Southern Cross University: How to Boost Enrolment of International & Out-of-State Students
How to Boost Enrolment of International & Out-of-State Students
Southern Cross University is a multi-campus university on Australia's east coast. We are proud of our reputation as a progressive institution, engaging with the communities we serve to create change that has an impact around the world.
Recruitment of international students is becoming more competitive, and in the age of the internet, prospective students have a range of possible options to choose from. Many colleges and universities are struggling to compete as they once did, largely because they aren’t making the right moves with their digital marketing strategy.
On this note, we will be showing you how we successfully tapped the Philippines for international students and how we did it.
What We Did
- Kickstarted SCU Philippines
- Social media marketing
- Website Development
- Built Lead Automations and Lead Campaigns
Challenge
Having global ambassadors for your school is a key driver of future enrollments and helps education providers spread their reach across the world, encouraging more students to come and study at your institution.
However, the rapidly evolving digital landscape is changing the game for education providers. Educators can no longer rest on their laurels if they want to attract international students. They need to be different in order to more effectively attract global student audiences through a keen focus on value-added recruitment and orientation solutions.
Strategy
In countries as large as the U.S. and Canada, it makes sense to focus recruitment efforts on a limited geographical area. Brand marketing for the entire country is difficult. However, social media and widespread internet use certainly make it more feasible to reach wider, more global audiences.
Higher education providers must adapt to remain competitive. By embracing new technologies and strategies geared towards a predominantly young, digital-savvy audience, colleges can look to stand out from the pack with innovative social marketing. The key is to concentrate on the platforms that are most effective for connecting with your target audience and creating content - in many formats - that resonates.
We can differentiate among international student audiences by focusing on recruitment solutions that provide real value for prospective new students and going beyond the degree to offer more assistance in gaining work after graduation.
Ultimately, our posts must show international students that life, within their campus, city, and country is a great fit for them. It must be more than a brand name or course on offer and look at attracting international students by sharing ethos, values, and showcasing career prospects.
Impact
We have successfully introduced and kickstarted SCU Philippines. Our efforts in digital marketing also helped in establishing the institution’s online presence and reputation. Overall the efforts made were not in vain as we have increased international enrollment of Filipinos and attracted out-of-state students to enroll at SCU. Today, we will be handling SCU India and will handle it with the same strategies, if not, even better.
It is important to remember that strategic digital marketing, institutions can connect with prospective students and influence their decisions, improving enrollment numbers as a result.