College fair marketing
Preparing for college fairs should be a top goal for any admissions group. Questions that need to be answered:
How to get students to visit your booth?
Do you have a cohesive marketing approach in your booth design. Tablecloths with logos, eye catching banners for displaying information about your school, literature to hand out explaining how to enroll. All important details for excellent college fair marketing. Also consider a promotional item to give away. Promotional items can increase traffic, help students remember your school more effectively and advertise to their friends as well.
What pitches work for high school students? You have the students attention, now how do you close the deal. Pay attention to your school pitches to a potential new student. fIs the body language positive, do they pay attention, ask questions back. Try several approaches and see what works best. It’s college fair marketing 101 to try different sales techniques.
What academic programs set your school apart? Not only do you want to attract high numbers but you want the students that fit best with the strengths your school has built into the curriculum. Have a strong nursing program, find the students who are interested in helping people.
How can you be memorable to both parents and students when they sit down to pick a college. Did you explain your college strengths in a thoughtful and effective manner. Did you explain the financial aid process and offer help in getting the funding necessary to pay for college. Is there a family connection to the area or the school? Did you give them a promotional item to advertise your college to the student. Promotional items are a proven way to help people remember your organization. Drawstring bags are inexpensive and useful. A drawstring bag on the back of a student can advertise your school to their friends as well. It’s all part of a total approach to college fair marketing.
The internet is usually the first point of contact with colleges and universities. However, college fairs can still be an excellent way for marketing to students during their discovery process. Especially for smaller schools, college fairs present an excellent opportunity to gain extra exposure and differentiate themselves from competitors. Use your admission staff to make a pitch to these students to come to your school. By giving high school students direct access to knowledgeable admissions staff, college fairs provide a excellent face-to-face communication experience that is simply not available online.
