Category: Digital Media

How Content Marketing Funnels Can Grow Student Enrollment

Post author By admin
Post date September 2, 2021

By definition, a content marketing funnel is a system that introduces new customer leads to your business through different types of content. These leads then have the potential to become customers by progressively ‘funneling’ them through more types of relevant and useful content. While getting the right message in front of the right people is nothing new, organizing your marketing tactics strategically through a funnel can lead to converting more potential students into full-time students by considering three basic marketing funnel phases: Awareness, Inquiry, and Conversion.

THE AWARENESS PHASE

At the top of the funnel is the awareness phase, which focuses on brand awareness and driving site traffic. This part of the funnel is all about generating content that grabs attention. According to Forester, on average, a person consumes 11.4 pieces of content before making a decision. And as this applies to potential students, it’s important to focus your recruitment campaigns in the right markets via the right mediums to build awareness. Depending on the goals of your college or university this could include a heavy focus on social, digital media, and search engine optimization in addition to traditional advertising (radio/TV), public relations and earned media coverage, high school recruitment events, pay-per-click (PPC) ads via Google Adwords and relevant blog posts that capture the culture of your institution.

INQUIRY PHASE

In the middle of the funnel is the inquiry phase, which focuses on lead generation in the form of nurturing, educating and informing your potential students. At this stage, it’s important to consider the type of marketing content that will best inform and grab the attention of your ideal audience. Depending on the goals of your institution, this may include involving your current students whenever possible as they will connect best with students considering enrollment. Successful inquiries from your potential students can also be achieved through statistical comparison content that highlights the key statistical areas your college or university is strongest, virtual tours and campus walkthrough content, inviting inquiring students to tour campus and shadow classes, promoting your financial aid and scholarship offerings as well as being accessible for potential student inquiries.

CONVERSION PHASE

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 19.7 million students were enrolled at U.S. colleges in fall 2020. And that number has the potential to grow even bigger in the conversion phase of the marketing funnel. As it applies to enrollment, this phase is all about making the decision to enroll as easy as possible. The content you serve potential students should be highly personalized to drive interest and make the potential students feel wanted so that they are inclined to officially commit. Successful conversions that lead to enrollment can be achieved through student success stories or testimonials, using CRM software to send personalized communication to students and families, and investing in training for admissions staff given that they are your direct line to potential students.

IMPROVING YOUR FUNNEL

As student demographics and the goals of your institution change, it’s important to re-evaluate how well your marketing funnel is serving you. For example, you may be catching the wrong prospects at the top of your funnel if your targeting is too wide or you may be losing qualified prospects through leaks in the middle of your marketing funnel. Worse yet, the conversion phase of your funnel may lack a personal touch, discouraging potential students from enrolling. If there is a problem, sometimes getting an expert, an outside perspective can lend some insight. With decades of experience working with colleges and universities for recruitment help, we are always available to talk.

For more on how Push can help with your education marketing efforts, contact us here or call 407-841-2299.

Retail Digital Media

Bringing Customers Back to your Store — Gen X vs Millennials

Post author By admin
Post date July 29, 2021

With different life experiences, it’s no surprise that each generation has it’s own unique set of shopping habits. So when the majority of spending power comes from two different generations, it’s important to tailor your marketing efforts to each group. Here, we’ll look at the differences in communicating with Gen-Xers and Millennials, especially when using digital media to get customers back to your store.

How Gen X Shops

Gen X was born between 1965 and 1980 and are currently ages 41 – 56, with many entering the prime earning potential of their careers. They represent consumers who are familiar with with both modern and traditional marketing, so that nuance should be kept in mind when crafting a digital marketing strategy.

As noted in an eMarketer study, Gen X is extreme in their brand loyalty relative to those in other generations. As a retailer, you can tap into that brand affinity by building trust with this audience through honest messaging and reliable products. In return, they’ll reward you with a willingness to a pay a premium for the products they love.

This group is also savers. They look for deals on line and actively use coupons and promo codes. Keep this in mind for your digital marketing efforts and use either in your advertising to drive them to purchase.

Finally, while Gen X is active on social media, more than 80% of them report that email is their preferred means of using brand messages. When trying to target this audience, make sure you have a robust email marketing strategy in place and use email to share product news or promos.

How Millennials Shop

Millennials are typically defined as being born between 1981 and 1996, with most coming of age during the information age. So while all ages are increasingly swayed by social media, when it comes to purchases, it’s no surprise that it has more of an outsized impact on this generation. According to Synchrony Financial, 68% of Millennials admit to being strongly influenced by social media posts while 84% say user-generated content has at least some effect on what they buy. When targeting this audience, it’s critical to have an engaging social media strategy in place. Influencer marketing is also huge with this demographic and could be beneficial to your brand or store if it’s the right fit for you.

Seeing shopping as a social event is another trait that strongly characterizes the Millennial market and sets it apart from older generations. Can your store offer an experience beyond just the product or service you sell? Making your store inviting, exciting and Instagram-worthy can go a long way to bring this generation of shoppers in-store. And be sure your online presence matches your carefully curated in-store presence to create a cohesive brand experience.

What’s Important to Both Generations

close up of a Millennials and gen x holding cell phones

Social causes are increasingly popular with consumers and making your customers know that you care about the same issues that they do can boost their brand affinity and loyalty. Authenticity is key here—make sure there is follow-through on the part of your brand versus just empty messaging.

Regardless of which generation you’re speaking to, honesty and reliability appeal to shoppers of all ages. Truthful product usage messaging and customer reviews resonate with both Gen X and Millennials. For all audiences, straightforward, relatable language should be used across your marketing touchpoints, from social media to digital ads to email newsletters, to create a lasting connection with your customers, no matter their age.

COVID Restaurant Digital Media Advice

How to Plus Up Your Restaurant’s Online Presence

Post author By admin
Post date March 26, 2021

Having a robust online presence has been crucial for restaurants. Still, this past year we’ve seen people spend even more time online and make it routine to turn to the Internet to search for and order from restaurants. The following tips are always best practices to keep in mind, but they may be more important than ever during this year and looking ahead.

Strong Website Design

This first tip is just as important as it ever was. When thinking of web design, first and foremost, focus on functionality. Ensure your website is clean and easy to navigate so customers can easily find locations, your hours of operation, how to place an online order and more. Mobile design should be a priority as that’s where people are spending more and more time. It’s also, of course, important to make sure the website reflects your brand identity and that your design is helping to drive a state of crave. High-quality photos and branded videos will go a long way to entice your customers to visit or order online.

Optimize for Search

Never underestimate the power of SEO. It’s crucial that when people search keywords related to your business that your restaurant appears in their search results. Google Analytics and other tools can help you identify the keywords best for you brand. If the budget is there, utilizing paid search ads can certainly be beneficial. Also, make sure your Google My Business page is up to date and get more tips in our previous guide. You want to make sure that people are getting the most accurate and recent information when they pull up a Google search result for your restaurant.

Engage with Reviews

As many customers use third-party review sites to inform their dining out decision, it’s important to be aware of your presence on those sites and what your customers are saying. Responding to positive reviews and thoughtfully replying to the negative ones in your brand’s voice shows that you respect and value your customers. You should also gently encourage your guests to leave reviews to help grow your restaurant’s presence on those platforms since many people make decisions based on the number of positive reviews.

Amp Up Your Social Presence

And finally, we all know social media is a great way to boost your online presence but are you using it strategically? Identify the platforms that make the most sense for your business and focus your energy there. You’d rather invest in a robust Instagram page with stunning photos than focus your energy on tweeting with little engagement. Also, be sure to create a content strategy that drives genuine engagement and encourages UGC.

These are all tried and true ways to boost your online presence, but it can be good to take a moment to reevaluate your efforts in these areas and see where there could be room for improvement or reinvestment. As time spent online by consumers only continues to increase, you’ll be happy you made the time to do so now when you reap the benefits down the road.

COVID Restaurant Digital Media

THE DIGITAL DINING STARTER GUIDE

Post author By admin
Post date May 5, 2020

Just because customers aren’t dining in, doesn’t mean they have to miss out on the dinners, happy hours and birthday parties of your restaurant. With the right menu and tech in-place, WiFi can be the new long table for sharing virtual dinner parties, cocktail classes and creative party-in-place experiences. From your kitchen to their dining table, here are three ways to help your customers enjoy interactive dining experiences at home.

QUARANTINE CLASSES

From cooking to cocktails, help customers recreate the live in-restaurant experiences they crave with kits and classes that are unique to your brand.

For restaurants offering breakfast, help your customers throw a mini brunch party by offering items that could include a pancake decorating kit, a DIY Bloody Mary bar or hosting an omelet-making class. Or leverage weekly occasions like taco night with DIY taco kits, nacho bar ingredients or a how-to video on easy at-home margaritas.

Whichever offering aligns with your brand, be sure to share your expertise on how to prepare signature recipes. Even Chipotle recently shared their coveted guacamole recipe. Start with live virtual classes from your in-house chef, or go a step further by providing all the fresh ingredients and hosting a live Q&A—like fresh dough and tips to get the best homemade pizza from a conventional oven.

DINING FROM A DISTANCE

Eating at home doesn’t have to mean eating alone. Help customers reconnect to the food and people they miss by hosting a virtual dining event. This could be offered as a flat-price ticket that includes a set menu and invite to an exclusive live broadcast. Offer several courses and a scheduled meal pickup or delivery time to help recreate the feeling of an in-restaurant dining experience. Customers can set up their dinner in front of a device and join a video call with your chefs as they introduce each course on your preferred platform.

Skype offers hosting up to 50 guests
Zoom offers 100 guests but has a 40-minute time limit (but longer times for paid accounts)
Google Hangout offers 150 guests, but only 10 can be visible at once

The dinner could also include live music from a performer, a Q&A session with the chefs or even a “thank you” bounceback offer to get customers to enjoy the experience more than once. Even consider theming these dining experiences or hosting them weekly, such as “Social Saturdays,” with limited seats to drive signups.

VIRTUAL DINNER PARTIES

For those who prefer to dine more privately with friends, help them set the mood for their virtual dinner date with custom Zoom backgrounds of your restaurant dining room. A friend group discount, drink options and several courses are also great ways to add value for a full evening of socializing. If your restaurant serves alcohol, consider a drink or cocktail hour for one of the courses with all the fresh ingredients, recipe cards and even glassware needed to craft the occasion.

And after the meal, help your customers keep the evening going with virtual entertainment. For example, Popeye’s is offering a dinner-and-movie deal that gives customers access to their Netflix account by sharing their password with proof of a meal purchase.

For a more interactive experience, help your customers enjoy a game night after dinner with a $5 gift card to Jackbox Games—which allows a group to play a variety of titles together with only one account. Or suggest social games, like Chips and Guac on Houseparty, UNO! Online or Scattegories, to your customers that are available for free in Google Play and Apple’s app store.