Choosing a university to study at is a monumental decision, students need to understand the course, the university and the lifestyle they can expect. One way universities can help reach students with this messaging is through Instagram Ads.
As this decision is so large, to effectively convey all the messages, it’s important to run full-funnel campaigns with awareness, consideration and conversion elements.
By implementing targeted strategies and understanding the intricacies of ad campaigns, institutions can significantly enhance their visibility and engagement. This report outlines essential steps, applicable examples, and top tips to guide universities in leveraging Instagram Ads effectively.
These 5 tips will make sure that you get the most out of your investment.
Contents
Set up your account for success
First things first: you’ll need to set up a Meta ad account to kick off your Instagram advertising. Sure, you can promote posts directly from the Instagram app, but a Meta ad account gives you way more options and better targeting to get awesome results. Universities should get familiar with this platform to make the most out of their ads.
When creating a campaign, it’s important to understand how it’s structured. There are three levels: campaign, ad set, and ads. Each level controls different parts of your strategy. Start by figuring out your goals—like getting more people to attend events or increasing applications—and then tailor your ad sets and creative content to match those goals.
Budgeting is another key piece of the puzzle. You can set your budget at the campaign level or the ad set level. It’s a good idea to use the Advantage campaign budget feature to automatically distribute funds to the ads that are performing best. This way, you ensure that your money is being spent wisely and effectively.
Create engaging content
This tip should really go without saying but it’s worth repeating! Instagram is an image-first platform, which means your content needs to be engaging, vibrant and exciting – even more so when you are including them in Instagram ads. When creating content to use in ads, create videos and images that best represent the university, including your students and your campus. The University of Birmingham have a great mix of student and campus images that they use on Instagram. Tailor the images so that they are in line with your targeting options and your Instagram ads will be more successful. Some types of ad content that help attract students:
Encourage Student Participation
- User-Generated Content: Students will want to hear from other students. Universities can initiate campaigns encouraging students to share their experiences related to campus life, events, or academics. For example, a “Day in the Life” video or carousel can help authentically showcase the university and attract new students.
Showcase Student Stories
- Feature Real Experiences: Highlighting student testimonials and stories gives prospective students relatable insights into university life. Curate these stories for use in ads, portraying a genuine snapshot of student experiences.
- Spotlight Alumni Success: Sharing content from successful alumni can be particularly compelling. Stories of graduates reaching significant milestones can resonate with prospective students, presenting the university as a pathway to success.
Amplifying Campus Events
- Capture Event Moments: Encourage attendees at events to share their experiences. These moments can be aggregated and used in ads to illustrate the vibrancy of campus life and the community spirit.
Building Community Engagement
- Encouraging Peer Connections: Universities can promote UGC that showcases students collaborating on projects or engaging in campus clubs. Highlighting these connections fosters community and encourages prospective students to imagine themselves in similar setups.
- Showcasing Diverse Perspectives: UGC from various student demographics can illustrate the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, appealing to a broader audience.
Enhancing Trust and Authenticity
- Real vs. Polished Content: UGC often feels more genuine than traditional advertising content. Universities can capitalize on this by integrating UGC that showcases authentic experiences, which can resonate more effectively with audiences.
- Transparency in Messaging: By showcasing real student content, universities convey a sense of transparency, building trust with prospective students and parents.
Target the right audience
Defining the audience is pivotal for effective engagement. Universities should identify their target market, which may include prospective students, current students, alumni, and parents. By understanding their demographics and interests, they can tailor their campaigns to resonate with these groups. For example, advertising open houses specifically to high school seniors could significantly increase event registrations.
Include a call-to-action
Sometimes people think a CTA (call to action) is only needed on a conversion ad, however, a CTA provides clear direction to your audience, telling them exactly what you want them to do next. This clarity can significantly increase engagement with your ad, whether it’s to learn more, sign up for a newsletter, or follow your social media page. Every Instagram ad should conclude with a clear and compelling call to action.
Monitor and Improve
After launching campaigns, continuous monitoring becomes essential. Universities should track performance metrics for each ad set closely, reallocating budgets towards the most effective campaigns, and experimenting with varied content until optimal engagement strategies are established.
Reach and Impressions
- Reach: This metric indicates the total number of unique users who have seen the ads. It helps assess how effectively the campaign is spreading awareness among the target audience.
- Impressions: The total number of times the ad has been displayed, regardless of whether it was clicked or not. Analyzing impressions helps understand the ad’s visibility and frequency.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
- A higher CTR indicates that the ad content is effective in prompting users to take action.
Conversion Metrics
- Conversions: Measuring the number of users who completed desired actions, such as applying for programs, registering for events, or signing up for newsletters, provides a clear indicator of campaign success.
- Cost Per Conversion (CPC): This metric measures the total cost of the ad campaign divided by the number of conversions achieved. Tracking CPC helps determine the cost-effectiveness of the advertising efforts.
Audience Insights
- Demographic Breakdown: Analyzing the demographic information of those interacting with the ads (e.g., age, gender, location) allows universities to assess if their content is reaching the intended audience.
- Follower Growth: Measuring the increase in followers during the ad campaign can indicate heightened interest in the university’s social media presence and content.
Landing Page Metrics
- Engagement Rate: The percentage of visitors who engage with the landing page. A low engagement could indicate that the landing page is not aligned with user expectations.
- Average Session Duration: Tracking how long users spend on the landing page can provide insights into engagement; longer sessions typically suggest that users find the content valuable.
Cost Metrics
- Cost Per Click (CPC): This measures the cost incurred for each click on the ad. Calculating CPC helps universities evaluate the financial efficiency of their campaigns.
- Total Ad Spend: Monitoring overall expenditure on ads assists in budget management and strategic allocation of resources towards higher-performing campaigns.
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): A higher ROAS indicates a more profitable campaign, reflecting how well ad investments generate returns.
Get Instagram advertising help
Are you in the education sector and want to know if and how you should be using social media? With many higher educational institutes now adopting social media into their digital strategy plans, social media is a hot topic. 75% of 16-21-year-olds use social media to regularly communicate, therefore, when it comes to marketing their education organisation, the education sector has a sitting target to aim at.
