Student marketing is a huge business opportunity so do not underestimate the power of a good student promotional team. There are millions of students in the UK, who collectively contribute billions of pounds to the UK economy each year. However, marketing to students requires understanding their behaviour, preferences and needs.
However, in this digital age where students have everything available, quite literally at their fingertips, student promotional teams and student-focused promotional campaigns need to do much more than simply shout about a product on a street corner! Building an effective student promotional team requires a combination of diverse skills, enthusiasm, and a deep understanding of the student demographic.
Here are 10 things that your student promotional team need to be:
Student Promotional Team Must-Haves
1. Enthusiasm and Passion
Look out for students who are already enthusiastic about your brand, products, or services. Passionate team members are more likely to engage with their peers authentically and effectively, and therefore convert bystanders into customers.
2. Communication Skills
Members of your promotional team should have strong communication skills, both verbal and written. They should be able to articulate the value proposition of your brand clearly and persuasively. They should also be able to answer any FAQs clearly and confidently to create confidence in your brand.
3. Active Social Media Presence
Consider seeking out students who are active on social media platforms and have a substantial following. A strong social media presence allows team members to amplify your brand’s message and so reach a larger audience of students. Some popular online students (or influencers) may charge you to promote your brand online or require free products/services in exchange.
4. Creativity and Innovation
Look for students who are creative and innovative in their approach to marketing and promotion. They should be able to come up with fresh ideas and strategies to capture the attention of their peers. Moreover, in promotion, it is hard to simply regurgitate a script to different people all day, so staff need to be able to think on their feet as well as outside the box to engage effectively with a diverse student population.
5. Reliability and Dependability
Furthermore, your promotional team members should be reliable and dependable. They should follow through on their commitments and be proactive in executing marketing initiatives. Push Promotions, for example, have staff on our books who have been with us for years on countless promotional campaigns. There is therefore proof of their reliability and effectiveness, so you can relax and have confidence in the success of your student promotion.
6. Ability to Work in Teams
Promotional activities often require collaboration and teamwork. So you need to look for students who can work effectively in a team environment, communicate openly, and contribute their ideas and skills to collective efforts. You definitely do not want your student promotional team to start arguing and causing a scene, thus attracting attention for all the wrong reasons.
7. Understanding of Student Culture
Your team should have a deep understanding of student culture, interests, and preferences. They should be able to tailor their marketing efforts to resonate with their peers and create meaningful connections. Having a true understanding of student culture means that conversations will be authentic and flow naturally, increasing the likelihood of your target audience actively engaging with the promotional team.
8. Networking Skills
Seek out students who have strong networking skills and can build relationships with other students, faculty members, or campus organisations. Networking allows your team to expand its reach and also leverage partnerships for promotional activities.
9. Flexibility and Adaptability
The student market can be dynamic and ever-changing. Your promotional team should be flexible and adaptable, able to pivot quickly in response to changing trends and circumstances. Tik-Tok trends and the Spotify (or Apple music if you prefer) charts change on a daily basis, so you don’t want to be caught peddling an out-dated fad.
10. Training and Support
Provide your team with the necessary training, resources, and support to succeed in their roles. This may include information such as brand history & messages, product knowledge, marketing techniques, and ongoing guidance and feedback. At Push Promotions, our clients often provide our promotional teams with a briefing pack before their shifts. This thus ensures that all student promotional teams are ready to hit the ground running at an event.
BONUS. Event Managers / Team Leaders
Finally, as a bonus consideration, think about hiring a more experienced event manager/team leader to oversee your student promotional team. They will ensure that all jobs are completed on time, that all staff know what they are doing, and act as a clear line of communication between the brand and staff on the ground. Push’s event managers are our most trusted members of staff who have worked with us for years, they therefore know how to make an event a success, and will support your less-experienced student promotional staff.
By assembling a student promotional team with these qualities and providing them with the support they need, you can effectively leverage their influence and networks to promote your brand to their peers.
Push Promotion’s Student Promotional Teams
Push Promotions has over 3000 staff members on our books who have been working on student promotional teams and related campaigns for years. We have previously worked at events such as Freshers’ Fairs, student-only events, exhibitions, conferences, and more. We have lots of staff available, for example, product demonstrators, hosts & hostesses, brand ambassadors, and more. Our staff have worked with student-popular brands such as Liverpool One and Cider Clothing, and at iconic UK venues such as the Birmingham NEC and Wembley Stadium. Moreover, read about more of our previous work here.
Finally, we have previously published other articles related to student marketing:
‘Tips & Tricks For Student Marketing’ and ‘The Power Of Freshers’ Fair Promotion’.
