A local college fair is a fairly complicated event to organize. You need to book a venue, get colleges on board, and also work a lot on logistics and outreach. However, one aspect you really need to focus on is the marketing and promotion.
For a college fair, you need to reach out to both parents and prospective applicants. In addition, you’ll be focusing on marketing within a certain area, so you should incorporate local marketing tips instead of just throwing content out there. Here are a few ideas to help you.
Create attractive marketing collateral
Make appealing marketing collateral using the best tools at your disposal. You should start with designing a college fair flyer, which you can use for a variety of purposes. Make sure this flyer has all the relevant details such as date, venue, timings, and top colleges.
Also make a poster that showcases the best you have to offer at your local college fair. Use templates from tools like PosterMyWall to make the process much simpler, and get the best results.
Leverage social media marketing
Create engaging content such as short videos, photos, and testimonials. These will help you get more responses from your audience and spread the word. Also incorporate hashtags into your social media marketing strategy for the best, most shareable results.
Social media is also a great platform for running contests or giveaways to boost engagement. Offer up prizes for people who interact the most with your posts and get you more followers. To get things off to a good start, run paid advertising campaigns on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This will get you access to a much wider audience, which you can sustain through organic sources.
Partner with local high schools
Local schools should be your most important target audiences, particularly the high schools in the area. Distribute your flyers and brochures to school counselors, and also have them encourage their students to drop by your event.
Organize school visits for college representatives, and also incorporate student ambassador programs. Recruit high school seniors to represent your event, and encourage their peers to come by. You should also offer incentives for schools with high attendance. These incentives can include access to special sessions, meetings with college representatives, college counseling services, and more.
Engage with local media
Local media sources can really get you access to your relevant audience. Both parents and students will be on board if you include local press in your event. So, write up press releases about the fair, participating colleges, and special events. Then, share these with as many media sources in the area as possible. Also set up radio and TV interviews with organizers or college representatives.
Offer exclusive news and access to local media outlets, and have them market your college fair in return. If there are prominent local celebrities, have them participate in special sessions as well.
Incorporate community outreach
Collaborate with local libraries, community centers, and youth organizations. This will give you access to the relevant local audience in a much more interactive manner. Also market your college fair at local events and gatherings by sharing your flyers and putting up your posters.
Before the fair, offer free workshops or seminars related to college admissions, and market them to parents and students in town. You can also have people volunteer as event ambassadors and refer people to your college fair. Give these ambassadors flyers to share around town, and also have them talk to their friends and family.
Build a solid online presence
Create a dedicated website or landing page for the fair. This should be easy to navigate and have all the information about the date, venue, timings, and registration. Also provide detailed information about participating colleges, and the programs they have to offer.
Offer online registration for attendees, and share the signup link throughout your marketing collateral. This will give you an idea about the event headcount as well. This online presence will also make it for other stakeholders to promote your college fair at their end.
Utilize email marketing
Build an email list of prospective students and parents in the area by reaching out to local schools and other directories. Then, send regular updates about the fair, participating colleges, and important dates. Make sure you follow up on your email campaigns and make your college fair sound like an unmissable event.
Offer exclusive content or discounts to subscribers, so that you can get access to a more dedicated audience for future events as well. A few days before the college fair, send out reminders, and also let people know what they can look forward to.
In conclusion, there are many ways to market your local college fair. These methods will let you run a highly successful event, and match students up with the best colleges for their requirements.