It has been a while since the pandemic hit, but businesses are still facing the aftershocks of it. One of the businesses that have met a lot of limitations due to it is academics. Schools, colleges, and universities had to adjust their curriculum and how they operated according to the new normal.
For the past two to three years, universities have been facing many hindrances in attracting students to enroll in their degree programs. One of the reasons for this is that branding and marketing norms have changed as the planet has become more digitized
To stay in the competition, universities must focus on trending strategies for branding in higher education.
What is a brand?
Brands are not just limited to logos, names, and colors; they can be thought of as a set of expectations and associations based on experience. A university’s brand image can be more memorable than its academics.
Like every business, higher education needs to build a brand image, for which you will need a university brand strategy. Once you create a brand image for your university, you will only be able to achieve the success you deserve.
Why Do Universities Need a Branding Strategy?
In today’s era, every university and school needs a branding strategy as it is the initial step towards successfully building a brand. A branding strategy will set clear objectives for you. It will help you define your target audience and develop a content plan.
Once you have a clear brand strategy, you can take all the necessary steps to implement it. Branding in higher education is an essential step that would help in the following:
- Identifying your university’s Unique Selling Proposition and image.
- Defining your potential students, target audience, and what their needs are.
- Developing your positioning.
- Determining your university’s core values.
- Developing a communication message and plan.
- Setting up an effective strategy to manage your higher education brand.
You might wonder why a branding strategy is so essential for the success of your company or university. The answer is that a brand links a consumer to the company. In the case of a university, a student is positively associated with a university through a brand.
A student would have an emotional connection with your higher education brand, which they may not have with any other university. If you keenly notice the other competitions around you, you will realize that a student studying at a particular university would feel proud to be a part of it. They would want to continue further studies at the same university as well.
The credit for this goes to the effective branding that the university has developed. If you want to create such a compelling brand image for your university, keep reading for practical higher education branding tips and best practices.
Seven Effective University Branding Strategies
Once you have realized how important branding is, it is time to have an effective higher education branding strategy to help you achieve your goals successfully. In the past, marketing and branding strategies were different, but as technology has advanced and newer trends have been introduced, branding strategies have also evolved.
For your ease, we have listed the university branding ideas for 2023 to help you achieve your success goals effectively. Below are seven effective university branding strategies that you must implement
Convey your value to your target audience
One of the essential steps toward effective marketing is to convey your value to the target audience. To create a unique brand identity, your marketing team must ensure that it effectively brings your strengths, mission, and value to the target audience so that people are aware of the positive attributes of your university.
The agenda should align these attributes with the prospective student’s goals. You should know what motivates and challenges the target audience and how you can cater effectively to their educational preferences and concerns.
Creative Social Media Marketing Strategy.
As a university, your target audience would be students, so to create a brand identity, you must use the platform they mostly use. Prospective students are primarily active on social media platforms, which is why your marketing team should smartly make use of social media platforms.
Creative social media marketing strategies would attract your target audience and help universities to create a unique brand identity. Moreover, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., are great platforms for marketing higher education. Most youngsters are online throughout the day. Marketers can easily capture their attention through engaging and creative marketing strategies.
Creative Logo and Colors.
Logos and colors are an essential part of a brand which is why most organizations pay close attention to every detail of their logos. Each logo element plays a vital role in the overall brand identity, so create your logo wisely.
Think of an attractive color that aligns with your values and brand image. Check the logo’s design and color before it becomes official. Your logo will reflect your brand and build a brand identity.
Invest in Content Marketing Marketing
You must invest in content marketing for higher education branding. Creating engaging content that brightens the mood of your followers on social media platforms would help them engage with your brand.
People these days are bombarded with sad and depressing posts every morning, which you can take as an opportunity. Create content that generates positive energy in the morning when people check their social media platforms. This strategy would make them remember your brand positively, and they will not scroll up your posts.
You can then wisely post alums from your university working in reputable organizations, giving prospective students incentive to enroll in your degree programs while making the alums feel recognized and motivated by your university.
You can also broadcast your university’s partnerships and how your brand encourages voluntary work and advocates civil rights. Standing up for specific causes gains students’ interest, generating a soft corner for your brand. When it is time for them to choose a university to enroll in, the first university to pop up in their head would be yours.
Moreover, nowadays, content marketing is what businesses compete for, and creating content marketing strategies for higher education would be an ideal way to generate branding for your university.
Use Creative Graphic Design for brand identity.
Ever wondered why graphic designers are in so much demand? Marketing these days is all about content and graphics as a part of digital marketing. As compared to traditional marketing techniques, digital marketing is what makes brands worldwide successful.
To successfully create a brand identity amongst your target audience, you must use graphics in your posts and marketing content. Creative graphics while posting admission ads grab the attention of prospective students immediately.
Establish a distinctive voice and tone
When your marketing team creates content and posts for marketing, make sure you establish a tone and voice different from what other higher education institutions use. It is one of the most helpful university branding ideas anyone could give you.
Unique content catches the eye of the target audience immediately and also has an impact on what kind of institution you are in. In the competitive market of today’s time, when businesses are fighting for customers with each other, it is essential to create a unique brand identity which will only be possible if you have a distinctive one and voice.
Integrate mission with messaging
If you ever were a business student, you would now understand why the mission of your business matters so much. You can strategize your marketing by integrating your university’s mission into the content you create.
For example, your mission as an educational institution is to provide quality education to the youth so that they can change the future of the world. Then integrate this into the marketing messages and content you post on social media platforms.
Final Words:
Branding is essential to any business, especially when the competition is so high. Times have changed, and the focus nowadays is more on digital marketing and content marketing which is why you must use an effective higher education branding strategy to build a unique brand identity.
A unique and distinctive brand image would give you loyal students in the future. The above seven branding strategies would help you achieve your success goals as a higher education institution.
