How to Market to University Students

Marketing is a discipline that will initially seem quite straightforward, but it does pack some traps. Throughout this small article we will point you in the right direction on how to market to university students - so if you're a business trying to market to students or if you're a student yourself trying to get a message across, here are some sure ways to do that.

Focus on who has the real power:

If you think about it, students do decide for themselves on what to buy, what to invest, what's cool and everything you can think off - but, there's an exception we shouldn't forget, and that one is their parents. Especially as they're the ones who are usually paying the university fees and funding their child's time at university. Ultimately it's their money, we want their children to be spending.

If you think that you shouldn't spend all of your money marketing to just the students, then spare some for marketing to their parents and it may pay off.

Always remember that students will become parents one day, so don't neglect them either, as they will probably have money to spend later on.

Involvement is Key:

Students are normally young people, who are extremely dynamic when comparing to other markets. You should focus on campaigns that will trigger their involvement in some ways, and a great example is to use social media and hit the students in a way that will trigger them to respond.

Make sure to research the general market around the area of the college or colleges you're aiming for, as each location has its own quirks and needs.

Follow up with the Involvement:

If you did the last step right, you'll generate student enthusiasm and your campaign gets either noticed or viral.

Now, you just have to harness that enthusiasm and use it to get the word out there - remember that word of mouth or the so called "buzz marketing" is one of the most valuable marketing tools.

Offers, Freebies and Giveaways:

Students are not quite used to living on their own, and so we want to give you a tip - giveaways and freebies will hit the spot if you give the students something functional and that they will really need.

Merchandising is one of the most popular choices, and the branded pen is always a hit (they got to write).

These are only guidelines, not an exact method, and though we encourage you to follow these tips we also suggest that you add something new and exciting to your campaigns. Lazy marketers rarely go far, so go on and find a way to replace some ideas (like the pen gift) with your own!

Seed Marketing is the go to for student marketing for major brands looking to penetrate and engage with the student market with unrivalled access to over 2.5 million UK students.