Using your school’s blog to tell your story and increase traffic

If you are looking for ways to increase traffic to your site, boost social media activity and tell your story, blogging could be your answer. Here are three ways you can use a blog to tell your story and make a huge difference in your content game.

Boost SEO

An SEO audit of your school’s website may show that one of the key areas that stores SEO-rich content is your blog (if you have one). Even if you haven’t made efforts to update it consistently, it acts as a housing area for all of the keywords and phrases people search for. Since blogs are more conversational in tone, they often include the real questions people might type into a search bar, like “Is an MBA right for me?” And if your content doesn’t include these types of questions or keywords, now’s a great time to start doing research so you can make those updates.

Without getting too technical, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) means that your site includes the keywords and phrases people search for, which will make it more likely to come up as a top result in search engines. You can either pay to do this through pay-per-click advertising or do it organically – or both. To organically make your site more valuable, you need to have both quantity and quality of content which starts with including keywords and phrases with high search volume. This brings us back to your blog. Before you write your next blog, try doing these things to make sure it is SEO rich and traffic-worthy:

Do a search of keywords and phrases on your topic. You can do this using a free or paid web listening tool, or by digging around in your own site’s google analytics.

Add relevant keywords and phrases throughout the content, while ensuring that the content reads well.

Guest bloggers increase credibility

Although your admissions and marketing team is the frontline in your recruiting process and can definitely be expert bloggers, from time to time, see if you can mix up your authors. Guest bloggers draw a varied crowd and boost the likelihood that your blog will be read and shared more widely, not just by those who frequent your website often. Guest bloggers can also offer a different perspective, objective viewpoint, or even a bit of additional notoriety to your articles. You can try using:

Alumni – High profile alums who are well known in their industry or have an interesting and successful career trajectory are ideal.

Current students – Giving a close-up view of the classroom, student activities or an internship can serve as eyes and ears for prospective students who want to know what daily life looks like.

Faculty – Highlighting faculty research or a particular class in the curriculum can give a window into the high caliber professors you have at your school.

Regardless of who you get to tell your story, make sure they have a story. And always tie their relevancy back to why they are the blog author by adding an intro for context.

Blog to tell your story

Your website has been designed to highlight your programs, benefits, outcomes and faculty. It is a formal space for prospects to visit when they can’t visit you in person. But no matter how inviting your website content is, there is no substitute for the informal conversation prospects are seeking. What’s the real story? How will I really feel when I’m on campus. Will I fit in? Will I get the job I’m looking for? Is it worth it?

Use a blog to tell your story, and address these concerns and barriers in an honest way that lends itself better to real conversations.

To focus on your blogging efforts, you can start small. Recruit a couple of guest bloggers and do some keyword research. Try adding one new blog per month and then work up to one per week. Then push anything you write out on your social platforms. Encourage sharing. You might be amazed at how quickly you start to grow your traffic just by telling your story.

GPRS is an extension of your team

If you are looking for ways to add to your digital marketing strategy with blogs, GPRS can help. Enlist a partner that can identify where you need help, offer you solutions and suggest new strategies for setting and achieving your goals. If you’re ready to start the conversation, contact GPRS today.

BY Anthony Campisi | April 15th, 2021

Finally, some good news for higher education

GMAC’s 2021 mba.com Prospective Students Survey Report has reported some great news for higher education. While the pandemic is still a major part of our lives, vaccines and dropping case numbers are giving hope after a year of uncertainty and chaos. What does this mean for the higher education industry, and your programs specifically? As prospective students are emerging from their pandemic hazes, concern about the virus is waning. Prospects are showing more interest in graduate education.

Read on to find out about recently reported trends and advice on how to communicate to your prospects amid these positive shifts in the market.

Women are on board with remote learning

While the pandemic has impacted everyone in different ways, studies show women have been disproportionally affected. While working from home, women often shoulder the additional responsibilities of managing remote learning for their kids. Many woman have put their career aspirations on hold and moved into survival mode. But restrictions are starting to loosen and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Women are starting to focus on their next steps professionally. They are considering higher education as a means to give them a boost.

According to Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC, “It is especially encouraging to find female candidates seeking advanced business degrees for career advantages despite the unique challenges and barriers they faced due to COVID-19.” But they still need flexibility. While considering graduate programs, many women say they prefer online programs. They consider them to be equivalent to in-person options as it relates to education quality, career opportunities and networking.

So how can you communicate to your female prospects during this time?

Realize prospects are looking to brush up on professional “soft skills.” Highlight your leadership development program and how it can further their skills as leaders.
Focus on how an advanced degree can make them competitive amongst peers, especially when emerging from a career shift or pause.
If your program is online or hybrid, be sure to communicate specifically and simply about the logistics of course delivery, group work, networking and opportunities to interface with client companies. Women want to know what their time commitment will be.
If your program is in-person, take the time to offer personal consultations that facilitate a two-way conversation.

International candidates prefer on-campus learning

One of the main drivers of international students’ ambitions to pursue advanced degrees is the opportunity to work and network outside their own country. According to the GMAC report, amidst the pandemic, over 70 percent of international candidates reported they still plan to continue pursuing an in-person degree experience vs. their domestic counterparts (52%). In addition, the U.S. is a top choice for students from India and Canada. There has been a small drop-off in prospects from China, which could be due to political tension and more business school programs in Asia.

So, how can you communicate to your international students during this time?

Continue to utilize the media and communication strategies you’ve used in the past. Although nothing about the past year has been “status quo,” you can rest assured your international candidates are still interested. They want to hear from you.
Enhance communications about internships, networking and job opportunities. These are the key drivers to their decision making, so be sure to highlight these.
If your program is online, let them know there are still ways to network with their cohort. They can attend recruiting events that can lead to employment opportunities in their country of choice.
If your program is in-person or hybrid, address any concerns regarding travel and living in the U.S. Ensure their comfort level with plans to study abroad.

Although this report only addresses a portion of your prospect pool, the news is encouraging. Demand for graduate education is increasing and now is the time to double down on recruiting efforts.

GPRS is an extension of your team

If you are looking for ways to update your digital marketing strategy to account for shifts in the market, GPRS can help. Enlist a partner that can identify where you need help, offer you solutions and suggest new strategies for setting and achieving your goals. If you’re ready to start the conversation, contact GPRS today.

Month: April 2021

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

Using your school’s blog to tell your story and increase traffic

Boost SEO

Guest bloggers increase credibility

Blog to tell your story

GPRS is an extension of your team

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

Finally, some good news for higher education

Women are on board with remote learning

International candidates prefer on-campus learning

GPRS is an extension of your team