Parent & Student Survey 2024 Edition: Most Effective Digital Marketing Channels

Digital Marketing Channels emerge as the most effective means of reaching students and parents, particularly in the realm of higher education. It’s widely understood among higher education marketers that students primarily inhabit digital spaces, forming insular communities where traditional marketing messages often go unnoticed. Despite this, many institutions allocate significant portions of their marketing budgets to mass-media and mail campaigns that fail to resonate with students. However, digital marketing avenues such as social media, digital ads, email, and digital video advertising prove to be the most influential. Interestingly, students still value “old-school” information sources, notably school counselors, who play a significant role in their decision-making process. Therefore, vocational, two-year, and four-year institutions would benefit from adopting a dual approach, marketing both online and in person to effectively target this highly valuable influencer segment.

The survey was conducted June-July 2023. Read on to learn what students and their parents are looking for from institutions and the right marketing channels to reach them.