In the past, the major target market for new students at Regional State University in the Gulf Region was high school seniors. Recent statistics state that there will be a steady decline of high school seniors over the next ten years. Our goal at Regional State University is to develop three new market segments to fill our educational rosters. The three target segments we will focus on are 1) new graduate students, 2) transferring community college students, and 3) online students. New market strategies will focus on increasing these market segments while continuing to bolster programs to interest incoming high school students.
“For any university, marketing approaches create values among a university’s stakeholders.” (Hayes, 1993) Stakeholders include potential new students, current and past students, people in the marketplace that employ graduates and community wide financial sponsors. In order for these stakeholders to continue to promote the university and its’ programs they need to believe in what is being offered. (Hayes, 1993) No marketing strategy will be successful without the backing of important stakeholders. So who are the students that attend a university? There are basically four different types of learners that choose to get a degree beyond high school.
The four types of learners are: 1) Career learners, the students who get an education to advance in a certain career, 2) Socio-improvement learners, the students who want to improve themselves or wish to achieve certain individual goals, 3) Leisure learners, the students who are attending just to have fun and 4) Ambivalent learners, the students who are not sure why they are at university or are there because it was someone else’s desire for them to attend. (Hawes & Lewison, 2007, p. 18) These types of learners can be found in each of the market segments we are targeting. Each type of learner needs to be targeted in a different way because their reasons for attending are very different.
Targeting each type of learner requires thorough planning into what programs the university has to offer. The Career learner will be focused on the degree and programs that will help him or her get the job of his or her choice. A strong mentorship program, available internships and program diversity will interest the Career learners. The Socio-improvement learners will likely be interested in philosophy, psychology and sociology programs. There will need to be a variety of elective classes for the Leisure-learners and the classes available for the Ambivalent learners will depend on who is interested party wanting them to attend. Graduate students, online students and transfer students will fit into one or more of these types of learners.
Graduate students require a special approach. In order to attract graduate students you must target them with five steps in mind: 1) Goals must be created that are shared by each specific department offering majors and classes structured specifically for the graduate student. Teachers, staff and administrators need to work together to make the individual graduate student’s experience excellent. 2) The good and bad points of programs need to be clear cut and obvious to students. This is important so that each student is connected to their individual program setting them up for success in the workforce. 3) Setting up a program that regularly keeps in contact with alumni will help to establish great relationships which will eventually create fabulous recruiters. 4) It is important to maintain excellent mentoring opportunities and 5) It is crucial to highlight faculty and student achievements to inspire new students. (Mokhtarian, 2013, p.1-3) Graduate programs are very specific and require a more personalized approach than many undergraduate programs.
Our second market segment is transferring community college students. This is a huge population of students that is often overlooked. So many universities do not accept community college credits or feel that their education is not at the same level as a university education. It is often an untapped market that many private schools are cashing in on. Adam Brown began his education after high school at a community college. It took a while for him to be ready to work toward getting a bachelor’s degree. When he began applying many universities would not accept his previous classes at the community college. Private colleges had a very different approach and were much more willing to work with him. His job was paying the bill and they were happy to take his money. (Marcus, 2015) It would benefit Regional State University to work closer with community college students and work to bring them on board and make them part of our community.
Many private colleges are putting offices on community college campuses. They are working with the schools to parallel course requirements so that when students are ready to transfer they can move over to the new school with ease. (Marcus, 2015) This is an excellent way to recruit new students and encourage them to take appropriate classes that will transfer seamlessly. Anytime a university can make the process simpler for students and families there is a higher chance of successful transition.
The final market segment we will target is the online market. These students are not local to our school or are already full-time in the workforce. It is a tremendous market with a large population that is continually growing. Between job schedules, growing families and other obligations, online education is booming. With everything being available on the internet worldwide this is a market that should not go unnoticed.
For years universities have been marketing to the online education market. It is important to find the correct prospective students that will fit into this program. The cost and communication is important in convincing these prospective students to join our program. Surveys have been taken to figure out who these prospective students are. There are basically six types of students that desire to participate in online education. These students are mostly made up of: 1) adult learners, 60% of the students are between 25 and 49 years old, 2) female students, 3) low to middle income students earning less than $60,000 per year, 4) adults with families, 5) first-generation college students and 6) students with respectable academic grades of 3.0 or above and SAT scores over 1,000. (Effective Online)
So what makes a student want to be an online learner? There are several factors that encourage enrollment: 1) How available is the program? 2) Does the program work with the student’s schedule? 3) How much does it cost? 4) Do the student’s previous credits transfer? 5) Are the available classes relevant to the student’s current or future job and 6) Is the university reputable? (Effective Online)
“Today’s students prioritize practical outcomes.”(Four Leading, 2014, p.4) With a decline in high school students it is vital that we target other potential educational market segments. Graduate students, community college transfer students, and online students are large potential markets. The need for higher education is still prevalent. In many fields it is necessary to have a bachelor’s degree to even be considered for a position within a company. We do not want to miss out on targeting an imperative market. It is crucial that we advertise to all markets through traditional and modern marketing avenues. Today’s students Tweet, Facebook, and Twitter but many parents are still tied to brochures and college visits. We should never give up appealing to the high school student market but it is time to reach out and bring in the new market segments.
References
Effective Online Marketing and Recruiting Strategies. HR Hanover Research. http://www.hanoverresearch.com/insights/effective-marketing-and-recruiting-strategies/?i=higher-education
Four Leading Strategies to Identify, Attract, Engage and Enroll the Right Students. (2014) Washington, DC. http://www.blackboard.com
Hawes, M. & Lewison, M. (2007). Student Target Marketing Strategies for Universities: Journal of College Admission. http://www.NACACNET.ORG
Hayes, T.J. (1993). Image and the University, Journal of Marketing for Higher
Education, 4 (Issue 1/2), 423-425.
Marcus, J. (2015). Private Colleges Target Community College Grads: US News and World Report. http://www.usnews.com/news/college-of-tomorrow/articles/2015/05/27/private-colleges-target-community-college-grads
Mokhtarian, K. (2013). Graduate Student Recruitment and Retention: A Relationship Building Approach. http://www.evolllution.com/opinions/graduate-student-recruitment-and-retention-a-relationship-building-approach
