Advertising to College Students Goes Guerrilla

While six more weeks of winter was predicted by that pesky groundhog, colleges and universities around the country are preparing for spring.

They have already started to see student admission applications arriving in their mailboxes for the fall term. Soon, there will be a flood of these applications from eager students seeking to attend their favorite – or esteemed – higher institution learning.

But not all universities are ready for those applications. Some have forgotten the basic marketing tools that garnered their quality reputations in the first place. Some have cut back on mailing viewbooks, college packets, running print and online ads and conducting the necessary email and social media marketing. As a result, their admission numbers are down, and their overall student counts have dropped.

For example, the once- highly-sought-after Yale University sent 20 percent fewer promotional viewbooks to high school students with high exam scores for its fall 2014 term. As a result, applications dropped two percent compared to the previous year. While that is not a huge plunge, long-term enrollment could be impacted, and the school’s profits could drop.

Of course, it is not just colleges and universities that are impacted when marketing is not deemed important. Many brands have learned the hard way, that when they reduce their marketing budgets and efforts, their sales plunge. Often, it is a swift and noticeable reaction. Can you afford even a two percent drop in your sales? Do you want your brand’s reputation to take a hit or – even worse – have college students forget about your brand?

Marketing is Key

Instead of reducing your marketing efforts, now is the time to increase your efforts and effectively communicate your message to busy college students who are preparing for exams. You do not want to get lost in the clutter.

One of the easiest and inexpensive ways to reach college students is with guerilla marketing methods.. Standing outside the campus’s student center handing out coupons, placing  flyers on students’ windshields, or posting flyers on each student’s door are still tried-and-true ways to distribute coupons, offers and your brand message. Hiring college students for minimum wage is a great way to help get the message out. Taking out an ad in the college newspaper or an electronic billboard near the university is also effective.

Another great place for guerrilla advertising is in the student mail rooms. Placing a business card-sized ad promoting your business inside every student mailbox on campus is another genius and inexpensive marketing idea. At Stamp Free Ads, we do this for you, for just one penny per day. Students see this each and every time they open the mailbox door. Put a call to action to visit your business with a coupon or special offer as part of these ads. You can even include a mention of your superior reviews and customer satisfaction.

Of course, don’t forget about your online marketing efforts, which include banner ads on a network of web sites that students are visiting, email marketing campaigns to your loyal customers and of course, social media. Your Generation Z and Millennial customers communicate with each other via text and social media platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You need to communicate with them where they are.

Don’t forget about all of the marketing tools at your disposal. This is the time of year to increase marketing; not cut back. Very soon, students will be away at spring break and then many will be gone for the summer. You need to capitalize on this audience while it is captive.

To learn more about how Stamp Free Ads can get your brand in front of more students in your college town, click here.