Top Four Aspects To Consider When Marketing To Students

88% of 16-24 year olds claimed to have their own social media in 2020

It doesn’t matter what content or topic you’re marketing, true student has developed a list of the top four things we recommend you consider when marketing to students.

Timing

In any marketing, timing is important, whether it be for getting your product out in time for Christmas or fitting to the seasons of the year. But when marketing to students there’s more considerations for timing. No matter what you’re marketing you need to consider the time of year. For example, during freshers week students' minds are going to be on the looming start of university and of course, trying out all the new bars, so unless your product is directly linked with this, such as tickets for events, then this really isn’t the ideal time to market. Additionally, around exam season (typically May-June) students are likely to be preoccupied with exam stress, again making this not the right time to be marketing to them. 

There may also be other considerations, for example, at true student we market student accommodation, so April and May is our perfect time to be running large marketing campaigns and then again around clearing. It’s important to consider all influences, both seasonal and those more directly related to being a student. We’d suggest putting a calendar together of everything throughout the year that might influence your marketing, and marking up whether these could possibly be positive or negative impacts on your campaign. From this, you should be able to find the ideal times to be targeting your audience. 

Whilst time of the year is important to consider, so is the time of day. Students are notorious for sleeping in late and partying until the early mornings. So, if your marketing involves scheduled online ads or radio adverts, times such as 7am probably won’t reach your target audience as well as later in the day. 

Getting it in Front of Your Audience

It doesn’t matter what you’re marketing, whether it be universities, accommodation, shops or even clothes, the best ads and marketing campaigns won’t work if you can’t get it in front of your audience. When you’re marketing to students there are a few obvious places to start. 

First up social media, 88% of 16-24 year olds claimed to have their own social media in 2020 according to Statista, which makes up a huge proportion of students. You can make use of channels and also adverts across all social media platforms, but stay up to date with the latest trends. For example in 2020/21 TikTok has taken off, being the most downloaded app globally in 2020. 

Of course, one of the easiest places to market to students is directly through university channels, such as university newspapers, in prospects books and even with posters on campus. You can also use events such as freshers fairs to get directly in front of students. 

Make it Relatable

It’s always important to engage with your audience, but with students we find it’s important to make things relatable. For example, if you’re marketing freshers events to new students they may have no understanding of what freshers are, so approaching it as simply a night out may be more relatable.

Many students are at university not only for the degree but also for the experience, so if you can relate your product to either of these that would be a great starting point. At true student, we know most students are going to need accommodation, but ours stands out due to the experience they will get with us, like with our true Life programme and great communal areas. This way students understand they are purchasing an experience rather than just the physical product. 

Tone of Voice 

Considering the tone of voice for any marketing campaign is important, but with students finding a tone of voice they can engage with could be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful campaign. For example, a professional tone of voice to market things such as freshers events, uni socials and sporting clubs isn’t going to be the best choice. You need to make the tone of voice fit, so for such marketing campaigns, a fun, relaxed tone of voice is the way to go. If you’re marketing things such as resources for studying or help for exams, these can take on a more professional tone as it fits the product or service.

Whilst the tone of voice has to fit the product your marketing, it also has to be directed towards students. If you’re targeting students in a particular city you can look at using some of the dialects there, otherwise, keep the tone of voice light and engaging, usually with a quick catch as young people are known to quickly bypass ads. 

Whatever you’re marketing to students, be sure to follow the above four steps and your campaign will be off to a good start!

true student is a private student accommodation with properties in Newcastle, Glasgow, Swansea, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, and has years of experience with marketing to and engaging with both British and international students. 

Find out more at truestudent.com.