Marketing can be an educational institution's great ally, from attracting to retaining students. But for all this potential to become reality for your organization, you need to understand the educational market in depth and how the student-consumer behaves towards it.
It's at this point that a very important concept comes to the fore for those who want effective marketing: the consumer journey. Find out now what this term refers to and how it can help your institution boost enrollment!
Producing content for a mass audience makes little sense these days. Customers of various types of business are becoming more and more segmented, and it is necessary to work with specific niches if you want to reach the right person.
But there's no point in reaching the right audience if it's done in the wrong way, or if that audience isn't yet interested in hearing about the wonders of your business. Currently, more than 60% of buying journeys begin on digital channels - such as search engines, social networks or reading specialized content - even before the first direct contact with the brand.
The consumer journey can be divided into a number of stages, which separate the buyer (in this case, the student) through their purchasing process.
The first stage relates to a stage of awareness. The consumer has a potential problem, but doesn't yet know about it, so trying to sell a solution at this stage will be fruitless.
The second stage relates to the consideration stage. The consumer already knows what the problem is and is considering solutions to it. The interested company should show the various options available, but without trying to force the sale.
The third stage is related to the purchase decision. This is when the buyer considers the solution you offer, and you are now free to use all your powers of persuasion to sell.
The buying journey applies perfectly to the educational scenario, but with some particularities. We've created a hypothetical buying journey for a student who has just left high school. Let's consider that your company sells technical courses.
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The consumer, depending on the type of organization you represent, will be a parent or a student, which can make a difference to the strategy to be followed.
The ICT Education 2023 survey shows that Brazilian students use the internet for educational purposes at all stages of basic education, which strengthens the role of digital content in building the journey of choosing an institution.
The student journey optimizes your marketing and you don't waste time and resources investing in solutions that won't bring the desired results. The approach is made according to the student's interest and willingness to buy, which increases the chances of enrollment.
In the education market, rarely does anyone make a decision on impulse. There is always research behind it, which can take months or years. Therefore, it is necessary to produce quality content, in media with an impact and consistent with the audience to be reached.
According to the Digital 2024 report, 84% of Brazilians search for information about products and services online before making a decision, including education - reinforcing the importance of a digital presence throughout the journey.
Don't wait any longer and invest in the consumer journey! With it, your student recruitment will be much more efficient. To find out more about how to deal with the education market, subscribe to our newsletter and receive content that interests you in your email!
It is the path that a potential student takes from the first contact with a need to the decision to enroll in an educational institution. This process involves different stages of awareness and requires specific approaches at each stage.
The journey consists of three phases:
Awareness: the student has not yet clearly identified the problem or the need to continue studying.
Consideration: they understand their situation and begin to search for information and possibilities.
Decision: they compare options and are ready to choose an institution and enroll.
In the awareness stage, the ideal is to offer educational and informative content. In the consideration stage, it's time to show solutions and alternatives. In the decision stage, the focus should be on your institution's advantages, differentials and student testimonials.
It can be the student themselves or, in some cases, their parents or guardians. This has a direct impact on the type of language, content and channel that is most effective for each audience.
Because it allows you to personalize communication based on each student's moment of decision. With this, your institution avoids wasting resources and increases the chances of conversion by saying the right thing at the right time.
It's essential. Most students use the internet to research educational options. Blogs, videos, e-books and social media are key to guiding and influencing decisions along the journey.
Map out your students' most frequently asked questions, identify at which stage they appear and produce strategic content for each phase. Use data and technology to monitor progress and refine your approach.