High school and college students are a highly fragmented audience of early adopters, and it can take time to discover which channels are the most effective for reaching them. Some students prefer to spend their time on social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat, while some prefer other avenues of entertainment, such as Discord and Twitch. The following channels are utilized by many different types of students, making them great choices to build reach for your institution and boost your lead generation efforts.
1. Netflix
OTT as a whole is an exciting location for reaching people, but right now, there is a specific opportunity for students. America’s largest streaming service just cracked down on password sharing, leaving students away from home watching their favorite shows on Netflix’s advertisement subscription tier. Netflix reported that over 5 million people have their advertisement subscription, which has more than doubled from earlier this year. If your institution is looking to target transfer students, this may be the perfect channel for you.
According to Generator Media and Analytics, “Netflix has a wealth of data on its users, including their viewing habits, demographics, and even their search histories.”
Netflix can target ads by genre, geography, and Netflix’s own daily ranking of the top 10 programs while looking to add more specific parameters like age, gender, content rating, and time of day. With the option to target audiences based on age and geography, higher education institutions will have the opportunity to target high school and college-age students within proximity to their campuses.
While prices continue to rise for each subscription tier Netflix offers, the new subscribers to the advertisement tier will continue to grow. And Netflix has inspired many, MANY other streaming services, so it is only a matter of time before other services follow suit with advertisement subscription tiers as well.
2. Quizlet
Quizlet is an online flashcard website commonly used by students. While Quizlet recently launched a subscription service, most users still use the platform for no charge, and ads pop up occasionally while studying.
As of this year, Quizlet attracts about two-thirds of all United States high school students who use it as a preferred study method. According to Quizlet’s report on their Gen Z users, Quizlet Ads supported 300 million active free users, who spent twice as much on Quizlet than the average internet site.
Starface, an acne care company producing patches to resolve breakouts, has shared its success with advertising with Quizlet to reach critical, hard-to-reach segments. Starface reached a 0.327% CTR on a branded video, 236% higher than the average benchmark. They engaged consumers age 13-17, showing that Quizlet is effective for reaching high school – age segments.
Quizlet has targeting options like high school, college intenders, and military intenders, as well as some options for reaching high achievers. Quizlet is a top-rated study tool for both high school and college-age students, making it a useful tool to reach first-time in college, transfer, and graduate audiences.
3. YouTube
According to the Pew Research Center, about 85% of U.S. high school–age students use YouTube, and 32% of those students use this platform more than any other social media platform.
YouTube bridges the gap between the different groups of students, offering a platform where all kinds of students can find content that appeals to them. Advertising your college or university on YouTube can allow you to reach the most students in your core target segment within the social media sphere.
According to YouTube Advertising, “Over 70% of viewers say that YouTube makes them more aware of new brands.”
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology has shown its success with advertising on YouTube. The University was focused on using a cost-effective media strategy to increase their website traffic to reach more students. They turned to YouTube to begin running program-specific ads and connecting them with custom-intent audiences. After two years of running their campaigns, the University found that “YouTube became their main driver of website traffic and helped lead to a 30% increase in inquiries.”
Time to Act
The time to start utilizing these hot marketing channels is now. Marketing to high school and college students is about building connections and making their journey a breeze. Find the students who truly belong on your campus before someone else does!
Sources:
- “Netflix Ads: What to Consider”
- “Netflix has launched its ad-supported tier – here’s everything we know about how the streaming giant is pitching advertisers”
- “Quizlet’s Shift to Quizlet Plus”
- “Understanding the forces shaping Gen Z’s decisions”
- “How Quizlet Ads helped Starface reach diverse Gen Z audiences”
- “Why Gen Z Learners Prefers YouTube Lessons Over Printed Books”
- “South Dakota School of Mines & Technology: This university raises awareness and drives conversions by reaching their audience on YouTube and Google Search.”
Visit our Higher Education Specialties page to read more about Steel’s Higher Education Marketing Capabilities.
Based in Austin, Texas, Steel is a full-service integrated ad agency that uses a deep understanding of how families make purchase decisions to deliver brands that families love. In close partnership with our clients, Steel unites data, technology, creativity and influence to produce more stunning growth for brands in health, education, food, government and fun that serve the American family.
By: Kaiki Dolce and Abby Paganucci
