Branding in Education: How to Become the Top College Choice

With the abundance of higher education options like universities, colleges, and alternative learning institutions, choosing a school or an institution can be complex. Traditional schools are learning that longevity in the industry can only take them so far. Students and parents are more open to venturing out and trying a more modern take on education.

That said, it can be difficult for schools to stand out. One way to shine a light on your school is by having strategic branding in place.

But first—we need to define higher education branding and what it entails.

It conveys how the school is a perfect fit for students in terms of education quality, student support, community, and learning environment.

Compared to businesses that are often driven by profit, schools have a different motivator in branding. Let’s take a look at how businesses and schools vary in branding.

An effective higher education brand can bring transformative changes to the lives of its students. It opens up opportunities provided by future employers and industry professionals who trust the caliber of students the school churns out.

Higher education branding addresses many pain points that schools encounter. But here are its most impactful benefits you can look forward to.

Branding Can Lead to Higher Enrollment

Higher education can be a costly investment. American students spend about $58,628 per year in private colleges and universities. Public colleges are cheaper but still have a steep amount to pay at $27,146 annually.

For this reason, prospective higher education students are picky. They would prefer to put their money into popular schools that are already tried and tested.

You can connect with high-potential students through branding. Boost awareness by running campaigns on social media and holding events with your community. If you have alumni who are influencers, consider partnering with them to talk about their experiences.

Authentic Branding Fosters Trust and Recognition

Branding means having more than a cool school mascot, uniform, or logo. It can be an effective way to foster trust and recognition—your golden ticket to success.

It makes sense. For many graduating high school students, their college choices can impact their future lives. Hence, they would opt for schools trusted by many. And if a deep emotional bond is present, they can even promote your school to friends and family.

Remember that authenticity in branding is key to having a loyal community of students, parents, and employees.

There is no single formula for establishing a successful higher education brand. But the following steps can help give you a leg up in your branding journey.

Step 1: Define Your Mission and Values

Defining your mission and values provides direction, identifying where you want to position your brand. Your mission statement refers to why your school exists. It answers questions like:

• What value can you bring to the students that other schools cannot?
• What problems does the school address?
• Does your mission statement resonate with your target audience?

For example, MIT’s mission statement says, “The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.”

Brand values are the beliefs the school holds and stands on. They guide you in every decision you make, ensuring that you abide by the set principles. They also form your identity.

Some of these values you may embody are honesty, responsibility, a sense of belongingness, respect, and aspiration.

Step 2: Know Your Competition

There are about 6,000 colleges across the United States. That’s a huge amount of schools competing in the same space. So, how can you have a leg up in the competition? By mastering your competitors like the back of your hand.

Introducing competitive analysis, a process that deep dives into the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors to identify gaps your brand could fill.

Look up their offerings—academic and extracurricular. Find out what support they provide for students and graduates. Evaluate their branding strategies and see if they meet expectations. Trend report analysis can be useful too. By having a deep understanding of your competitors, you can unlock opportunities for your school.

Step 3: Identify Your USP

USP or Unique Selling Proposition is what sets you apart from other schools. A university might be known for its highly successful accounting curriculum, where 98 percent of graduates become certified public accountants. Or consider highlighting top-notch faculties and facilities.

A strong USP is specific and adds value to the consumers. It explores unique solutions the school offers to alleviate major pain points. When defining your USP, make sure it is clear and concise.

Step 4: Create an On-Brand Visual Identity

After crafting your mission and values, researching the market and your competitors, and identifying your USP, it's time to create a visual identity.

Your visual identity plays a key role in your branding. It shapes the perception of people when they engage with your brand. It also influences your brand value. As the adage goes, “First impression lasts.”

That said, be thorough and align your creative decisions with your mission, values, personality, and brand message. It also helps to have a team of branding experts to guide you.

A visual identity includes your logo, color palette, fonts, images, and illustrations. Most universities, if not all, are highly recognized by their logos. So, make sure that it is memorable, unique, and resonates with your audience if you want an A+ from them.

Step 5: Choose Your Platforms Accordingly

There are many offline and digital marketing platforms to choose from. But while you may want to be visible everywhere, this could risk spreading your resources too thin and wasting them entirely.

To optimize your branding, understand how each platform can serve your branding purpose. Experiment and combine platforms for each audience segment.

For example, you can run brand campaigns on Instagram and TikTok. These two social media platforms are great for targeting millennials and Gen Zs because they cater to users between 18 and 34 years old. Parents may respond better to email marketing, events, and search engine ads.

Having a school website is also extremely valuable. An interactive website and landing pages can be vital in optimizing the school experience you want to provide. Add free resources they can learn from, engaging videos, and a chat feature with your student support team.

Remember to personalize your platform choice based on audience interaction, needs, and interests.

Step 6: Map Out Your Content Plan

Branding is a never-ending process that requires tedious work. Make every effort count when you create a content plan.

The content plan maps out every activity you want to promote in a clear and organized manner. It allows you to prioritize tasks and monitor your performance. In effect, you become more efficient in implementing marketing campaigns.

Step 7: Implement, Analyze, and Evolve to Changes!

It’s time to breathe life into your university marketing strategy and let your school shine! But wait, there’s more.

Implementing is just half of the branding journey. Your next step is to track performance on every platform and gather information.

Your best resource for feedback and data is your online and offline community. Open forums and integrate chat and feedback features. Use social media listening tools to learn what people think about your school. See if they are satisfied with your offerings and identify areas for growth.

Being adaptive to the needs of your audience is vital to successful branding. Keep an open mind. Don’t be afraid to experiment when implementing appropriate changes. But remember to always stay true to your school’s brand identity.

Before we end this article, here are more gems to help you get started in your branding journey.

Don’t Forget the Parents

While it’s the students you want to attract to attend your school, parents influence their decisions, too. A survey done by EAB showed that 48 percent of the respondents identified their parents as the top influencers when choosing colleges. So, don’t forget the parents when mapping out your branding strategy.

Conduct market research to identify their expectations, needs, and interests. It could help you create a multi-channel approach to increase engagement and move them in their journey.

For instance, since most parents prefer email when communicating with schools, consider email marketing strategies. You can also entice them to avail of free consultation online or in person so your team can answer their concerns directly.

When targeting parents and students, a personalized approach goes a long way in proving you have their best interest!

Maintain Consistency Across Branding Elements

If you want to optimize brand recognition and improve your brand value, you must be consistent in your branding.

Stick to a uniform color palette, fonts, images, illustrations, and more in your visuals. Your brand messaging and other communication tools should also follow your set brand tone and voice. Ensuring consistency is not easy. Hence, having a brand guideline and an asset management tool is vital.

A brand guideline is a set of rules your school can follow to ensure the proper use of brand elements when communicating. A brand asset management tool provides storage or access to all your creative elements.

The more consistent you are in branding, the easier it gets for your market to recognize you. Take Nike, for example. A glimpse of the swoosh logo immediately brings the brand to the minds of many.

Stay Authentic and Transparent

Younger millennials and Gen Z highly value authenticity and transparency. They hold brands accountable, expecting them to be honest and ethical in running their companies.

That said, be honest when presenting information, especially your outcomes report. It is also important to align your branding with your set values.

A good example is championing diversity, inclusivity, freedom of speech, compassion, and quality education. These values create a harmonious relationship and deep trust within your school’s community.

Invest in Video Content

Video content is booming. Just look at the amount of views and uploaded reels on TikTok and Instagram. In a survey done by Lemonlight, 79 percent of the respondents expressed satisfaction when watching videos from brands.

Many people prefer video as it is easy to consume. It requires less effort and actually produces a higher retention rate of information, which is great for educating your prospective audience.

Indiana University shares a day-in-the-life video on TikTok to show what students can expect. The school also uses the platform to commemorate important moments like graduations.

@iubloomington

Want to be Hoosier? Here’s a day in the life!

♬ original sound - Indiana University

With on-trend, engaging video content, the brand has effectively increased traffic to its page and piqued the interest of prospective students.

Adopt a Student-Centered Approach

College life can be tedious and isolating. While rigorous education can shape the best professionals, schools need to help maintain a healthy balance in the student’s academic life.

A student- or learner-centered approach means customizing the brand experience with the needs of students in mind. It creates a culture that protects the well-being of those within it.

For example, you can introduce accessible certificate programs that many students can take online to supplement their degrees. You can also host events and workshops to hone their soft skills before entering the job market.

The above strategies address the need of students to learn skills and access opportunities that can future-proof their careers. It also improves retention among current students and encourages positive interaction within the community.

Brush Up On Your Lingo!

If you want to be understood, speak your audience's language. Learn and use day-to-day slang in your content. Just don’t overdo it. Cringe.

Use ‘glow up’ instead of transformation. Or ‘fam’ instead of ‘bro.’ Some Gen Z terms that are good to know include drip, high-key, CEO, and no cap.

Gen Zs and younger generations are generally more receptive to conversational tone content. It makes the interaction less pretentious and transparent. It is also a perfect way to hold their very short attention span.

Planning, strategizing, and implementing higher education branding and marketing efforts can be tedious. But the rewards you reap are all worth it.

Higher ed marketing and branding can attract students that align with your school's mission and values, increasing enrolment. It fosters trust and loyalty among your students, employees, and stakeholders.

Branding also improves communication between the school and its community. It creates a healthy and supportive culture that makes everybody feel like they belong. Finally, it can help define what makes your school unique so that you can leverage it to stand out from the competition.

Ready to let your school shine? Hire a professional branding firm and discover the best ways to achieve your desired results!