PPC for higher education can effectively attract more students to your institution despite high competition and costs. With the right campaign, you can utilize text, display, and social media ads to reach your target audience and drive enrollment.
This blog post will also discuss the distinct forms of PPC advertising, practical suggestions and guidelines, and a successful example – Institute of Technology, Nirma University.
Types of PPC Advertising
Search Ads
Search ads are a form of text ad that is targeted on the search engine result page where users are searching for specific keywords. These ads are precise and can be placed for a specific keyword, which makes it perfect for reaching out to intending student who are potentially searching for educational programs.
Display Ads
Display ads are banners which float on any website on the World Wide Web. Such advertisements can be presented in the form of pictures, videos, and click-through content. They are well suited for increasing brand recognition and making the brand more known to the public.
Social Media Ads
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter are some of the significant social media advertising platforms that allow PPC advertising. These can be quite specific in terms of demographics, interests and behavior making them ideal for showcasing to prospective students on the networks they use.
Video Ads
The primary type of video ad is very effective and can be placed on the website such as YouTube and social networks. It is best used for telling the story of the campus, students and the message that is meant to attract the potential students.
Remarketing Ads
Remarketing ads are displayed to the users who have visited your site but did not complete the intended action or purchase. Such advertisements continually remind the potential students about your institution and prompt them to enroll.
Google Shopping Ads
Finally, for institutions providing online courses or educational products, Google Shopping ads can be of great use. These ads place your products right into Google search results so that all potential students can see what you have to offer.
How Much Does PPC Cost?
Determining the cost of a PPC campaign can be complex, as it depends on various factors such as keyword competitiveness, target audience, and overall campaign goals. To help you understand the costs associated with PPC advertising, we’ve created an informative video that breaks down the expenses and provides insights into budget optimization.
Higher Education PPC Campaign Best Practices
Seek to Meet the Needs of Your Customers
It is always important to know your audience in order to make your PPC campaign as effective as possible. Ensure you have buyer personas detailing the target students down to their demographic information, interests, and online habits. This information should help you decide what to include in the ad text, what images or messages to choose, and which targeting parameters to use.
Avoid Long Contact Forms
Long contact forms may be the major hindrance to conversion. Ensure your forms are concise, and where you have to ask for information only ask for what is necessary. This cuts down on any resistance and puts the onus on the prospective student to make the preferred action.
Understand the Conversion Funnel
The conversion funnel in higher education PPC campaigns typically consists of three stages: cognitive responses include awareness, consideration, and decision. Adopt strategies that will help in targeting the needs of potential students at different stages such as through ads and landing pages. For instance, awareness ads help the target market get acquainted with your institution while consideration ads help to focus on programs and benefits and finally decision ads help in encouraging the submission of application forms.
Leverage Ad Extensions
Ad extensions give more information and make your ads more noticed. Utilise site links, callouts, and structured snippets to give more information and require a click. It can be as simple as putting a link to the admissions page or a banner that says ‘Scholarships here’.
A/B Testing
Keep experimenting with the varied versions of ads to know which one yields the best results. A/B testing lets you see how different headlines, ad copy, images, and calls to action perform to drive results for your campaign. The idea here is to incorporate the findings from the testing phase in tweaking the strategy as the process continues.
Monitor and Optimize
Always keep an eye on your PPC campaigns and analyze the necessary changes to be made for performance optimization. Make use of trackers to monitor metrics such as CTR, conversion rate, and cost per conversion. In simple terms, optimization is the continuous process of making sure that your campaigns are always productive and efficient.
The Case Study of Institute of Technology, Nirma University Enrollment For B. Tech.
Atlas SoftWeb has immense experience when it comes to PPC for Higher Education. Our proven strategy has helped many institutes, colleges and universities increase their enrollments for various programmes as high as 7x ROAS. Here we share how we have been quite successful in implementing this initiative in our collaboration with Nirma University’s Institute of Technology.
The Challenge
B.Tech in Engineering is a highly competitive program with hundreds of schools across India offering it. As Ahmedabad emerges as a metro city with numerous colleges and universities, maintaining a strong digital presence for this program is crucial to staying ahead of the competition. The goal of this campaign was to effectively use PPC to boost enrollment while preserving the institute’s brand image.
Our Approach
Customized Strategy: To facilitate this, we created a PPC strategy that entailed search and display ads, as well as remarketing to reach the target audience – students interested in engineering programs.
Compelling Ad Copy: In the ad copy, we used attention-grabbing call-to-action statements focusing on the Nirma University differentiators including quality infrastructure, qualified faculty, and corporate relations.
Optimized Landing Pages: To reduce the amount of contact information we had on the screens and to help guide users through the application process, we set up specific landing pages with clear calls-to-action and minimal contact forms.
Continuous Monitoring and Optimization: I closely observed the campaign and made changes in real-time that would help either increase conversion rates or not hurt results.
The Results
The overall campaign went pretty well than expected therefore the admission rates for the engineering programs have been boosted by over five times. Hence, the above described strategic planning and work execution helped the institute to reach out to the right audiences, thereby producing excellent results of increased enrollment.
Get More Enrollment with Atlas PPC for Higher Education
Are you ready to boost your enrollment and build your institution’s brand? PPC for higher education is a powerful tool to achieve these goals, and Atlas SoftWeb is here to help you succeed.
At Atlas SoftWeb, we specialize in crafting customized PPC campaigns that deliver outstanding results for higher education institutions. Our expertise and dedication to client success make us the perfect partner for your PPC needs.
Contact us today to learn how our tailored PPC strategies can drive results and help you reach your enrollment goals. Let’s work together to elevate your institution’s presence and attract more students.
Don’t wait—reach out now to start your journey towards exceptional PPC results with Atlas SoftWeb!
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