In this blog post, you will find out practical frameworks for encouraging UGC from students and alumni in Education marketing, sourcing and using student voices to build credibility and connection.
The current shift in consumer behaviour
Trust is arguably the most valuable currency that we as marketers deal with. In a social climate laced with uncertainty and challenges, it is normal for consumers of all ages to experience a sense of distrust and high alertness towards anything that they see and interact with online, particularly branded content.
This feeling of distrust has also affected the process of decision-making: whether it is the decision to follow and engage with certain brands and institutions online, or the decision to purchase and invest in said brands, the process has transformed completely.
This shift has certainly affected institutions in the education sector. With the product and value offering at the centre of all marketing efforts being a significantly higher-risk, higher-investment and higher-involvement type of offering, educational institutions today are looking at an entirely different human understanding map of their customers.
The current human understanding map
As Phil, our CEO, explores in his book “Human First Marketing: The art of being seen, heard and remembered”, the human understanding map is the result of thorough target audience analysis, with a human-first approach at its centre.
Utilising the EMPATH framework, this new way of studying your audience allows you to peek into their emotions, behaviours, as well as their feedback and the feedback of your team who work and interact directly with them day-to-day. It is a more thorough and personal process, breaking away from the stereotypical buyer personas and analyses of the past. Extracting the most valuable information from this in-depth, wide range of sources is your guaranteed way to gain the most accurate knowledge about the audience you are targeting to engage and affect with your marketing.
Therefore, while educational institutions may have seen a straightforward picture of their target consumers up until a few years ago, now the map looks much more layered and nuanced. In education marketing, this is something that we as social experts cannot ignore and need to put the right strategies in place to adapt to.
While this may sound like a challenging transformation to implement, at Giraffe Social, we believe that we have found the way forward – the human-first framework. This new outlook can help educational institutions break away from the outdated and impersonal tactics and begin rebuilding credibility and connections in the most meaningful way possible. Here is how.
Sourcing and using UGC from Students to build credibility and connection
As part of any educational institution’s content strategy, the core principle should be creating value, amplifying your trustworthiness and engaging meaningfully with your audience. Nowadays, however, that may pose a slightly bigger challenge. With over 50% of consumers trusting other consumers’ feedback over any other form of marketing communications (source), traditional marketing tools may no longer be the right approach. Additionally, customer service, along with brand reputation and external feedback, stand as two of the main decision drivers for consumers today.
Therefore, as educational institutions, there has never been a more crucial time to reroute and begin walking in the human-first direction. In order to do that, your students should become a focal point in your marketing efforts going forward.
Incorporating student voices in your marketing output
The good news is that as an educational institution, you are most likely currently sitting on an unexplored gold mine of UGC opportunities, just waiting for you to tap into them. Here is a list of actionable ideas on how to make your students (past and present) a more prominent part of your marketing:
Student-Produced Content
Organising incentives and schemes to get students involved in the content creation process is not only massively beneficial to your strategy and one of the strongest and most authentic ways to start building relationships with your audience, but it is also a great foundation for your students’ growth and mutual exposure, both for them and your institution. An ambassador scheme can be a great way to stimulate the production of UGC, such as day-in-the-life vlogs, inspiring and motivational carousels or informative interviews.
Social Media Takeovers
Giving the opportunity of students and alumni to do regular takeovers of your owned social media channels is another simple but very effective way to incorporate UGC from students into your marketing strategy. What is more, this tactic creates a very easy and open space for engagement and relationship building between peers, all simultaneously happening on your own platforms.
Additional value-adding UGC from Students
To be an educational institution which supports and promotes the creativity of its students should always be an objective of yours. The opportunities that today’s social media presents us with are endless, and you should always aim to encourage your students’ participation in them.
For example, creating the space for a student-led podcast or online magazine is a great way of utilising UGC and leveraging students’ voices in your marketing. Such outlets are also a solid way of addressing your audience’s questions and needs, providing additional value by showcasing the culture of your institution in a much more meaningful way, having in-depth informative discussions that can boost your trustworthiness and opening the space for relationship-building and thoughtful engagement with your community.
Contests and competitions
Incentivising the sourcing of UGC from students is a guaranteed way to create a positive environment for students to express themselves and thus impact your marketing output. Organising photo, video or writing submission contests, aiming to capture the life and stories of your students and alumni, is a great way to showcase the human side of your institution and inform, as well as inspire future students.
Adding an element of competitiveness can also be a winning strategy, especially when combined with showcasing appreciation. Celebrating your students’ achievements by organising special events, award shows, and incentives will not only strengthen your institution’s bond with your community but also promote more UGC from students in response, by giving them special moments worth sharing.
With these strategies in place, you will slowly start to see the human-first transformation of your socials unfold. As that process continues, the UGC from students that you are sourcing and hosting will add an indispensable touch of personality and authenticity to your social presence, and with that, you are on the road to success.
Want to learn more about how to build and implement an extensive UGC strategy with measurable results? Make sure to check out “Human-First Marketing: The Art of Being Seen, Trusted and Remembered”.
If you are interested in finding out how Giraffe Social can transform your Educational organisation’s socials with a human-first outlook, helping you source and incorporate meaningful UGC into your marketing output, get in touch with us here.
