Introduction
If there is one challenge that universities face, it is marketing their programs to teens. But often, the universities offer programs to many other people other than teens and as such, it pays to advertise these programs. Despite the challenges of advertising universities, there are still a number of benefits that come with the move. Moreover, the ever increasing number of institutions of higher learning makes advertising universities almost a must-use tactic in order to stay competitive.
Advertising Media
Nowadays, many universities are using all possible means possible to reach out to people searching for knowledge. Some of these common means are social network sites, websites, chat forums, newspapers, magazines, journals, brochures, events and promotions and so on. The choice of advertising platform depends on the target group and the particular program being advertised. For instance, while advertising through a business magazine for a corporate program to the working class category might be very effective, using the same media to advertise for a professional course to teens might not necessarily be that effective. For the latter, the institution might be required to resort to other media like social network sites and throwing in parties.
Advantages of Advertising
The advantages of advertising universities are many and accrue to both the institution and the students. Moreover, the significance of the advantages might also depend on how effective the advertising is done. Some of these advantages include but not limited to the following:
• Proper advertising assists the students, particularly the teens in choosing programs and courses that are relevant to their careers. It is a fact that many students would love to go to university, but very few are certain on the type of course they would like to pursue. If the right information is disseminated to these students through advertising, then it greatly helps them is making informed choices.
• Advertising also helps students in planning for their courses in terms of both time and finance. Fort the working people who want to further their education through evening programs, it helps them to plan for their lessons as well as their budget. For the teens, particularly between the ages of 18 and 24, advertising helps then plan on financing their education well in advance with such plans as applying for education loans and bursaries. Planning is very crucial in university education especially for the teens. Consider the National Center for Education statics that over 18 million university and college students’ spending in the US totals to approximately #200 billion, not to mention the bottle alone accounts for 7 billion of this.
• And of course to the universities and colleges themselves, advertising helps them in showcasing their programs to the market and thereby make them stay in competition. This is particularly helpful for the very competitive and highly marketable courses as well as the online courses that they offer which boosts their intakes.
Tips and comments
There are of course many other advantages of advertising universities depending on the individual institution, circumstances and point in time. For instance, an advert about change of program timetable, or an intake goes a long way in letting the students know and adjust their time accordingly.
