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Whether your next event is going to be an open house, campus visit, alumni reception or bestowing an honorary doctorate on academy-award winner Meryl Streep, the 86th annual Academy Awards provided some event marketing ideas for colleges! Here are five ideas to give your next campus event the Hollywood treatment!
Ellen Dengeneres did an excellent job of utilizing social media during the event (with a little help from Samsung). Not only was the broadcast a perfect example of marketing through the “Second Screen,” it also had several event marketing ideas for colleges that you can do without a blockbuster budget:
There is a little known fact about the Academy Awards and the red carpet: red-carpet escorts. While these “celebrity-whisperers” have a specific job to inform and help the celebrity navigate the media, what’s not to say you can’t use the concept. Be sure that on high-impact events (donor dinners, student visit days) assign student escorts to your “celebrities.” These students can assure that your guests are where they need to be and are getting an example of your finest students. Be sure to adequately train the students and help give them tools to provide the very best experience.
While your school is not going to hand out swag bags with $85,000 worth of merchandise, be sure to consider some kind of memento for your visitors. For visit days, consider apparel or other items that have the ability to “broadcast” your name: smart t-shirts, string back-packs and others are always sure bets. Don’t forget younger siblings: have crayons and branded coloring books for them. For alumni and donors, consider higher end pens, journals, and other business related items that could be conversation starters at the office or over coffee. Even the smallest of gestures (branded mints, water bottles, and posters) can leave an impression.
The foot-tapping, infectious song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams was just one of the nominated musical numbers performed during the evening. Whatever your venue might include, be sure to use rich media content. Here are some ways to include rich media content in your event marketing ideas for colleges.
Several of the celebrities of this year’s academy awards were escorted by their mothers. Just about every prospective student will do the same. How do you engage the parents during your visit days and events? Are there separate tracks for them to answer their most pressing questions regarding campus safety, financial aid, and student support?
Don’t forget, mothers are the #1 influencer of college decisions.
Love to continue the conversation: what are additional event marketing ideas for colleges from your perspective? Add a comment below.
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