Content for Adult Students: 5 Tips for More Conversion

Five Ways to Use Content for Adult Students to Drive Inquiries, Applications, and Matriculation.

As more and more schools turn to an online adult program to grow their bottom-line, a key element that will drive the efforts forward is the ongoing development of unique and relevant content for adult students.

We have shared about content on a number of levels. Everything from “52 Ways to Get Your Content Noticed” to a Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe for content marketing, our posts reflect our belief that content is king. It has been so in 2015 and will continue in the future.

Consider unique content for adult students as fuel for the marketing fire.

Identify Your Goals

Overall content for adult students should be infused with objective data and specific benefits and distinctives. Your content should include the reasons to enroll rather than just facts and course listings.

We believe focusing on the unique brand benefits and communicating clear and concise distinctives will provide the discerning adult student information that is unique to your program.

The use of additional content to educate the end user to higher education, financial aid, etc. is critical. Answer the questions users have. Use of content, videos, etc. from all sources is the right direction for all communications and marketing.

Inform Your Prospects

Provide unique content that provides the adult student with information about what is required and needed to go back to school. As this is a “non-traditional” path–most students don’t know where to start. By providing this basic education resource, your school will be a value-added option from the day one. These elements should permeate all communications…from collateral to websites, and should include clear call-to-action for ads that provide a link to a website landing page that is concise and to the point to take the prospect to the next step.

Bonus: Inbound Marketing
Create this content in an ebook that is exchanged for lead information and begin sending nurturing emails for the students.

Develop Your Consistent Content

Your content development should be based upon these ideas:

1. Identify goals for content and how it fits toward the enrollment of the student.
2. All content should be “sales” oriented and focused on taking the user to next level in the funnel.
3. Be specific and clear. Clearly state the information and use numbers and data effectively.
4. Create content maps. Leverage “7 Tips to Success,” “10 Time Management Tools,” etc. when communicating information. Users are searching for answers to their questions.
5. Keep it simple and scannable.
6. Commit to consistency and a common voice across all media.
7. Review all content for SEO opportunities.
8. Leverage various media and “memes” including text, video, audio, photos, infographics, charts, graphs, etc.

Portable and Evergreen

Content should also be created in such a way that it can be “portable” and have the ability to be leveraged across many platforms and media. An example would be the use of a video testimonial. The video may be used on landing pages for a PPC campaign, leveraged in an email newsletter, edited to be used as a commercial bumper for YouTube PPC, and part of the video quoted for print material. Look for ways to streamline your efforts across media for the most impact.

User-Generated Content

Content developed for prospective students has to happen beyond the marketing department. Look to professors, employers, mentors, and alumni to assist in developing testimonials, stories, and valuable resources. Look for ways to create content that will be conversation starters and harvest the content for marketing purposes.

With the proper content strategy, you can establish marketing materials that will help drive inquiries leading to more applications and ultimately matriculation and graduation from your adult and online programs.

Contact us to learn how we can assist you in developing a winning content strategy for your program.

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Featured image by Ivelin Radkov via Adobe Stock