When it comes to student marketing, where should you start? This guide will give you an overview of the different things to consider when planning a student promotional campaign, and therefore help you to get started! Students are a large and diverse demographic, varying in age, ethnicity, background, and more! This variety is one of the reasons why so many brands choose to target students. Because their target audience likely overlaps in some way with the student populace.

Firstly, Should You Even Market To Students?

Answer the following questions to see if it is really worth the time and money market to students. Are they really your potential customers?:

1. Is Your Service Of Product For A Particular Age Group

Remember, the average student is aged under 23.

2. How Expensive Is Your Service?

Although students are notoriously frivolous with money, the majority of them rely on loans, bursaries, and overdrafts to support their university life. Therefore they are unlikely to invest in something overly expensive.

3. Are You A Local Business?

Local businesses are popular at university fairs! Students want to know the local takeaways, clubs, coffee shops, etc to help make the city feel like home. If you are a larger national company, can students living in halls get your products easily delivered? Your brand needs to be physically accessible to students.

4. Will Students Actually Use Your Product Or Service?

This is the most important question! Students will not pay for something that they have no use for.

Promoting your brand at universities can lead to huge boosts in brand awareness. However, if your services are not relevant to students, it is unlikely this brand awareness will convert to actual increased sales. Therefore be smart in your student marketing and only promote products/services that are actually applicable to student life.

Secondly, How To Plan A Student Marketing Event

From our previous student marketing experience, we know all of the major considerations for such events.

1. How Much Space Do You Need?

The larger the event, the more money you will be required to pay the university, and the earlier you will need to book.

2. Where Should Your Student Marketing Event Be Located?

Good university locations include:

• The university’s Student Union (inside or out front)
• Outside the university gym/sports centre
• Outside the student library
• Or a popular green space where students go to relax and meet friends

4. Are You Offering Freebies Or Free Samples?

Marketing strategies that involve freebies are always popular, especially with students on a budget. Something as simple as free pens with your company logo on them will likely be snapped up and so increase brand awareness as they are used around campus.

4. Will You Even Be Allowed To Market Your Product/Service To Students

Some universities will not allow you to promote certain products such as tobacco or gambling. Moreover, if you are offering a service that the university itself provides (for example a gym membership) then you are a direct competitor to the university. They may not allow you to promote there at all or will charge you more for the pleasure.

5. What Time And Day Will Your Student Marketing Event Be?

Freshers Week is a perfect time for student marketing campaigns! Despite having a similar footfall, universities charge more to promote earlier in Freshers Week, so consider saving money and promoting later in the week, when there may also be less competition from other brands. Avoid the university holidays and exam periods when students are either absent or busy. University open days for prospective students are also particularly busy days.

6. What Types Of Staff Will You Require?

There are various types of promotional staff available for student marketing events. These include product sampling staff, leafleting staff, brand ambassadors, promotional models, product demonstrators, and more. Push Promotions can provide all of these and more. All of our staff are handpicked for each promotional event to ensure that they are the perfect fit for your brand. They are experienced, enthusiastic and professional.

7. Will You Utilise Social Media In Your Student Marketing?

Social media marketing is a great way to interact with tech-savvy students. Brands can pay universities to promote on their social media channels- which are usually followed by a large proportion of students, staff, and sometimes parents. Consider asking the university to advertise your marketing event on their social media beforehand. This will create hype and anticipation for your event, as well as ensure that students know where and when to find you.

8. Will You Offer Any Exclusive Student Discounts?

Students love discounts! Having a specific student discount is a great strategy to get students interested and invested in your brand. Consider offering a discount code in exchange for them signing up to your mailing list- then you can further promote to them via email marketing. I still remember my own freshers fair when Domino’s offered a multitude of student-specific deals!

9. Should You Collaborate With Student Societies?

There are hundreds of varied university societies within a single university who can be used to target specific groups of students. For example, it would be a good idea for a video game company to collaborate with a ‘gaming society’. It is a more cost-effective way of reaching their specific target audience.

After answering these questions, the next step is to contact the relevant university’s outreach team who can offer further advice.

Thirdly, Where Else Will You Find Students?

There are many other places to target students other than directly at their university campus. Other popular areas to promote to students include their halls of residence or bars/nightclubs.

Halls of residence are where students live, it is important to contact the hall wardens before attempting any publicity there, but if done effectively you can reach hundreds of students quickly. Simple ideas for promoting in student halls include putting leaflets or posters in the foyer, stairwell, or social space.

Bars, pubs, and nightclubs are often the centre of a student’s social life. Leafleting outside of popular student hot spots is therefore an effective marketing strategy, or asking the owners if you can stick up posters or leave leaflets on the bar.

Finally, How Can Push Promotions Support Your Student Marketing Event?

Push Promotions has a network of experienced staff who have supported student events for several years. We can supply staff nationwide, including promo staff, product sampling staff, leafleting staff, and product demonstrators.

We handpick our staff based on your requirements and ensure they are fully briefed and trained before your event. Moreover, we also have a 24-hour backup service, which means we can supply additional staff on the day if anyone rings in sick or it is busier than expected.

So there you have it. Some tips and tricks to consider when planning your student marketing campaign. Hopefully, this has filled your head with ideas and inspiration!

For more information about our student marketing staff check out our website or get a quick quote here.