Our controversial opinion about virtual and in-person events.
For students who are in the search for a university or institution to study at, it is crucial that you not only
take advantage of recruitment fairs, but also invest in more extensive marketing strategies. This is why we
will share our opinion about virtual and in person events and how they are an integral part of an effective
marketing strategy to achieve a higher conversion rate.
You may have already heard from numerous companies and recruiters, how great virtual events are to
reach lots of people at once, tap into an international audience and give them an online experience of the
institution. All these are indeed true. A virtual or in-person fair, are just two elements of a full spectrum of
marketing and recruitment initiatives.Â
Let’s be honest: the job of a university recruiter is no longer getting students into the university. It’s getting
them to come through the doors on campus. It’s easier said than done. Most applicants have thousands of
schools to choose from, offering them a range of programs with varying packaging and brands. With so
many options at their fingertips, why should they choose us? Which leads us to the question: what is a
holistic marketing approach to international education?Â
A holistic marketing campaign encloses the entire system in which a lead or buyer persona can
participate. Therefore, it is important to take all these points on mind, so that your holistic marketing
campaign can be successful and comprehensive: Achieve good use of the brand in all communication
media, optimize search engines so that they can find you easily, generate a good experience on your
website, activate social media marketing, conduct more livestreaming, send email marketing, have an
interactive advertisement, promote higher education through current students and alumni, these are a
great testimonial to your new audience. Also, offer distance learning options and definitely do pay-per-click
advertising to reach those qualified leads.
The fair is just an excuse. Use the fair to invite students and stakeholders to engage. The main goal of the
fair is to hit attention, desire and to capture leads. Also, use the fair to show the market and potential
students how active you are and give them the opportunity to have further information about new
programs, workshops or seminars. Give them some tips regarding the application or how to access to
scholarship advise, this will capture their attention and they will also feel grateful because you have given
them the solution they were looking for. These events are very helpful and allow those who attend to take
certain actions in order to improve their decisions.
As we all know, fairs are an important part of the recruitment process. Potential students have to have
access to you and your school to get to know your institution and see if it suits their needs. Not to mention,
in your region or country there are many businesses and companies that attend fairs as well. That’s why
you have to create a unique regional campaign to promote yourself in the region during the period.
Recruitment fairs are a great way to get face-to-face time with students, then is really important to bring
the real interested, qualified or hot lead. Capture leads, way before the actual fair and then, use the fair to
do the final conversion.
There are many ways you could approach those leads but most importantly it is important to have a
purpose. If the reason for attending isn’t clear then you should be asking yourself: What can you do
differently to convert more students and increase your applications?
Event marketing has been, for many decades, a powerful channel to generate qualified leads especially in
the academic sector. The success of the conversion is in having a constant contact, before, during and
after the event; therefore, do not leave any lead without having contact with you. Bring them closer to you
either with a face-to-face attention, email, text message or a call. Remember, hot leads are all potential. .
