How Higher Ed Can Do Better on Social for Their Students

Social Pros Podcast

What do students want to see when researching potential schools? It’s a question that all higher education marketers need to ask, and the answers aren’t always obvious. But good news! Our latest research, the 2024 Higher Education Marketing Report, reveals what the data says about student preferences and the strategies of current marketers in the space. We’re joined by Strategist at Convince & Convert and Co-Founder of Social Fresh, Jason Keath, who takes us through the top insights in the report.

Full Episode Details

What marketers plan to do with their content and what students want to see aren’t always on the same page.

In this episode, Jason Keath takes us through some of the top insights that our report covers, including plans of current marketers in the higher ed space and student preferences from marketing content. Jason reveals that some marketers are turning away from email and YouTube, but the data reveals that this could be a mistake and doesn’t align with the type of content we know students resonate with. We hear why video and UGC should be a priority for higher marketers and which platforms are most popular for that audience.

This episode is packed with practical advice for higher ed marketers looking to optimize their strategies and allocate resources more effectively. Jason discusses the delicate balance of using AI in content creation, emphasizing the need for a human touch to maintain authenticity and connection with students. Jason also addresses the gaps in content topics that students are eager to see, such as career benefits, financial aid information, and internship opportunities.

In This Episode:

• 2:30 - Some background on the report and who was surveyed
• 4:35 - The benefits of a 3rd party assessment for higher ed marketers
• 6:05 - Major themes revealed by the report and the biggest gaps in higher ed marketing
• 7:59 - Why marketers aren’t utilizing video content as much as they should
• 11:11 - What Gen Z wants to see from content
• 13:12 - The surprising potential of traditional marketing
• 16:48 - Should higher ed marketers use AI?
• 19:07 - Why you shouldn’t depend on AI for content creation
• 12:09 - What prospective students want to see
• 24:29 - Where students go for information
• 26:09 - How higher ed marketers are using students within content
• 28:33 - How schools can restructure their strategy to cover topics students want to see
• 31:48 - Where can people find the report
• 32:29 - Advice for marketers in higher ed

Resources

• Download the Higher Education Marketing Report
• Connect with Jason on LinkedIn
• Follow Jason on Threads
• Social Fresh website

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