Educational marketing goes far beyond applying the marketing concept in isolation. From the moment you found a higher education institution or assume the management of one, its main mission is to communicate the purpose of this organization.
Placing an educational institution in the market has everything to do with the purpose of the education institution, with why it exists, with why it offers specialized education to thousands of students. This is the fundamental piece of the consolidation of a successful brand, not the market.
Do you really know how to sell your institution's brand? Stay with us and understand everything you need to know to have a strong and consolidated brand in the educational market.
What will you see in this post?
- What is a brand?
- Have a well-defined purpose
- Know your audience
- Challenge your preconceptions
- build solid foundations
- Plan for the future
Good reading!
What is a brand?
We can say that a brand is the representation of a product or service. It is a perceptible sign that distinguishes, identifies and provides specifications for products and services. In the dictionary, a mark is defined as "the act or effect of marking", "trace, sign, impression left by someone or something".
That is, it is understood that the brand is much more than a logo or a visual identity, a brand is what remains in people's minds and that refers to your company or education institution.
It is important to understand this concept, because the brand is what makes what you sell tangible. In the case of an educational institution, it is extremely important to have a brand that makes clear the quality of teaching and safety, and that, in addition, connects with future students.
To build a strong brand, it is important to work on the most diverse aspects of branding: positioning, visual identity, symbols, graphics, signatures, values, mission, vision, internal culture (among employees and students) and much more.
Want to know how to have one brand of strong education? Here are some tips for you!
Have a well-defined purpose
As we already said, the purpose is your mission educational institution, the reason why it exists. Without that conviction, any educational marketing becomes empty.
Communicating something you really believe in strengthens your power of argument, attracts people who identify with your values and who will effectively contribute to your education institution having a recognized brand in the market.
The challenge here is to be able to communicate this essence. One Ana Couto's research Branding, in partnership with Officina Sophia, says that 70% of the public interviewed seeks to purchase products from brands that have similarities with their worldviews.
This means that, in many cases, the consumer (or student) can accept paying more for something that has to do with what he believes and lives. This relationship of values and beliefs can be the key point that will differentiate your institution from the competition.
In an increasingly competitive world and with new universities emerging year after year, having something that makes the public see this difference clearly and that involves them with emotion is essential.
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Know your audience
A It was massive marketing. It is without segmentation, it's over. We are living the marketing 5.0 and with it, we need to be fast and predictive.
This is only possible when you know the audience you want to talk to. It is necessary to establish a dialogue one to one with each potential student, with each teacher, with each partner and collaborator.
Understand their doubts and needs, help them go through the decision journey with information that is relevant, accurate and that makes a difference in their lives.
Technological tools for this, we already have (such as Hubspot, for example). What you need to do is build your business intelligence with a focus on creating a unique educational experience for these people, awakening engagement, a sense of belonging and loyalty.
Challenge your preconceptions
The strength of a brand is a reflection of the set of perceptions that we awaken in all our stakeholders: students, entrance exams, teachers, support team, partners, community and government, among others.
In order to know how high our reputation is withthey, it is necessary to ask, know how to read between the lines, and of course, visualize what the competition has been doing best and improve our own strategies and actions.
It is essential that we give voice to the faculty and students, learn from failures to build a brand even more powerful, based not only on educational marketing, but in organizational communication.
Build solid foundations
As Simon Sinek states in his lecture. How great leaders inspire action, one successful brand It is based on three pillars:
- Why?
- How?
- What?
Transporting it to your education institution, think of it this way:
- Why teach people?
- How to teach them?
- What to teach?
These are the foundations of any educational institution of quality. And, if you teach with quality, your brand is recognized for it.
Plan for the future
Perpetuating its brand depends on a vision of the future that must go beyond attracting immediate students.
If you intend to make history with your brand and still don't know your vision for the future, it's time to stop and start planning and structuring this vision right now.
Rescue your purpose, your mission, your reason for existing. Communicate this in every message to the academic community. Use the resources of educational marketing to attract students, professors, employees and business partners who share the same values as your education institution.
Outline your short, medium and long term goals and objectives. Envision where you want to see your brand ten years from now.
Your institution can be small, little recognized or very well known, it doesn't matter. Every brand evolves over time, and the time has come to make your evolution!
Want more educational marketing tips? Take the time to check out this post: how to retain customers? Understand how the CRM can help you!
Happy reading and until next time!
Portugal