What is a university without its students? From the quality of your research and the grade point averages you publish, to the donations you receive from alumni, your success as a school depends on your ability to recruit the best and the brightest. Thus, one of the best ways to invest in your university is by funding a campaign to attract skilled students, and in the modern market, that campaign must involve PPC ads. The following guide will help you develop an effective PPC campaign and bring in good students from all over the globe:
Step 1: Define Your Audience
The first step in any ad campaign is to know whom you’re speaking to. As a university, this means figuring out the average age of your students, what prior education they’ve had, and other relevant details. If you offer classes on campus, you should know their geographical location or locations; this doesn’t necessarily have to be where your campus is, but it should include any communities where you recruit large numbers of students. The better you define likely students, the easier it is to design ads they will find appealing and target those ads based on keywords, time of day, and other factors.
Step 2: Create a Landing Page
A good landing page is the backbone of any PPC campaign. Defined as the page viewers are directed to when they click on your ad, landing pages give prospective students their first detailed view of your school. It’s essential that such pages be easy to navigate, engaging, full of useful information, and that they contain a clear call-to-action. If you can accomplish this, not only will you convince more people to enroll in your school, but you’ll also boost your ads’ search rank.
Step 3: Put Together an Annual Budget
Once you have a landing page, you need to know how much money you’ll have to promote it. Ask yourself what amount you’ll be willing to spend each year, and take into account the increase in expenses during peak enrollment season. Then earmark this sum, plus a little extra in case you run into unforeseen costs. By setting aside money ahead of time, you help yourself make sound financial decisions during the campaign, so you never run out of funds.
Step 4: Split Ads into Groups
By dividing your ads into ad groups, or groups of ads that share certain characteristics, you can determine which perform best and can make changes accordingly. As a university, you should primarily form ad groups based on keywords. For example, you may make some ads with keywords focused on specific programs you offer, as well as others with general college keywords. Grouping your ads based on these terms will tell you which PPC strategies are most effective; you can then shift your spending to focus on the best strategies.
Step 5: Establish Yourself on Social Media
From web pages, youtube videos, and search engines, PPC ads can appear in many locations, and you should put ads in each of them. But as a university advertising in the modern market, you must prioritize social media over other platforms. Not only do Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram control massive amounts of online traffic, but they are particularly popular among younger viewers, who are most likely to become students. You should thus design your ads specifically for social media and spend the bulk of your resources there.
For more information on PPC campaigns and other marketing strategies for your university, contact Zero Gravity Marketing today.
