Inbound Marketing is a critical approach as schools re-emerge into a highly competitive marketplace.  Whether your marketing/communications team is doing this on their own in-house or getting some outside support, you'll learn some valuable takeaways you can use right away in your recruitment practice. Let us walk you through the pro-level tactics that our content teams apply every day for schools around the world!

1. Inbound Marketing:
Advanced Tactics to
Take Your School
to the Pro Level

2. Today’s Presentation
➛ Inbound Marketing
Basics vs. Advanced
➛ The “Pro” Approach
Planning, Timing, Content
➛ Inbound & SEO as One
Keywords, Website, CTAs, etc.
➛ Branded vs. Non-branded
Keywords & Competitive Analysis
➛ “Pro” Measurement Metrics

3. Inbound Marketing: The Basics
● Create Content & send
it out with links to drive
traffic INBOUND
to your website
● Get your audience in
your house
● Supply content that is
relevant & useful
● Develop trust & loyalty
Boosted
Posts
Blogs

4. Inbound Marketing: The Basics
Boosted
Posts
Blogs
● Building links to your
website improves SEO
● Research keywords that
rank highest in your
category
● Place keywords in titles,
tags, metadata of your
website pages
● Place keywords in your blog
titles and text
● Create Content & send
it out with links to drive
traffic INBOUND
to your website
● Get your audience in
your house
● Supply content that is
relevant & useful
● Develop trust & loyalty
Boosted
Posts
Blogs

5. ● School Objectives
○ Why do we want to improve our digital marketing presence?
○ What do we want to achieve?
● Self-Evaluation
○ Are we far off from where we want to be?
○ What’s already working and what is not?
● Competitor Analysis
Defining Opportunities

6. How to gauge success?
Defining Opportunities: School Objectives
Likes /
Shares
Enquiries
Page
visits
Subscribers
Forms
Submitted
Visit
Duration
Cost per
Acquisition
Website
Engagement
Anecdotal
evidence
Cost per
Lead
Improve
awareness

7. In order to evaluate your current presence, you can consider the following areas:
Attempt to determine where you feel your strengths and weaknesses lie.
1. Website Quality and User Experience (UX)
2. Content Marketing (page content, blogging, social media, etc.)
3. Social Media Marketing
4. Competitor Analysis
Defining Opportunities: Self-Evaluation

8. Defining Opportunities: Self-Evaluation
Website Quality & UX
● Is our site informative and useful?
● Is it easy for visitors to find what they are
looking for?
● Is website design template clear, and is
the next step for the potential student
made obvious?
● Are we inviting them to engage through
Calls To Action (CTA)?

9. Defining Opportunities: Self-Evaluation
Website Quality & UX
Course Listings Course information
Ok, so
what now?

10. Defining Opportunities: Self-Evaluation
Website Quality & UX
Depth of
information
Being visually
appealing vs.

11. Helpful in understanding
attention levels of visitors
Defining Opportunities: Self-Evaluation
Website Quality & UX

12. Helpful in understanding
attention levels of visitors
Defining Opportunities: Self-Evaluation
Website Quality & UX
PRO

13. Defining Opportunities: Self-Evaluation
Content Marketing

14. Defining Opportunities: Self-Evaluation
SEO Keywords
Is our content up to date,
and using relevant keywords
throughout?

15. Writing Topical Headlines for SEO
➛Use your keywords list at the start to define
the scope of the piece
Writing Content (copy & blogs) for SEO
1.Put your keyword list away for now
2.Write your content
3.Then check if your keywords are visible
4.If not, try to work them in
Defining Opportunities: Self-Evaluation
SEO Keywords
Use Google Search Console to
understand keyword usage
PRO

16. Branded vs. Non-branded Keywords
BRANDED NON -BRANDED
➛ School Name
➛ School Name University/
College
➛ School Name City
➛ School Name State/Region
➛ School Name MBA
➛ School Name Degree
➛ School Name English
➛ Undergraduate
➛ Bachelors
➛ Graduate
➛ Masters
➛ Engineering or Nursing or MBA
➛ Professional Development
➛ Continuing Studies
➛ Learn English for Business
PRO

17. Poll #1
How do you measure up?
Define your Objectives & Opportunities
Measure Website Quality UX
Define & Place SEO Keywords
READY
NEEDS WORK
ALMOST THERE

18. Reach your audience on their schedule,
not yours
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
CONTENT
ENROLLMENT
Content Creation: Scheduling All Year Long

19. JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
CONTENT
ENROLLMENT
Content Creation: Scheduling All Year Long
Awareness Consideration Enrollment
Decision
Reach your audience on their schedule,
not yours

20. Use a Content Calendar for Tracking & Assigning
1) A Content Calendar assigns topics with seasonal intent & relevance
2) Assign which staff will create & update each week/month

21. 1) A Content Calendar assigns topics with seasonal intent & relevance
2) Assign which staff will create & update each week/month
Use a Content Calendar for Tracking & Assigning

22. Content Creation: Advanced
News = noteworthy info about recent or
important events
●School Ranking & Recognition
●Athletics schedules & scores
●Weather-related closures
●Student resources available
BASIC
PRO

23. News = noteworthy info about recent or
important events
●School Ranking & Recognition
●Athletics schedules & scores
●Weather-related closures
●Student resources available
BASIC
Content Creation: Advanced PRO
Blog = regularly updated, written in an
informal or conversational style, delivering
information of interest and value to its
audience
●Student success stories
●Next-level Instructors
●Showcase your learning experience
●Feature student life in & out of class
●How our MBA program is unique
●Alumni attributing success to you
ADVANCED

24. Research Your Audience to Build Personas
To make your content
relevant, useful, and
shareable for your
audience …
you must research your
audience.

25. Persona Development: Background Information
“Anna” the Avid Online Learner
Background
• May be either male or female
• Aged 18-25
• May come from Southeast Asia, China, India, Central
America, or the Middle East
• May have recently moved to North America or Europe
• Will hear about (School Name) through social media or online
research

26. Persona Development: Motivations
“Anna” the Avid Online Learner
Motivations
• Is looking to improve their English skills to improve job prospects in a time of
economic uncertainty
• Mostly focused on academic outcomes, but welcomes the opportunity to meet new
people and practice English with like-minded individuals remotely
• Wants a school that has robust online learning software and qualified instructors
• Seeking a school that offers ample online resources to help students excel
remotely
Your prospective
student motivations drive
the messaging of your
digital marketing
content.

27. Persona Development: Concerns
“Anna” the Avid Online Learner
Concerns
• Nervous about the quality of instruction they’ll receive online, and whether or
not online learning will help them develop the English skills they need
• Worried about having the self-control and dedication required to complete
their course work from home
• Concerned about the ability to practice their English skills with their peers
online
Your messaging can be
focused to overcome key
barriers to booking

28. Persona Development: Key Messages
“Anna” the Avid Online Learner
Motivations
• Wants a school that has robust online
learning software and qualified instructors
Concerns
• Concerned about the ability to practice
their English skills with their peers online
All (School Name)’s online courses use a comprehensive
learning platform and are taught by qualified instructors
(School Name) boasts small online class sizes, with an
average of 6 learners per session. This allows for ample
conversational practice between students
Key Messages
PRO

29. Sharing Content via Social Media
Share on Twitter
Publish content
on your website
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Facebook

30. Boosting Your Blog Post on Social Media
Post to Your Followers
Boost to Look-alike
Audience
PRO

31. Poll #2
How many of these 3 things
does your Inbound Marketing achieve?
1.Creating Continuous Content
2.Content Calendar
3.Writing to Showcase Your School
All 3 !!
0-1
1 or 2

32. Understand
your
channels
Choose a
sensible
time frame
Measurement & Analysis: Channels

33. Some of your
channels may
have stronger
conversion rates
Measurement & Analysis: Channels PRO

34. Admin
Measurement & Analysis: Goals

35. Measurement & Analysis: Goals PRO

36. Poll #3
How many of you are
consistently measuring your
Inbound Marketing
Performance?
Yes, consistently
Um, need to
work on that
Well, periodically

37. Conclusion – Advanced Inbound Marketing
➜ Define your school’s Goals, Objectives & Opportunities
➜ Research your audience. Build a Content Strategy &
Content Calendar
➜ Create Content that speaks to your audiences &
showcases your school
➜ Add links to Social Media posts & CTAs to website.
➜ Measure & Analyse Goals in your Website Analytics

38. Get Your Inbound Consultation
Want insights into you inbound marketing efforts?
Analyze you online presence with
out marketing experts.
REQUEST AN INBOUND
MARKETING ASSESSMENT!

39. March 24, 2022
Critical KPIs
to Measure Your School’s
Digital Marketing Success
Next Webinar

40. Free Inbound Marketing Consultation
Archie Pollock
Regional Manager Europe/UK
archie@higher-education-marketing.com
Tel: +44 795 797 4939

41. Free Inbound Marketing Consultation
Scott Cross
North America Regional Manager
514-312-3968 x 117
scross@higher-education-marketing.com
Lara Chuang
North America Client Representative
514-312-3968 x 115
lara@higher-education-marketing.com