Industry factors can make a good digital experience difficult for higher education institutions.

The digital marketing landscape is difficult to keep up with and higher education institutions face their own unique set of challenges. Your online presence is often the first impression you ever make with a potential student and that image can make or break their enrollment decision. Customer experience is critical for these interactions. Here’s what you need to know. 

What are the biggest digital challenges facing Higher Ed? 

• Weak website presence

• Too many silos

• Online course offerings

• Student debt concerns

• Attracting international students 
  

Improving Your Higher Ed Institution's Digital Experience

1. Build a strong website presence.  

Your website is one of the most important marketing and communication tools you have. Does it say and do what you want it to? Are your course offerings easy to find? Do you have user personas to help personalize each visitor’s web experience? Is your CMS easy to maintain internally? If it’s not up to date or doesn’t accurately reflect your school’s image, you could lose out on capturing the attention of potential students and their parents.   

Don’t know where to start? Download this whitepaper on personalization or read this whitepaper on choosing the right content management system

2. Break down the silos.  

Is your marketing budget controlled by another department? You’re not alone!  It can be frustrating for marketers to have to justify spending or make the most of controlled budgets. This is a common barrier many colleges and universities face. When you partner with SilverTech, we can help you break down those silos and show the return on investment with our analytics and tracking capabilities in order to get the buy-in you need to replicate those efforts school-wide.

3. The growing need for online course offerings. 

Interest in online courses has been steadily increasing, seeing a sharp increase during the 2020-2021 global pandemic. If you’re able to meet students where they spend most of their time already – online – then you’re more likely to keep them engaged and uphold the retention rates needed for your accreditation.   

4. Concerns around student debt.  

Student debt is a top concern for students, parents, and educators. Student loans across the United States have reached 1.5 trillion dollars with the average debt per person at almost $30,000. This high cost makes the idea of going to college even more daunting. At SilverTech, our team has years of experience in the higher education industry and understands the right messaging needed to educate families on their financing options. We also understand the compliance requirements and how best to market those resources so your school can continue to thrive.   

5. How to recruit international students. 

International students allow you to diversify your campus and increase revenue, but the cost of recruitment and ongoing political uncertainty can often make that a challenge to achieve. With the right online tactics, you can effectively recruit qualified international prospects at an efficient cost.  With a vast understanding of online targeting, student behavior, and privacy laws, our SilverTech team can make the most of your paid media spend.

With the expertise of a digital marketing team that understands the challenges your school faces, we can help you present the right brand image to make the right impression on students today and in the future. By facing these challenges head-on, you can increase enrollment with upcoming prospects, international students, and online learners. Learn how our digital marketing team can help.