First of all marketing for collage students is really important for anyone. Furthermore, college students are one of the best markets to target for your business. Firstly, they are the in between when it comes to teenagers and adults. Secondly, college students are a little more independent than their teenage counterparts. As a business, it would be a good idea to take advantage of their newfound independence and millennial-aged thinking when it comes to consumerism.
Of course, it also means that college students are not rolling in the dough either. After all, they have tuition, rent, and more. So, as you build your marketing campaign around college students, be sure that it matches their demands and price affordability.
More importantely, follow these simple rules when you are laying out a plan to market to college students. I think that you will find them extremely helpful and can help to make your business that much more successful. Check out some of the top things you should be mindful of when targeting college students.
1. Make Your Point Simple and Sweet when marketing to college students
First of all, college students simply do not have a lot of time to spend or waste. Furthermore, this means that whatever you are planning to market to them needs to be done simply. For instance, social media is a common platform that many college students use every single day. For instance, a great way to market to them and engage with them is by the use of social media posts. Twitter limits users to no more than 140 character counts, which makes it ideal for short posts. After all, they know who their primary audience and users are. That is to say, people who like things to be simple and sweet.
Therefore, utilize these platforms and keep your content as short, but to the point, as possible. According to science, the attention span of younger audiences is limited compared to older adults. So because of their limited attention span, be sure that your content is not loaded with a lot of text. Instead, opt for visually appealing content and images. Read how to brand and market your products
2. Mobile marketing for college students- always and for everything
In addition to using social media, at least 90% of college students own or are using a smartphone. So, this means that any content you market needs to be mobile-friendly. Whether it be the way your website formats to mobile viewing or allowing consumers to use mobile coupons, you have to keep this in mind. Your customers, especially college students, want to use businesses that have their user interest in mind. After all, if something is inaccessible and complex, you can bet that the college students will move on to your competitors who are doing it right. Furthermore, if your website is not optimized for mobile use, be sure to hire someone or get that going as soon as possible.
3. Back-Up Your Claim with an Amazing Product or Service
Above all, if you market to college students how great your product is, you must be able to back it up. Therefore, you cannot continue to boast about the effectiveness or uniqueness of your business and not have the quality to back up what you say.
Apple is a prime example of delivering on their promise. As a leader in consumer products such as smartphones, they have set the bar in terms of quality products. Because of their effectiveness of delivering on quality, they have created such an iconic brand that sometimes, speaks for itself.
Other brands that are doing well with marketing quality products are H&M and TOMS. For instance, these brands not only produce great quality products, but they also keep their products at affordable prices. After all, they know that the majority of their customers are college students so they have been smart with how they market their campaigns.
4. Be Real, Not Fake When Marketing
Most importantely, college students will be the first to identify the difference between someone being real and fake. Furthermore, when it comes to authenticity, college students appreciate businesses who are real. Mostly about their values and what they offer. With that said, you can quickly lose followers and business the moment you are seen as fake or heartless. So, be sure that anything you do for your business will always portray your honest values and purpose. College students will certainly appreciate you for it. Plus, being real with your customers should be a priority anyway. Everything you do and everything you represent needs to be done with honesty and care for your customers.
5. Cater to the Parentals when marketing to college students
Above all, college students are most likely on a budget because of their costs of school and living, you may even want to target their parents for marketing as well. College students are most likely working part-time jobs. This means that the majority of their income may be coming from their parents. So, when you market a product or service, see how you might cater to the parents’ perspective. Perhaps parents are going to buy their student a car for college. Typically, parents will understand this buying process more than that of a college student. So, utilize some marketing techniques that specifically engage with parents of college students.
Conclusion
Marketing for your business should always be purposeful and mindful. You will need to have a strong team in place that specifically works on marketing for your business. You also need to have a plan for an effective campaign. So, you should determine if your purpose is to expand and scale your business. Or, you may be starting out for the first time and need to create exposure. Businesses with strong marketing skills and appealing logos can set themselves apart from the competition. They will only be leaders in the industry as long as they implement strategies and methods with the greatest fidelity
One of the most important things is to identify your audience. Sometimes, your business can target multiple audiences. When it comes to college students, it is important to understand their lifestyles and patterns for buying things or services. They are specifically different than a general consumer. This is why perfecting your strategy when approaching them is such a key aspect of a successful marketing plan. As you become more aware of these components, you can better develop a marketing plan that will prove to be successful for your business.