The college store site is your most valuable resource for attracting alumni, parents and fans to shop from your store. However, these groups might not actively look for your store when they want to show their support for your college. So, how can you drive alumni and the extended campus community to your college store website?
Increasing web traffic
You can increase non-student website traffic in many of the same ways you go about increasing student web traffic, such as working closely with campus departments or groups like the alumni association. With a few easy tweaks, you can optimize your eCommerce site for student and alumni shoppers. Below, we have three easy ways you can tweak what your store is already doing to also reach your extended campus community.
- SEO
Search engines are one of the main ways customers find your site. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is simply making it easier for search engines to direct the right traffic to you. One way to add those additional markers for search engines is with keywords. A keyword is a word or phrase that customers might use when looking for the types of products you sell.
With keywords, you want to be specific. Your store might sell sweatshirts, but sweatshirts as a keyword is far too broad. To narrow it down, use a longer keyword phrase like “Women’s [college name] sweatshirts.”
An easy way to help optimize your eCommerce site for alumni and community traffic is to think about the products you offer that alumni might be most interested in. How would that demographic search for merchandise differently than students? Including those differences in the keywords you use on your site will help ensure your store site appears higher in customers’ search results.
- Nostalgia
Alumni want to be reminded of their time in school and show support for their college. When you are creating social media posts, advertisements or newsletters directed toward alumni, find ways to remind them of their time in school. Sharing some old throwback pictures is a good way to spark those nostalgic memories. Or, simply consider using age-appropriate models in alumni or community marketing.
- Social Media
Just like with students, you have to know where your target demographics are. While students might not flock to Facebook, chances are you can reach a lot of parents or alumni there. Consider some targeted Facebook advertising and maybe include a throwback post or two a month just to keep your older audience engaged.
By making a few simple changes, you can bring a wider, more diverse audience to your website and better serve the entire campus community.