A message built for one person. A talk that feels one to one. An experience that is unique, warm, and hard to forget. How can a school offer all that without knowing who its students are?
Demographic information, such as age group or gender, are no longer enough to segment and define a target audience and, based on that, to build efficient strategies for attracting and retaining students. It is needed to seek information that really allows the institution to know everything about its students.
Good reading!
The revolution when defining target audience
"Young people, aged between 17 and 24, who have completed high school or will soon complete it, with a family income consistent with the institution's average monthly fees".
This is a definition created just for the exchange of ideas in this post, bearing in mind a possible profile aimed at attracting new students interested in an undergraduate course. Sounds good enough?
It is very likely that you already know that this definition ― and any other that follows this line ― is too shallow and generic. Technological advances and their impact on society allow and demand more advanced segmentation and, so, lead to more accurate information about the real profile of this public.
So you have to look at how students behave. That is where a school learns what it needs to truly know them: what they like, what they ask for, what draws them, what holds them back. Much of that lives in feeling and in the setting of each life. A head count will never show it.
AI in education has also widened what personal teaching can do. These systems read how a student behaves and how a student scores, as it happens. They spot the pattern and bend the content to each pace, each taste, each sticking point. Learning gets better. So does the odds the student stays.
Caption: Recruitment Funnel: the student's journey from interest.
The importance of knowing the profile of the university student
The aforementioned "revolution"when defining target Audience is what gave rise to the concept of persona, a representation semi fictional, based on real information from students at your institution.
Knowing the university student profile is what allows an educational institution to define the personas with whom it relates and wants to relate. But why is this key?
Because people in general, and especially the new generations, are getting used to a society in which personalized treatment and offering a memorable experience throughout the entire relationship with a brand are powerful differentiators. And that's what your students and future students want.
If your educational institution does not know the profile of university students well, it will not be able to connect with them, communicate with them, build marketing strategies that bring results, nor win them over and retain them.
See too:
- The education purchase funnel has changed: learn how to benefit from the new opportunities
- CRO – Conversion Rate Optimization: what it is and how it works
- Students Retention and Acquisition: who to do it? Learn with the best
How to find out everything about your students
If you've come this far thinking that perhaps your educational institution knows a lot but not enough about its students, the way to improve this situation is to find valid ways to gather relevant information.
And it is possible to do this through different tools, such as CRM software, marketing automation, Business Intelligence and Web Analytics, for example.
According to educational marketing trends, technologies such as automation, Artificial Intelligence, chatbots and data analysis have gained even more strength in recruitment and relationship strategies. Personalizing communication, based on the use of these tools, has become key to stand out in a highly competitive market.
Keep every channel open, and read what comes back. Note the issues students raise, and how they react to each post and each move. That habit is key. It is what sharpens your read on the student profile and points you at the right public for your institution.
Do you want to discover more ways to learn about your students' profile? Understand how technology can help you to collect information and relate better with your audience!
Strategies for mapping and personalizing the student journey
Why is it no longer enough to define the target audience by age and income?
Because these demographic data points are too generic. Today, it's key to grasp the students' behaviors, preferences, needs, and issues. Only then can institutions build meaningful connections and offer personalized, effective experiences.
What is a persona and why is it important in education marketing?
A persona is a half-made portrait of your ideal student, drawn from real data and real behavior. It tells your school who it is talking to and what that person expects. Then your messages, your marketing, and your outreach can aim true.
How can behavioral and contextual data improve student retention?
Behavioral data — like which pages students visit, how they interact with content, or their academic progress — allows for more accurate segmentation and personalized messaging. When students feel seen and understood, they’re more likely to stay engaged and remain enrolled.
What tools can help collect and analyze student profile data?
CRM platforms, marketing automation tools, Business Intelligence (BI) software, and Web Analytics are key technologies. Combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI), they help turn raw data into strategic insights about each student’s journey and needs.
How does Artificial Intelligence contribute to personalized education?
AI reads the pattern as it forms, then paces the content to match the student, the speed, the taste, the sore spots. Learning gets leaner and means more. The student does better, and stays closer to the school.
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