how to effectively reach students with content...
TRANSCRIPT
How to Effectively Reach Students
with Content Marketing
January 15, 2020
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1. Intro
2. What Worked in 2019
3. Best Practices
4. What’s to Come
5. Q & A
Agenda
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The SchoolFinder Group is a platform of websites designed to help students find schools, scholarships and careers. There are 1 million registered students in the database. Roughly a third of all students going on to post-secondary schools from high school are using the platform.
We work with about 100 educational and other organizations to find and recruit students. In a given year, we send over 5 million emails to the community.
The SchoolFinder Group Overview
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What Worked in 2019
Posts Increased, Average Views Have Narrowed
• In our second full year with Discover SEO has helped double the number of posts viewed
• In 2019 the number of posts increased by 23%
• The average number of views has declined with the volume and focus – long tail effect
SchoolFinder Group Platform - Discover Content
2018 2019 % Change
Posts Viewed 1,417 2,834 100%
Total Views 787,920 803,863 2%
Average Views / Post 556 284 -49%
Posts Created in Year 335 413 23%
Total Views 238,021 263,222 11%
Average Views / Post 711 637 -10%
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What Worked in 2019
Performance by Post Type
• Scholarships and financing articles are strongest
• Program articles also do well
• Most material is around schools, and that higher volume affects average views
Row Labels Sum of Total Views Count of Article Name Average of Total Views
Scholarship 50,552 44 1,149
Program 15,497 23 674
Career 17,935 36 498
School 121,759 300 406
Grand Total 205,743 403 511
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What Worked in 2019
Top 20 Scholarship Articles of 2019
1. Scholarship Application Checklist
2. Scholarships are Possible: Conquer your
Scholarship Fears
3. Searching for Scholarships
4. How to Read a Scholarship Application: Why
you should read the fine print
5. Why You Need to Schedule Time to Find
Scholarships
6. You Must Follow Directions to Win Scholarships
7. Six Reasons Why Scholarships Might Not Be As
Competitive As You Think
8. 5 Ways to Pay for College (Besides Student
Loans)
9. Scholarship Winners: Bill 7 Award for LGBTQ+
Community
10. How to Get a Great Scholarship Reference, part
1: Who to Ask
11. How to Get a Great Scholarship Reference, part
2: How and When to Ask
12. Social Media and Scholarships: The Good, the
Bad, and the Ugly
13. Cost of Living in the Top Five Countries for
International Students
14. The Cost of Living in 3 Major Canadian Cities
15. AC Tuition Contest: You Can't Win if You Don't
Try
16. How to Pay for Your MBA
17. Financing Futures Through Scholarships
18. How to Save and Make Money as a Student!
19. International Scholarships at York University
20. Finding Scholarships to Study Abroad
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What Worked in 2019
Top 20 Program Articles of 20191. Accelerated Nursing Programs in Canada
2. How Did You Choose Your Program?
3. The Benefits of a Pre-University Program at Kells
Academy
4. 2020 Maclean's University Rankings:
Engineering Programs
5. The Explore and Odyssey Program - Affordable
Travel
6. Is a Co-op Program For You?
7. 2020 Maclean's University Rankings: Education
Programs
8. How to Choose Your Program
9. 2020 Maclean's University Rankings: Psychology
Programs
10. 2020 Maclean's University Rankings: Computer
Science Programs
11. 2020 Maclean's University Rankings:
Mathematics Programs
12. Passionate About the Environment? These
Programs Are For You
13. Taking an Online Program? Read This First.
14. 2020 Maclean's University Rankings: Business
Programs
15. The UNB English Language Programme
16. Some Cool Programs Offered at Humber
College
17. 2020 Maclean's University Rankings: Biology
Programs
18. 2020 Maclean's University Rankings:
Environmental Science Programs
19. 2020 Maclean's University Rankings: Nursing
Programs
20. Earn Your Master's and a Salary with an
Integrated Placement Program
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What Worked in 2019
Top 20 Career Articles of 2019
1. What's the Best City in Canada to Live and
Work for Youth?
2. 5 Careers for 2020 and Beyond
3. 5 Ways to Make a Great First Impression
4. Work Opportunities for International Students
5. LinkedIn Tip Sheet
6. Work-Integrated Learning: WIL You or Won't
You?
7. Build a Great Career Using PHD
8. Work Opportunities for International Students
9. 4 Steps to Secure a Summer Job
10. How to Change Your Life in 40 Volunteer Hours
or Less
11. RBC launches Upskill™: Explore a World of
Career Possibilities
12. The Semester has Started. Are You Considering
Working?
13. Student and Grad Resume Tips to Win the
Interview
14. Landing More Interviews and Job Offers
15. Hit Paydirt With These Lucrative Student
Summer Jobs!
16. Here's How to Handle Curveball Questions Like
a Pro
17. Build Your Resume and Portfolio
18. Ten Job Search Tips For Recent Grads From RBC
Recruitment
19. Five Ways to Enhance Your Career While Still in
School
20. Meet Jess, a University Graduate Looking for a
Career
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What Worked in 2019
Top 20 School Articles of 2019
1. International Women's Day 2019
2. 2019 Maclean's University Ranking Results -
Medical and Doctoral Schools
3. 3 Steps to Take in Grade 11 to Prepare for
University
4. Prepare to Study in Canada and York University
5. How to De-stress with Dogs and Cats
6. 5 Things You Need to Figure Out Before
Coming to Canada
7. Top Tips from Students for Choosing a
University
8. 2019 Maclean's University Ranking Results -
Primarily Undergraduate Schools
9. 5 Tips for Surviving Frosh Week
10. Applying to an Ontario University as an
International Student
11. When Should You Submit Your University
Application?
12. Things I Wish I Knew About Canadian
Professors
13. According to Harvard, a Gap Year is a Good
Thing
14. What Will You Be When You Grow Up?
15. Join the Conversation About Mental Health -
Bell Let's Talk Day
16. Personal Statement Dos and Don'ts
17. Advice for First Year From Those Who've Been
There
18. Studying and Living in Canada
19. How To Quickly Increase Your English Fluency
20. Dear First Year Self: V1 [VIDEO]
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What Worked in 2019
Content Takeaways
• More scholarship and program related content
• Consider Maclean’s and other rankings
• Use numbered lists or checklists
• Look for opportunities for content using sites such as wordtracker.com
• Titles that reflect actual search queries using sites such as answerthepublic.com
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What Worked in 2019
Top 20 Contributors in 2019
1. York University
2. University of Waterloo
3. RBC
4. Algonquin College
5. Redeemer University College
6. Vancouver Island University
7. Canadore College
8. Briercrest College
9. Middlesex University
10. University of Calgary
11. Western University
12. Carleton University
13. University of Regina
14. Olds College
15. Ulster University
16. George Brown College
17. mycampusGPS
18. Humber College Institute of
Technology & Advanced
Learning
19. Brock University
20. SAIT
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What Worked in 2019
Top 20 Contributors by Average Views in 2019
1. Unlock your Future
2. mycampusGPS
3. Bill 7
4. Conestoga College
5. Class Afloat™
6. Kells Academy
7. RBC
8. Pearson Publishing
9. St. Margaret's School
10. University of Waterloo
11. George Brown College
12. Carleton University
13. Edge Hill University
14. Western University
15. eLoft Careers
16. University of Alberta
17. York University
18. University of Northern British
Columbia
19. Nipissing University
20. Algonquin College
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What Worked in 2019
Content Distribution
• Discover section
• Site targeting
• Dashboard
• Main page
• Newsletter
• SEO
• Discover article emails
• Social posts
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Content Marketing: Best Practices
Overview
Inverted pyramid structure
• Broad, wide-reaching part on top: title & image
• As readers funnel toward the tip, get more specific & granular
• At the tip, specifics about how you can help, with your CTA
• Evergreen content is not time-sensitive, and will be relevant throughout the year
• Thematic content is short-term, targeted seasonally
Copy
Title
CTA
Broad, attention-grabbing
Specific, targeted
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Content Marketing: Best Practices
1. Planning
Set objectives
• Identify what you want to accomplish
• Research and understand your audience
Identify audience's challenges
• What would students wonder about?
• Provide guidance and support
• Uncover solutions to your audience's problems
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Content Marketing: Best Practices
1. Planning
Identify keywords
• Boost SEO with targeted keywords
• Google Trends, AnswerthePublic, WordTracker, KeywordDiscovery, Alexa Analysis
• Find specific phrases & keyword combos that users actually search
Be aspirational
• Show your audience what their future could be like and how you can help them get there
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Content Marketing: Best Practices
2. Writing
Help, don't sell
• Content marketing is relationship building
• Students are casual; adapt your tone to be conversational
• Use the second person, addressing the reader directly
• Break up the flow using lots of white space, bulleted lists, subheadings, and in-line images
• Most users are on mobile, so easy scannability is important
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Content Marketing: Best Practices
3. Tracking
Check your metrics
• The SFG platform tracks article views
• You can track clicks using UTMs, bit.ly, etc.
• Use results to determine future content
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There will be 4 main trends coming in 2020 and beyond:
1. Emphasis on Social Media
2. Content that Connects
3. Video’s Staying Power
4. Screenless Searching
What’s Coming in 2020
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• The average 16-24 year old spends more than 3 hours engaging with social networks during a typical day.
• 75% of 18-24 year-olds use Instagram
• On average, 3/4 of users check their social media on a daily basis
1. Emphasis on Social Media
Sources: https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2019/01/how-much-time-do-people-spend-social-media-infographic.htmlhttps://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/10/share-of-u-s-adults-using-social-media-including-facebook-is-mostly-unchanged-since-2018/
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Social Media Demographics
Source: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/
• 51% of 13-17 year-olds use
Instagram and 81% of 18-29 year-
olds
• 72% of 13-17 year-olds use
Instagram and 64% of 18-29 year-
olds
• For these demographics,
Instagram seems to be the most
popular platform
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“As brands try to improve the quality of their content and the ways they engage with their communities,
they’ll work harder to represent diverse voices…Whether written, visual, audio, or event-oriented, content thrives when it includes fresh, thoughtful, and compelling perspectives that reflect all the
different communities they serve.”
2. Create Compelling Content
Sources: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2019/12/content-marketing-predictions-2020/
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• Instead of blasting marketing speak, focus on content that is conversational and personalized
• Write content the same way you would speak in person with a friend or colleague
• Focus on storytelling tactics that will resonate with readers
2. Create Compelling Content
Sources: https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/marketing-through-social-media/
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• Due to saturation of content, write on niche topics to draw in a specific consumer that will stay loyal to your brand
• Give writers autonomy over their writing and allow content that isn’t “fully polished”
Customized & Conversational
Sources: https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/content-marketing-trends/
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2019/12/content-marketing-predictions-2020/
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• Across a variety of platforms, videos receive more engagement and higher retention rates
• Tweets with video receive 10x more engagement than those without
• The average user spends 88% more time on a site with video
• Millennials prefer videos for making decisions over other types of content
3. Video’s Staying Power
Sources: https://www.coredna.com/blogs/content-marketing-trends
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/video-marketing-statistics-for-2020-infographic/566099/
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• Keep it engaging but short – 60% of viewers stop watching after the 2 minute mark
• Video is relatable – people watch it, learn from it, then take action
• Video doesn’t have to be fully polished –emphasis on removing the “perfection filter”
Video is Relatable
Sources: https://www.oberlo.ca/blog/video-marketing-statistics
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2019/12/content-marketing-predictions-2020/
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• Due to the adaptive nature of machine learning, voice searching is on the rise
• Voice search accounts for 20% of all searches
• Optimize content for voice searching purposes – how we speak is often not how we write
4. Screenless Searching
https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/content-marketing-trends/
https://www.dbswebsite.com/blog/trends-in-voice-search/
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Voice Searching Popularity
Source: https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/voice-assistants.html
59% of 18-24 year-olds use voice-enabled devices on a daily basis
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• Almost 20% of voice searches are triggered by 25 keywords
• “How”, “what”, and “best” remain the most popular keywords
• Adapt content to read the way a student would speak
Voice Search Keywords
Source: https://www.dialogtech.com/blog/voice-search-statistics/
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What’s Coming to SchoolFinder Group
Calls to Action
Create a strong Call to Action (CTA)
• Relate this directly to your goal
• Make the CTA clear, unambiguous, and irresistible
• Consider a coloured button or clickable image to draw eyeballs
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What’s Coming to SchoolFinder Group
Discover Content Emails
This includes distributing content to students by email via a Drip or Nurture campaign.
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We’re Here to Help
Content marketing can be difficult to craft. Remember that we’re here to help you. Reach out for advice, to ask questions, or to request an article written on your behalf.
Useful Resources:
• The SchoolFinder Content Calendar
• The StudyinCanada Content Calendar
• Google Trends or Search Console
• The SchoolFinder Group Resources Page
