Australian’s life.
The Australian education sector is changing – and in many ways
The education sector is among the industries that were greatly affected by the pandemic.
However, the teaching industry’s ability to adapt and transition to a remote learning set-up to fit the evolving needs of today’s students is commendable, especially since so many challenges came along with it.
However, this also made the education sector a more competitive one, too.
The restrictions severely affected international students as well as transnational educational developments, hampering the growth of some institutions in Australia and all over the world.
In fact, Australia has seen a major financial loss in the education sector, reducing the market share of the industry by almost half – from $40B down to $22B – in the past year.
These changes, however, present as many opportunities as they do challenges.
As we embrace a new normal, the education sector is looking to further improve efficiencies, adopt technological advancements and continuously work on student and staff relationships as a response to the evolving conditions and stakeholder needs.
Smart educational institutions need to sharpen their marketing to drive student demand, create comprehensive content to lead the conversation, and focus on quality education sector copywriting to deliver relatable messages.
This is because, while the challenging circumstances around the education sector may seem daunting, it also means a constant increase in the number of opportunities to innovate, the need to stand out, connect with your students and make them feel that your campus is the ideal choice for their educational journey.
Here’s how marketing, copywriting and content marketing can help you attract more students.
About content marketing and branding in the education sector
One of the reactions to the changes in the Australian education sector has been to amplify marketing efforts to create more awareness, boost digital presence and establish universities as credible and reliable institutions.
The educational institutions that thrive in today’s competitive digital era are those that see the value of creating student-centred marketing content and focus on building a strong and recognisable educational brand.
At the core of every forward-thinking learning institution is quality content marketing with well-thought-out marketing strategies.
A marketing strategy for educational institutions can create demand for your university or college, build great campus brand awareness and create a thriving pipeline of students and support from other stakeholders.
Should educational institutions use marketing?
Given the unique nature of the education sector, using marketing to connect with your target audiences is important as, without it, potential students won’t even know you exist or, if they do, they may overlook you for another option.
Today’s students are looking for universities and colleges that will support their growth on a more holistic level. So, to make sure that you remain relevant and top of mind for these students, you want to strike the balance between being an academically excellent organisation and one that nurtures all kinds of interests and passions.
Let’s talk more about how marketing does this for the education sector.
Why the education sector needs strong brand messages
Choosing a university or college is a highly involved process for students.
As such, these decisions are not made on a whim. It takes a lot of research and consideration, especially since the entire future of each student depends on making this choice.
Students hunt for information about a university or college in the same way as they do any product or service! They make decisions on where to study based on what they find.
Does your educational institution make a good marketing impression when they’re searching?
How do students choose a university or college?
Your potential students today are constantly hunting for information to help them make the right decisions. Are they finding your organisation? It takes students hours of research before they make a final decision because there are so many factors to consider, including:
- the university or college campus
- the study program available
- supportive networks
- what other students are saying
- the possible career trajectory
- the available extracurricular activities
- and more.
How to help more students choose your educational institution
Factoring in all of the above, give them the answers to what they’re looking for!
You do this by building a suite of education sector marketing collateral, such as articles, blogs, eBooks, testimonials and more.
You see, it helps to position your educational institution to them with strategic branding and clever messaging that takes all of these factors into consideration so that students can find you across all possible marketing channels – especially ones they prefer.
To do this, you need consistent and unique education brand messages that resonate with students and encourage them to interact with your institution.
The key benefits of having strong professional education brand messaging
1. Effective marketing and brand messaging make your teaching institution more relatable for students.
The expectation for colleges, schools and universities today is to deliver quality learning outcomes both within and outside of the classroom.
Since the demands of your key stakeholders in the education sector are quite unique, it is imperative to show that your institution is one that not only excels when it comes to academia, but also sees itself as a relatable organisation that offers relevant courses, degrees and qualifications.
As there are students who may not be aware of your institution as well as the breadth and depth of the learning programs you offer, it always helps to position your education institution as one that offers countless opportunities for students to learn.
This is your opportunity to educate students about your course offerings and raise brand awareness at the same time.
Relatable university brand messages help students realise that your educational institution understands their needs and offers them valuable learning opportunities.
For more information on making your institution relatable and relevant, check out: How To Ensure Your Brand Is Relevant For Your Ideal Customers.
2. Professional education sector marketing gives you a unique position in the industry.
With several other learning institutions offering the same programs and courses while promising the same benefits, you want to have your own unique marketing messages so your potential students can immediately identify what sets you apart.
With relevant education marketing messages and institution branding, you can make them feel that your organisation is the right choice and get ahead of your competitors in the education sector.
With your expertise in the field, you can also leverage strong brand messaging to establish key opinion leadership (KOL) status through thought leadership and keep your institution ahead of your competitors.
3. Strategic educational institution marketing boosts your credibility.
Given the complex nature and the fact that the Australian education sector plays a crucial role in honing the next generation of professionals, it’s vital to position your brand as someone that your students, staff, alumni and stakeholders can trust.
Using personalised and unique branding can help you achieve this and empower you to connect more emotionally with your target audiences. On top of highlighting your institution’s excellence, you can also position yourself as the university of choice by showing how you make a difference for students and for the community as a whole.
For more information on the benefits of branding for your educational institution, check out this blog: How Polished and Personalised Branding Can Boost Your Business.
Why the education sector needs marketing content
Think about how your students’ journey with your institution starts.
Your potential students today will do their research online before reaching out to you and applying for a spot in their preferred programs.
Most of these students are also looking at other campus options as they consider your university – to help them decide which will best fit their future goals and career endeavours.
As such, you want to make sure that when they search for universities and programs online, they will:
- find you in their search results
- read the content published by you to help them see that your college, school or university is the perfect choice for their future plans
- see that you are a reliable, credible institution with promising academic programs
- feel that you are an institution that will welcome them and protect their best interests
You might be thinking: should we really share marketing content online?
Wouldn’t we be giving away our information for free if we do that? And if we’re already giving out these for free, would they still choose to enrol in our university?
On the contrary, the more general content you post (like videos, articles and podcasts), the more opportunities there are for your potential students to see and experience the value you offer. This, then, will encourage them to engage with you and choose your university over others.
Other than pure educational content, you can also share relevant updates and extracurricular activities that will show your audiences that your institution is a holistic place of growth for diverse types of learners.
Reasons why you need education marketing content to stand out in the competitive Australian education sector
- Education sector content marketing helps raise brand awareness and relevancy.
To encourage students to choose your school or college, they must first know about your institution.
By sharing regular content, you can increase brand awareness and relevancy and reach potential students who are not aware of your university and course offerings yet. This connects with your ideal audience by educating them about the value you offer as well as how it can match their future goals and career plans. - It helps you guide your students throughout their journey.
Addressing every touchpoint of the student journey means you’ll be able to walk potential students through your brand until they become leads, then enrolled students and, eventually, advocates of your institution.
With the right marketing, you can also create tailored content that caters to every type of student and encourages them to join your campus. As they read your educational marketing content, they will realise just how valuable your services are. - It helps your students, staff and other stakeholders know what you’re up to.
We already talked about being a relatable institution through branding earlier. In line with that, you want to publish content that allows your students to see you as more than just a university or a school – you want them to experience your campus culture to see you as a relatable organisation that they can trust with their education.The more trustworthy you come across, the more students will be encouraged to engage with your brand and eventually enrol at your university.
For more information about content marketing, check out these trends that can guide you when planning the content you can share across platforms: 10 Content Marketing Trends To Embrace.
How does an educational institution create strong brand messages and marketing content?
You can achieve both of these with quality education sector copywriting!
For strong marketing messages that will complement and complete your brand, you need a consistent tone and messaging that will serve as a branding guide – but for words.
This will allow you to clearly communicate your value to your students, simplify the complexities of the education system, communicate your difference and bring it closer to the people who matter the most: your students.
You can do all these with a core brand messaging document that will give life to your university’s brand.
But how about the rest of your content?
You can also employ the help of education sector copywriting services to create all your content marketing needs.
This way, you can have carefully researched marketing content that addresses your students’ pain points and allows you to connect with them through well-chosen words paired with the latest and most effective marketing strategies.
At Melotti Media, we can do both of these for you!
We can develop strong brand messages for your educational institution through message marketing services and help you stand out in your field with a core brand messaging document.
What does a core brand messaging document do?
A core brand messaging document gives your educational institution a unique tone of voice and serves as a complete messaging framework for your wording, messaging and communication style.
It serves as your language guide for all your marketing collateral across all of your channels. This way, you can connect with more students using a strategic and consistent tone of voice that will resonate with them.
Check out some of the clients that have used our core brand messaging development services:
For more information about core brand messaging development and how it can help educators like you in connecting with students, you can get a free copy of our quick guide to Core Brand Messaging Development here.
We can also take care of all your other education sector content marketing needs, allowing you to connect with your audience using content that you can share across all of your channels.
What types of marketing content can an educational institution use?
1. Blog posts and articles
Education sector blogs and articles are amongst the best ways to establish authority and credibility as an institution. As these also help you rank higher on Google Search, it helps if you write blogs on topics that your students are interested in.
For instance, writing blogs on topics such as:
- What is a [specific program]?
- Learn more about [specific degree or certificate] at our university
- How can I apply to enrol at this university?
- What are possible career options for a [program] graduate?
With these articles and blogs, you can show your potential students that you have extensive and practical knowledge and are willing to educate them every step of the way.
This, then, will encourage them to reach out to you and apply for your programs.
Wouldn’t it be nice if students talk about you and say, “I read this topic from that college! It was really helpful.”
This would certainly gain attention for your institution.
2. Newsletters and emails
Professionally written and student-focused emails and campus newsletters bring you closer to your students, allowing you to be present and share value when they check their inboxes as part of their daily routine.
This is an efficient way to provide ongoing value that helps nurture and educate (and not just add additional noise) your current students, alumni, staff and stakeholders.
For example, you can write educational newsletters with catchy subject lines, discuss current trends and become a more relatable university for more Australians.
3. Adverts
Paid advertisements are also one of the most common ways that will get you onto your potential students’ radar.
But to make sure that this will work and yield a maximum Return On Investment (ROI), you want quality education institution advertising copy that will appeal to your target audience. It’s a process that requires strategic planning and creative marketing.
These education sector adverts will help create a strong first impression and with quality messaging, you can ensure that you don’t get lost in the clutter of ads. Instead, you can position yourself as the go-to university in your area and beyond.
4. Student Case Studies
With student and alumni case studies, you can show actual evidence that the courses you offer make a lot of difference to students and the community. This will allow you to connect with your audience on a more personal level.
You can highlight your expertise through these case studies and encourage potential students who may have similar goals to enrol at your institution. This can include stories from current students, staff and alumni which you can then share on your website, your social media or as content within your regular campus newsletters.
5. Video Marketing and Podcast Content
Different students have different learning styles.
As such, not all of them may enjoy reading and this applies to marketing, too. This is where education sector videos and podcasts come in.
Even if this type of educational institution marketing content comes in a different media format, you still want to ensure that you’re saying the right things and that your viewers and listeners are getting the most engagement out of your marketing content.
6. Social media posts
Most of your students today are on social media – it’s where they do research, read news and connect with people.
To keep up with this trend, it helps to make your college or university as accessible as possible on the channels where your potential students are. A consistent social media presence allows you to connect with your audiences, establish credibility and be recognised as a modern institution that adapts and embraces innovation.
For more information on how you can utilise social media to connect with students, read 6 Types Of Content Marketing And When It’s Best To Use Them.
Other than these content marketing types that we have mentioned here, you can also use quality copywriting services to polish your website, write winning award submissions, prepare press releases and more.
We’ve made a difference for these schools and universities! Yours could be next!
We have provided education sector copywriting services to several Australian educational institutions and we are proud to say that all of them are thrilled with the results.
Check out how we worked with these phenomenal brands here.
Ready to make your educational institute stand out?
Now that you have a full understanding of the power that strong professional education sector messaging and content marketing has in your education sector, it’s time to turn what you learned into action.
To make your campus stand out, you need a reliable copywriting partner who fully understands your brand, your audiences’ needs as well as the most recent trends in the market that will keep you at the forefront of the education sector.
How can Melotti Media help your educational institution?
We understand that you want to achieve business success through marketing and content marketing planning.
But you may find that you’re time-poor and spread thin or you still have a lot of unanswered questions.
You don’t need to worry!
At Melotti Media, we can assist with all your copywriting and content marketing needs while you focus on what matters most to you – growing your business.
Let’s start earning the results your business deserves!
To speak to your trusted message marketers and copywriters, email us at enquire@melottimedia.com.au or phone 1800 663 342.
We can sharpen your words to achieve your goals today!
The Melotti Media Team
Melotti Media | Copywriting & Message Marketing Bureau
www.melottimedia.com.au
