A year in the life of a student and the moments that matter
As we say goodbye to last year and welcome 2024, the turn of the new year brings with it a sense of renewal and opportunity. However, as marketeers we understand the importance of carefully identifying the key moments and channels worth pursuing when trying to reach your target audience. As budgets often become stretched, KPIs too, making sure that every penny is considered and spent wisely can make it difficult to know which baskets to place your eggs.
That’s why we’ve (hopefully!) done some of the leg work for you. Read on to discover the key moments within the student journey and how you can take advantage...
One of the brilliant things about student marketing is that each academic year presents a fresh opportunity to engage with students, learn from previous years and build on any brand awareness and loyalty already fostered. Each year also offers many unique moments for brands to be part of the collegiate journey, from Housing Fairs, Summer Balls, to Student Shopping events, the opportunities are endless, and that’s not even mentioning the likes of Valentines or the Mental Health Awareness Days that fill the diary.
At the heart of these university events and calendar days, is a sense of community and there’s one important question to ask yourself when planning any student based initiatives; is your brand supporting the student community and how is it positively impacting the student journey?
To successfully take part, your brand and any activity must enhance this journey and support them enough to make life long (or academic only) connections that help them to flourish into adulthood and beyond. Being present at the right times is key; whether it's through experiential activations during Refreshers week, digital OOH to coincide with SU Elections, or just being visible via sponsorship opportunities around Varsity.
It’s just as important to know the times when to take a step back. Whilst term dates differ from university to university, knowing when the end of the term is nearing, as well reading weeks and pinch points such as exam season or when loan payments may be running low, can help you to plan any activations and spend budget more strategically.
To help guide you through these key milestones, we’ve created our very own student marketing calendar, which we hope helps to inspire you and give you confidence on when to activate (and when not to!).
We’re here to guide you through the complex and unique world of student marketing, so whether you’re dipping your toe in for the first time or you're a seasoned pro, we’d love to hear more. Get in touch.
