Four Proven Ways How Companies can Leave a Mark in College Campus

Creative and a functional recruitment tool are the pre-requisites of a great college advertising campaign. The entire event must be such that it can broadly capture the attention of the enrolments. Being inspiring and innovative will be a bonus!

Elaborate multichannel campaigns are common with brands these days. Reaching out to the students and by extension to their parents and prospective clients can be easily achieved with smaller-scale social media campaign. However, the college marketing companies centre their efforts mostly for towards the students who form a huge population with a high disposable income.

A recent survey showed 2/3rd of students continue using the brand they loved while college. Developing brand loyalty is no more a myth but has certain proved track records and the enterprises should focus on making proper marketing efforts to enjoy long-term returns.

To really make a splash on on-campus marketing campaign, there are some easy but trusted steps that earn credentials. Apart from enlisting the brand ambassadors from the college (that will certainly add a shine to your resume) and sponsoring student clubs, try the following ways if you want to leave a mark:

•    Giveaways and Contests

This never goes old. “Free” is the magic word. For instance, the companies which are into energy drink or breakfast bar, can give away smaller samples of their products. Shirts, hats, bags, koozies - the list is vivid if you want to create a slogan or tag with your company's name around the campus. Offering a great experience in the name of the company's brand is also an interesting option. Students, after some years into their corporate busy lives would love to quote the positive, memorable, and branded moment they experienced in marketing campaigns.

•    Campus-Exclusive Promotions

This will be a more personalized option where the companies can opt for referring to the logo, hometown, slogan, or other unique aspect of the college / school in the signage. In fact, they can also use the campus collaboration in their marketing language. Some college marketing companies go for a special discount code or offer which remains available only to the people in the campus.

•    Collaboration

There are number of ways to collaborate. Sometimes, the college campuses might be in a different place altogether from the company. With local convenience stores or similar collaborative efforts, you can extend beyond direct retail promotions.

For instance, if there is a new app for the youth, the ice cream parlor or the cafes near the college can have the logo or the bar-code set up on their poster or table tops. Club it with a BOGO offer and it can be a better deal for both shop/café and the customers.

•    Student Ambassadors

No matter whoever comes to the branding event, the student ambassadors will remain the best influencers. When you have hired a marketing team, it will definitely help in a good impression, but the students will remain. Also, a close-to person as reference who works as a faithful ambassador will yield better result than a professional team. In fact, studies show building brand trust with college students is best done with student brand ambassadors. Did you know, survey finds 92% of people like to trust their friends’ recommendations than any form of smart or traditional advertising?

Any brand will need proper multi-faceted approach for advertising to college students. Once done effectively, they will serve as a word of mouth influencer in both on- and off-campus realm.