In a perfect world, marketing to reach college students would be easy. After all, what’s not to love about this group of people? They’re young, free from many of the burdens of everyday life, and dream of one day becoming successful.

The reality, however, is that marketing to college students can be complicated. There are a lot of factors that go into the decision-making process — such as schoolwork, social lives, and part-time jobs — that make it hard for marketers to reach them. As a result, finding ways to attract their attention is one of the marketers’ most significant challenges today.

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Don’t worry, though — there are some practical strategies suggested by an excellent essay writing company peachy essay to reach college students:

Make use of the social media

To effectively market today’s college students, you must know how to reach them best. This means understanding their habits, interests, and preferences. The best way to do this is through social media.

Social media is more important than ever if you’re trying to reach a younger audience. Millennials are highly active on social media and love to engage online with brands they like and trust.

“Social media networks have become part of most college students’ daily lives,” says David Rodeck, financial expert at Delaware Investments. “These networks provide direct connections between brands and their audiences, making it easy to share content, interact with fans and even build brand loyalty.”

If you want to reach college students, you have to be on social media platforms where they spend the most time: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. Take advantage of these platforms by posting content that your target audience will find exciting and engaging.

College students are always looking for deals and discounts, so offer exclusive promos through your social media channels. For example, Chobani offers discounts in exchange for sharing their posts on Facebook.

Market to their interests

For decades, there’s been a stereotype that college students are only concerned with fun. And while that’s not entirely true (most students do want to find jobs after graduation), they’re indeed interested in having a good time while they’re in school. Your marketing content needs to reflect this by appealing to their interests.

The best example is the campus facilities at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). By offering many student recreation and relaxation options, UNCW has created a way to reach out to their students with marketing that reflects those interests. They promote free yoga classes on the beach every Wednesday night and free trips to local destinations like Atlanta, GA. Pair this with clever copy like “Namaste on the Beach,” and you have an effective way to appeal to students.

Use cool, clever, and fun copy

Students are a pretty savvy bunch when it comes to advertising. They’ve been exposed to more ads than any generation before them, so they know how to spot a strategy that’s designed solely to get their attention rather than provide value. If you want your copywriting and advertising efforts to reach college students, they’d better be both clever and cool. Anything less will end up in the recycle bin.

College students love to laugh, so use clever copy and humour in your marketing campaigns. They respond well to humour, so use it in your advertising whenever possible. College is all about having fun and enjoying life, so convey this message in your ads as often as you can without going overboard. Use comedy to draw attention to your product or service, but don’t make it the primary focus of your ad. If it’s funny enough, it’ll speak for itself.

Social Media Contests

Social media contests are a great way to get students to engage with your business. Remember that college students often want deals and promotions, so offer them something they can’t refuse. For example, if you’re a restaurant that sells pizza by the slice, hold a “free pizza for a year” contest on Instagram. To enter, students need to take a picture of themselves enjoying your pizza and use a unique hashtag that you’ve created for the promotion.

Contests like this will get students excited about your business and encourage them to share it with all their friends and followers. And, since these contests are held on social media, you don’t need to spend much money on advertising them. Try running one weekly or monthly, so students have something to look forward to from your brand.

Offer targeted discounts

College is an expensive proposition for many students, so getting creative about ways to adjust your pricing can help them out and make you look like a bargain compared with competitors. You can offer student discounts on products or services.

If your company isn’t the type to give discounts, offering freebies or creating loyalty programs are other options.   For example, Target offers 10% off purchases to those who bring in student IDs around exam time. There’s no extra cost to Target — they already have the discounts built into their price points — but it gives them an edge against competitors like Walmart or Amazon.

Build on-campus partnerships and sponsorships

This is another effective way to reach students, even if you don’t have an on-campus physical location. Developing a relationship with the college or university where you can sponsor events and organizations will help your brand be more visible to students. Sponsoring a campus event is a great way to get your business’s name out there — especially if you can make it relevant to students’ needs or interests.

However, it’s essential to be selective when approaching colleges. First, narrow down your target audience based on the demographics of the schools you’re interested in. Next, think about how you can provide value to the school and its students. Maybe there’s a new scholarship you could offer or a mentorship program that would benefit students after graduating. You could also give back by hosting on-campus workshops where students can learn more about your industry and get career advice from you and your team.

Conclusion

The millennials are a tough nut to crack. The best marketing to reach college students might be non-conventional marketing (like word of mouth) and the use of social media (Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook). Rather than relying on traditional or mainstream practices, you have to “think outside the box” to be successful. Use these strategies to craft the best youth marketing campaign possible.