6 Marketing Traps You Can Catch Students With

Although many students might live on a shoestring budget and, thus, might have a fairly low buying power, marketing to them is still wise due to many reasons. Students make up a large piece of the modern consumer market. Thus, targeting them is a great way to build brand awareness. Also, they have a huge influence on their peers, which can help you attain more prospects with less effort. Most importantly, students are a lucrative audience because they have long-term potential as customers. By building brand loyalty with them, you can ensure that they will continue buying from you in the future as their buying power grows.

So the benefits are huge. The only issue is that hooking young people is getting harder and harder now. The good news is that it’s still possible. Read on, and we will tell you about the top six smart marketing traps that will help you drive the youngest buyers to your brand!

Focus on the Pain Points

There is no secret that finding your audience’s primary pain points is the key to driving sales and revenue. Understanding customer pain points will help you get to know your target buyers better. On top of that, it will let you realize the full potential of your marketing tactic. By aligning your efforts with the pain points of your prospects and offering them an effective solution to the most pressing problems, you can win them over with ease.

If you are targeting students, you need to first identify their core struggles. For college people, these would typically include a lack of time and motivation, lack of money, academic struggles, etc. Once you understand the pain points, pick the ones that align with your product or service to them. For example, if you are marketing a “help me write my dissertation” service, emphasize how much time and effort students can save with its help. Offer them a relevant solution that will change their lives for the better, and you will hook them.

Hop on Social Media

According to the Pew Research Center, 35% of US youth say that they are on at least one of the existing social media platforms almost constantly. This fact demonstrates the huge popularity of social media as a communication and leisure channel among students.

Since such platforms are native to young people, by leveraging channels like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and others in your marketing strategy, you can create a deeper connection with young audiences. This will help you build trust and promote your product or service in a fun and engaging way.

Team Up With Influencers

As was mentioned earlier, young people always have a significant influence on their peers. This is the primary reason why social media influencers are so popular these days. Students love watching their peers online. They draw inspiration from them, and they trust their opinions. And that’s why teaming up with influencers could be a good idea for your marketing strategy.

According to HubSpot, 50% of Millennials and 33% of Gen Z-ers trust product and service recommendations from their favorite influencers. Youth doesn’t trust that much, even recommendations from celebrities. Thus, if you want to hook young people, consider partnering with influencers they admire and use them to gain the trust of your target audience.

Offer Special Discounts and Promotions

We all know that life in college isn’t cheap. Moreover, most young people don’t have a stable source of income while in college. Due to these reasons, students are often the most budget-conscious audience. And while this can make it harder to sell to them, this factor can also be used to your benefit.

Offering special discounts and promotions is one of the most efficient ways to attract the attention of youth. The results from the SheerID survey reveal that as many as 82% of college people confirm that a 20% discount would be a tipping point for them to make a buying decision. Use this knowledge to drive young people and incentivize them to give your product or service a try.

Get Your Brand on Campus

Given the trust students have in their peers, there is no better way to catch them than to bring your brand right to them. Simply put, you need to get your brand on campus.

There are a few ways to do this. First of all, you can leverage student ambassadors. An ambassador will become the voice and face of your brand on campus. This person will make personal connections with student organizations and young people themselves to help you reach your target audience and drive their attention.

Additionally, you can display your brand on campus via special events. Organize seminars, presentations, workshops, and other events that will create buzz. This will help you showcase your product or service to prospects and get them engaged.

Focus on Your Content

According to studies, the average attention span of a student is between 10 and 15 minutes. It’s not a lot. Moreover, the span keeps decreasing every year, making it harder to grab and retain youths’ attention. The best way to overcome this issue is to deliver interactive content. This can include:

• Games;
• Quizzes;
• Polls, etc.

Such interactive content is proven to be the most engaging for young people. So you can use this as a trap to catch their attention.

Here is an extra tip. Apart from creating interactive and engaging content, be sure to make it shareable. Being digital natives, young people love to share the content they love with their peers. Thus, if you give them an opportunity to share your content, they will be able to promote your brand further and help you get better results.

The Bottom Line

Marketing to students might be uneasy. Especially if you don’t know your target audience well. However, there are many wise traps that can help you achieve your goals.

We hope you’ve learned about some of the most effective marketing tricks after reading this article till the end. Use them to get students hooked on your campaigns, build trust, and turn them into loyal buyers!