Questions

What strategies and tactics have people used to successfully launch and market apps to college students?

If you wanted to launch an app at a single school and reach as high a percentage of penetration there as possible, how would you go about it? Do you know of success stories one can learn from? Techniques, hacks, companies, organizations or other useful tools for targeting school audiences? Beyond targeting a single school, what would you do differently to target the full high school to university audience?

11answers

As far as targeting a single high school, I don't know. But, in terms of platforms this audience uses, Tumbler, Instagram, Snap Chat & Vine would be good targets.


Answered 10 years ago

This one is challenging because it really depends on what type of college student you're looking to target. A question like this is equivalent to asking, I want to target Generation Y - Ok, that's good and dandy but not everyone in Generation Y resonates with the same message or same applications. You first need to identify who it is you're looking to connect with. I don't have that answer because I don't know your product but let's say you're targeting students at a University that are studying Commerce.

For this audience, I'd start by looking at where they spend their time online & offline. University is still a very offline experience and the internet (social media, email, etc) acts as a facilitator for offline experiences and events. Commerce students are likely involved in things like Case Competitions, Guest Speakers, Networking Events and like every other student - Parties. So how would I get them interested in this app? Focus on one of the three simple motivations of a University student - Help them become made, paid or laid.

Made: Facebook penetrated University with an exclusive angle. They started at the prestige universities making people feel as if they "made it" if they were allowed on the site. I can remember people creating second university email accounts just so they could set up an account for their friends. People wanted to feel a part of it and they felt elite by the network starting without letting people in who weren't in college or university.

Paid: Why do students sign up for LinkedIn in their last year? Because they want a job when they graduate. The people on LinkedIn can possibly help them find a job or at least give them an introduction to the right person. Focusing on this story when talking to students was an easy way to onboard a student market in the early days of LinkedIn.

Laid: Tinder and Facebook both did this very well. Let's talk about Tinders approach as it's the most recent story that demonstrated how to do this right. Essentially, their co-founder approached sororities and onboarded their members. From there, she went to fraternities and told them that all of these sorority girls were on the app and they of course, signed up immediately. From there, they held parties at different campuses and invited the most influential people from the various campuses. The word spread, the app spread and success seemed overnight.

So those are the motivations.. Spend some time to dive into the early days of these apps to understand how they grew a bit more. Another app that spread like wildfire in Universities was LikeALittle. It was an app that was focused on the Laid/Made motivation. People wanted to see if they were being talked about (made) and people were trying to flirt with people anonymously (laid) - The growth of that app was magical to watch..

If you want to dive into some actual ideas for your app, give me a ring some time. Happy to help!


Answered 10 years ago

They respond really well to 1) peer group influence 2) anti establishment enticements 3)free stuff. Work these into your marketing and you will have a winner.


Answered 10 years ago

Target relevant social news and juxtapose alongside. Depending on the purpose of the app there will always be relevant social news to that niche and demographic. Make sure to enter those conversations on the relevant college platforms and you are good to go!


Answered 9 years ago

College marketing involves creative, high-impact marketing campaigns that specifically target college students, aged between 18-24. For this reason, a successful college marketing campaign is built on sound research and smart planning. Using college marketing connects brands with thousands of young consumers who are reaching a particularly important part of their lives. Research has shown that young people from the highest quintile of socioeconomic status are 50% more likely to be enrolled in college than classmates from the lowest quintile. Then consider that median earnings for young adults with bachelor’s degrees is $50,000, and it becomes apparent why it is worth marketing to these people at a young age. It would be fair to argue that just because an average college student is likely to come from a higher socioeconomic background does not guarantee that they will necessarily spend the money that they have been bequeathed from their status.
Although they have many things in common with their predecessors, such as an affinity with modern technologies, there are also some subtle differences that should be noted to target them with effective marketing. Taken as a whole group, these students are the second generation of ‘Digital Natives’. Raised in a world of mass connectivity and social media, their affinity for technology has reshaped how they engage with retail, as such they are more aware, more informed, and more empowered than any generation before them. Taking time to get inside the minds of college students is a key part of understanding how to market to them.
The move from High School to College denotes a major shift in lifestyle for the average student. The majority of students will move out of home when starting their new life at college which brings a host of new responsibilities that these young adults must learn and master if they wish to properly thrive out of the nest. Though students may have less expendable income than other groups, they still have discretionary money and are willing to spend it on brands that gain their attention and understand their values. Advertisements geared towards college students should be tailored to their values and be suitably attuned to their spending power and priorities.
Whilst the survey respondents were overall less likely to form brand attachments, they were still keen to engage with them, suggesting that a focus on creating authentic experiences could be the key to marketing to Gen Z college students. A survey conducted by HSBC highlights the multifaceted nature of a college student’s day and shows how important convenience is to this demographic. On average, a college student will spend 2.3 hours studying in class, 2.8 hours studying at home, 4 hours socialising and up to 4.2 hours a day doing paid work. Other than confirming what many parents might have already guessed related to the number of hours students actually work in a given day, these findings show just how busy a college student’s day is and demonstrates that in order for brands to get their message heard they need to find the best gap in this schedule in order for their message to be heard.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath


Answered 3 years ago

Hello, it is really good question. I need to say that when i was a student, i turned to this writers https://www.proessaywriting.com/custom-essay/. They helped me a lot with any kind of paper work. So you can do the same.


Answered 3 years ago

Hi, great question. When you create a school app, you need to distribute it to everyone. Use instagram and all possible social networks. I am currently running my educational blog https://bestessayservicesradar.com/studybay-review/ which many students use. I enjoy writing essays for kids who want to know more information and be smart.


Answered 3 years ago

You can do the following
1. Where college students most hangout/eat at peak hours not just within college but outside the college (that favorite place of students near the college) then create small sessions with permission of the place owner and give a presentation in a cool fun way about your app, food place is a great way to promote
2. Find out the largest group chat students are part of it and then make a video and share in the group it can be multiple group chats.
3. Ask teachers/lecturers to talk about your app in their classroom for 2-5 minutes, if you are comfortable and they are ready to support you.
4. 4. Go to student hostels if the college has one and with permission of authority promote your app thereby just gathering students for 5 minutes in the evening time.
All these really require effort communication and patience.


Answered 2 years ago

The key of successful marketing is in the analysis of the audience. You need to think what these students are looking for, and make your product as much comfortable for them as possible. To make it clear, I'll use an example - for example these guys https://studydriver.com/leadership/ have created free essay ideas for all the most popular topics, like for example leadership, family, books and so on, and they also have the option of buying an essay. They have analysed their audience and have made a perfect model for their business. Thats what you can call a good marketing strategy!


Answered 2 years ago

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