Are you ready to help the students and communities you serve make their comeback? With Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Comeback Plan and California Community Colleges Vision for Success, you have a unique opportunity to do just that.
But setting students up for success will take more than advertising. It will require colleges to establish a culture of care and support to guide students, build their resilience, and boost their confidence.
A critical first step? Invest in the research and strategy that will make it easier for students to navigate your processes and systems and ease their educational journey. Your communities are counting on you. And they’re worth it!
Continue reading to see education trends in California, learn more about research opportunities and other recommended services for supporting students, and access free resources that can help with your planning.
California Trends
Many colleges are searching for unique ways to reach prospects, especially considering Apple’s most recent move to eliminate data tracking from key apps has made targeting audiences more difficult. This means your strategy needs to be on point when it comes to not only exploring new tactics but also getting inquiries into your enrollment funnel to conversion.
Colleges have been trying on the following tactics for size:
Data Driven Input, Strategic Output
Getting your hands on the right data is all about listening to your students and stakeholders. At Interact, we help two-year colleges obtain data through efforts like our national Media Prefs survey and conducting unique research at your colleges and in your communities. We dig our heels in deep to learn why some student populations have a longer journey, what obstacles they face, and more.
“The Media Prefs survey brought to light all the theories we had about our changing audience, and showed us that the traditional media alone wouldn’t cut it anymore.”
Everywhere and Nowhere – A Marketer’s Dilemma
Trying to get everyone on the same boat, rowing in the same direction can be a nightmare. That’s why one of the phrases we use lovingly is “we herd cats for a living.”
This is because, as a marketer, you hold an expertise, a commitment to your institution, and your college’s best interest at heart, but it can be hard to bring stakeholders into owning the marketing mission of your college.
Ultimately, your strategy comes from making decisions—decisions that marketing leaders can help inform to bring everyone into the marketing vision and engage those who matter most at your institution.
2021-22 Community College Marketing Trends Survey
Do you have the resources you need to succeed in marketing your college? Last year, we surveyed over 70 community colleges during the summer and fall of 2020 in order to learn about impacts from the pandemic, college budget cuts, and trends within urban and rural college marketing departments. Participate in this year’s survey and get exclusive access to our national data that you can use to build and shape your marketing department at your college.
Participants of this year’s survey will receive the 2021-22 survey results eBook, and have the option to request the 2020-21 edition free of charge!