Recently, a former colleague posted a gripe on Facebook illustrating a generation gap that partly explains why students aren’t buying textbooks: Of his 100-plus freshmen at a competitive southeast state school, only two knew the definition of a verb.
Need a map? Music? Guided meditation? A budget? To know which bar around you is offering the cheapest drinks? There’s an app for that. Phones have become the unnatural extension of our arms for a good reason: there is a world of information within our grasp. There is an app for almost everything imaginable, but which apps can help a college student manage their busy lives?
Text messaging, email, website, phone, mail, apps, chat, social media, advertisements, in the age of information communication shouldn’t be difficult. The many options for how we speak with one another haven’t made communication simpler. Instead, they have created a cloud of noise that is difficult to maneuver through. How can you ensure your message reaches your specific audience?
Winning the heart of today’s student means showing you care about the two things: money and career.
Topics: Marketing to Students, podcasts, Bookstore marketing
What do you think of when you think of podcasts? Coming into this, I wasn’t a fan. Really, that’s probably not a fair statement. I simply never thought about them. I didn’t understand what podcasts provided. In my mind, I equated them with a morning radio show — I’d rather listen to music. Podcasts, however, are so much more.
Connecting with nontraditional students can be a challenge. As they come and go, more disconnected from campus events than other students, your message can be lost. Many of these students have jobs, they might have kids and they are older. All of this contributes to making them feel disenfranchised on campus. Keeping this population of students in mind, here are a few ideas of how your store can engage with overlooked students.
Topics: social media, Marketing to Students
Many of the stores we work with for our weekly College Store Stories use social media platforms as essential tools in their marketing strategies — and it's easy to see why. With a customer base of avid users and the relatively low investment required to engage online, social media marketing is a great fit for any budget-minded store.
Topics: Marketing to Students, Bookstore marketing
Is your college store taking advantage of a burgeoning market on campus? If your school is anything like hundreds nationwide, it has a growing international program — and the country that dominates that pool is China.
Course materials have a vital role to play in the success of a student’s education. However, making sure students have what they need when they need it is a concern. With the growing cost of education and student financial struggles, it’s important to understand their buying habits and their preferences when looking for solutions.
Topics: Higher Ed, campus store, Marketing to Students
It’s got to be cool. It can’t be too generic. It’s got to be ultra-convenient, and, most of all, today’s college store must speak directly to the peculiar needs, tastes and lifestyle of today’s diverse student body.
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