Digital Marketing Trends in Education in 2021

A typical educational institute spends about 11% of its annual revenue on its digital marketing activities.

With the introduction of diverse avenues for learning, educational institutes have been trying harder than before to secure enrolments. And now with the pandemic still prevalent in several parts of the world, educational institutes have had to transition from a physical space to an online platform overnight. Even in countries where the spread of the virus seems to be contained, in-person education is still under consideration.

With such unprecedented times impacting educational institutes, online visibility has become extremely important. Partnering with a known digital marketing company can help create an engaging online presence thus boosting student engagement.

Here, we bring you the top digital marketing trends in education in 2021.

Optimised website

 Just like any brand online, the website acts as the first impression for an educational institute. Designing an easy-to-navigate website that is informative is becoming the new norm. Additionally, the standard old designs are out. Educational institutes are redesigning their websites to better reflect their target demographic.

Unlike traditional times when a few broken links didn’t matter in academia, these days efficiency is essential. Every website experience, be it looking for information, asking a question, or filling a registration form needs to be optimised to function smoothly. A digital marketing company in India can help design your website and place you at the top of Google’s ranking.

Mobile-accessible

This is the hottest trend dominating every online campaign in education. Almost half the internet population uses a smartphone to surf the internet and most of these are students. When catering to this demographic, it is important to ensure that all content is easy to access across devices.

Additionally, not every student may have a personal laptop. A lot of students currently are using their mobile phones to attend classes. It is important to optimize website content for mobile to ensure you aren’t missing out on a huge section of your target audience.

Leveraging influencers

These days’ institutes cannot use typical adverts to engage students with physical movement still curtailed. When it comes to the online world, influencers are the key, and educational institutes have recognized this. Go through your alumni book to see if any ex-students are popular with the student age group. Reach out for testimonials and ads. Additionally, other influencers that are popular with student groups are also a great way to get noticed and receive a trusted endorsement for your institute.

Virtual campus experience

Often times a visit to a sprawling campus with state-of-the-art technology or lush green areas was enough to warrant enrolment. Well, institutes can still leverage these aspects through an online virtual tour. Create the same experience for students online. Showcase your campus, classrooms, teachers, and other highlights through an engaging video.

Chances are students that who feel connected or familiar with a campus are more likely to enroll. To know how best to offer this virtual experience to your prospective students, connect with a digital marketing company in Mumbai.

Automate with chatbots

Chatbots are perfect for educational institutes. Chances are with physical movement restricted, parents and students are going to be sending in a lot of queries online. Most of these may also be repetitive better allowing for automation. By installing a chatbot, institutes can offer real-time solutions with ease. This also helps the students feel engaged and valued, rather than having to wait for days to receive a reply via email. It can also help leave phone calls and other interactions for valuable interactions rather than mundane sharing of information.

Prioritise social media

While this trend is not entirely new, it has become more of a focus in the past year. Social media offers a great way for students to interact with the institute and their peers. Create groups for students of different programs to interact with each other. This way they can also communicate with existing students for any queries.

Further, a lot of students are feeling socially isolated without being able to enjoy campus life. Creating groups allows students to feel connected with each other and the campus.

Education institutes have been witnessing a decline in recent years and the pandemic has been a massive hit. In order to stay relevant and connected to the target demographic, it is important to have a strong online presence. For more help on how to achieve this, please connect with a digital marketing agency in Mumbai.