Online Training Course: Effective International Marketing and Branding in Higher Education

This session will enable you to meet your peers joining the course, explore the objectives for the 2-day programme and will allow you to develop your own learning goals for the course.

• An assessment of student global mobility patterns pre-Covid 19 and how international recruitment has changed amid the pandemic
• Examining global competition, evolving market shares and the UK’s market positioning in attracting international students
• Exploring the UK’s core existing markets and analysing the emerging markets opening up to UK institutions

In this interactive workshop session you will explore practical solutions that will enable you to drive impact and deliver enhanced conversion outcomes for your international campaigns. This session will allow you to evaluate campaign performance and support you in implementing a conversion-led action plan for your institution.

Please come to the workshop with your challenges, questions and ideas.

This session will explore:

• Measuring impact and delivering on KPIs in an international context
• Return on investment and supporting results on a restricted budget
• What works? Ideas from across the sector on high-impact international campaign ideas
• Tailoring conversion campaigns to meet the needs of international audiences
• Translating a marketing campaign to successful lead generation
• Evaluating the ‘audience journey’ from impressions to conversion

• Exploring how your institution can evaluate its market positioning within core regions
• Assessing what a distinct and high impact brand looks like to international audiences
• Evaluating how your brand can be distinguished and differentiated from market competitors
• Understanding the core components prospective international students expect from their institution and learning how best to ensure you communicate how you will meet these needs
• Examining how your institution can design a brand around a unique market positioning and target key gaps in the market

This practical workshop will offer key best practice and guidance in how an institution can break into a new region, enhance brand awareness in a new market and develop a market offering which meets the needs of the region.

The session will examine:

• What are the new emerging markets UK institutions are accessing?
• How can an institution develop a strategy for marketing to new regions
• Competition in emerging markets
• Conducting market research of local needs and expectations
• Tailoring a campaign to use high impact tools and channels of communication
• Designing a bespoke outreach approach for students in new markets
• Measuring performance and success in new markets

*Programme subject to change

Ahead of the start of Day 2, this session will allow you to reflect on key learning objectives, assess outcomes so far and consider how you may choose to facilitate change in your institution.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has led to major transformation in the way institutions engage with international markets. This session will consider:

• How institutions should communicate to prospective international students on Covid-19, remote learning and the challenges around evolving restrictions
• What the pandemic has meant for international demand and evaluating where the UK is seeing the greatest increase in inward mobility
• What the pandemic has meant for marketing and engagement activities with international markets
• How Covid-19 will lead to long term change in the design and execution of international marketing campaigns

This interactive session will examine how a coordinated campaign can translate marketing activity into high quality outreach and engagement with international audiences. The session will also examine what the future of outreach looks like following the pandemic.

The session will explore:

• Developing conversations and leads in international markets
• Formulating what international campaigning looks like: what does the future hold for recruitment fairs and virtual engagement?
• The role of data, AI and targeted communications in supporting lead generation
• What marketing activities should institutions be investing in for international outreach?
• How to create meaningful conversations and gain traction on your messaging

• Engaging existing international students into a campaign and reflecting their motivations and priorities
• Understanding the needs of international students from different regions and being able to tailor messaging effectively
• Exploring the decision-making process of prospective international students and acting on their needs, concerns and influences
• Examining what brand and place mean to emerging markets and how to embed that within campaign design

This interactive workshop will explore action points on developing a high impact digital marketing campaign that meets the bespoke needs of  specific international markets.

The session will explore:

• The social media and communication channels being used in leading markets
• Developing brand awareness and presence through digital marketing
• Understanding the communication style and messaging that will deliver results with international audiences
• Designing an integrated approach with a website adaptive to the needs of specific markets
• Delivering a data-led approach to targeting and communications
• Practical insights on what works and what doesn’t when harnessing digital marketing in core markets

*Programme subject to change