India has the largest student population in the world with over 500 million people in the age bracket of 5-24 years. To tap this colossal market, UK universities have to understand the needs of students in India and add that flavour to their enrollment procedure.
Education is no longer just a part of the economy but a huge factor contributing to the growth of the economy in countries like the US and UK. It is high on their development agenda because of the revenue streams and the knowledge-based workforce international students unfold for these developed nations. The universities also benefit from having a diverse, academically proficient, and culturally rich student body and alumni.
On the other hand, with a huge necessity for higher education, varying social and economic changes, much-needed infrastructural developments, and a substantial youth population, the appetite for education has never been greater in India. A study by UNESCO stated that over three million Indian students were studying abroad in 2016, which recorded a massive 22% increase in the numbers from 2000, where only 67000 students made it abroad.
Currently, India has the largest student population in the world with over 500 million people in the age bracket of 5-24 years. To tap this colossal market, UK universities have to understand the needs of students in India and add that flavour to their enrollment procedure. In a survey done by ISS (International Student Survey), familiarity (47%) and safety (57%) were two major factors that students looked forward to from their university environment while applying abroad. These criteria can only be met with some local help and viewpoints to guide the university in creating its presence in India.
The world of education has also started understanding the meaning of creating and developing a brand. With around 993 universities in India and close to 40,000 colleges, the competition for international universities is immense. In an era of advertisements, brand building, and digital media, just having a great reputation is not enough, the universities also need to show the students that they are a good fit. The new relaxations of the four-year post-study work visa in the UK for Indian students, has also made it important to think about the kind of workforce UK would like to hire from the Indian market, and hence their involvement with the potential students at an early stage of admission is foremost to create a mark and understand the manpower they are making available to their economy.
Let us dive into the marketing strategies UK based universities would have to delve into to capture the attention of the Indian learners:
Creating a promising digital presence – The whole world has gone digital. We have around 624 million active internet users in India as of February 2021. To leverage and reach out to this mass, having a good and informative website is a must. To make sure there are enough footfalls on the website, it is always better to get local help and partner with an Indian digital marketing partner like SRV media because of their understanding of the education industry as well as their experience of working with international clients. They can easily suggest digital marketing strategies like integrated marketing and performance marketing that will generate a good buzz.
Leveraging the local media – Familiarity in the educational environment and welcoming culture is foremost to feel safe. International universities need to understand that Indian parents and students are looking for a connection that gives them an insight into how the education culture is in the UK. Using the local digital media agency and their viewpoint, the university can easily reach the local newspapers, print authored articles, press releases, webinars, alumni interviews, to raise familiarity among the potential students.
Using Social media for promotions: To get good quality applicants it is important to have an extensive digital footprint. Using social media ads and promotions helps one to target the right match and reach the maximum audience possible. The local digital media partner can help understand the values and aspirations of the students in India which may help to strategize the enrollment plan for the university. Advanced digital marketing companies use social media promotions to enhance performance marketing which quantifies the ROI by driving the leads. These leads are further used by the sales team to turn into admission, which is eventually the goal of any university.
Great experiences emerge from great synergies, and hence for a UK university to understand the Indian market thoroughly, a competent digital marketing partner like SRV media makes all the difference. SRV Media has partnered with 51 universities across the globe to assist them in repositioning their branding, fine-tuning their online presence, and have worked on their digital PR, web presence, social media branding, lead generation, and performance marketing parameters. This has resulted in higher brand value in India, better brand recall in the student community eventually leading to a higher number of applicants & admission intake from India, without any help from 3rd party agents. With a dedicated wing in education marketing, where the team has been working in this domain for over a decade, one cannot go wrong with SRV Media as their digital marketing and perception building partner in India. They even have two patents related to digital marketing and AI to their credits. The first patent titled ‘AI BASED INNOVATIVE METHOD TO SHOWCASE THE USE OF PRODUCTS’ is from the field of Computer Science and Engineering. The second patent titled ‘INTERNET OF THINGS BASED DIGITAL MARKETING’ is also from the Computer Science and Engineering domain.
If you as a university want to improve your brand awareness in India without being dependent on any high maintenance consultant then get in touch at vinay@srvmedia.com or contact us on +91-9711698821. You can schedule a 30-min brand building consultation meeting here: https://bit.ly/VinayB-UK
This article is authored by Mr. Vinay Babani, VP Marketing, SRV Media.
Disclaimer: This content is distributed by SRV Media. No HT journalist is involved in creation of this content.
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