A Guide to Cookie-Less Marketing for Schools
As schools strive to attract and retain students in a competitive environment marketers are feeling the pressure. However, with the increasing concerns about privacy and data protection they're facing challenges in how they approach marketing activities. In particular, the use of cookies to collect and track data has become a major point of contention.
So, what can schools do to promote themselves effectively without relying on cookies? Here are a few strategies that can be used:
Word of Mouth
Word of mouth has always been a powerful marketing tool and it continues to be so in the digital age. Encourage current students, parents, and staff members to share their positive experiences with others in their networks. This could be through online reviews, social media posts, or simply telling friends and family about the school.
Content Marketing
Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable content to attract and retain a target audience. For schools, this could include blog posts highlighting school events, videos showcasing student activities, or e-books that offer guidance. By providing valuable information that resonates with potential students and their families, schools can build trust and establish themselves as thought leaders in the education sector.
Social Media
Social media platforms can be a great (albeit time-consuming) way for schools to connect with existing parents and audiences they're trying to attract. Schools can use these platforms to share news and updates, answer questions, and share photos and videos. By engaging with their followers and building a community, schools can build a positive reputation and drive awareness of their offerings.
Email Marketing
Email marketing can be a cost-effective way for schools to reach a large number of people in a targeted way. Schools can use email to communicate with potential students, current families, and alumni. By segmenting their email lists and tailoring their messages, schools can ensure that their emails are relevant and valuable to each recipient.
Community Engagement
Engaging with the local community is a powerful way for schools to build relationships and drive awareness. This could include hosting open houses, participating in local events, or partnering with local businesses. By demonstrating their commitment to the community, schools can establish themselves as a valuable resource and build positive relationships with local residents.
Digital Advertising
Although many digital advertisers currently rely on cookies, there are many ways in which you can target audiences without them. Programmatic advertising platforms such as Google use AI (artificial intelligence) to understand a user's intent. Rather than rely on 3rd-party cookies that look to the past, they identify a user's intent by their search terms in real-time. This contextual advertising can be used in both search and display ads. No cookies are required!
First-Party Data Capture
Last, but certainly not least, focus on capturing first-party data—the most valuable of all data. First-party data is information that your user provides to you in exchange for something that is of value to them. Partnered with first-party cookies (data that your website collects), this combination becomes even more powerful. Essential to this of course is a platform like UBIQ's AMAIS™, which can marry the two data sets together to provide key insights into your target audiences. Use these insights such as content preferences and key touchpoints to conversion to develop personalised experiences for each of your website visitors and you'll never look back! These highly accurate and relevant persona profiles can be used across all your marketing channels and activities resulting in more engaged audiences and leading to better outcomes.
By providing valuable information and engaging with your target audience, schools can build trust, establish themselves as thought leaders, and drive awareness of their offerings. By taking a privacy-conscious approach to marketing, schools can ensure that they are promoting themselves in an ethical and responsible manner whilst still achieving their goals.
