Many businesses have products or services that are perfect for students. There are many college and university students across the country and they are no longer the tinned beans and crowded digs students of old! Many student halls now have en-suite rooms, Wi-Fi and all manner of mod cons to cater today’s youngsters. How do you as a business owner or entrepreneur reach this demographic and begin to market yourself?
Think Practical
Many businesses will pay big bucks to exhibit at freshers’ fairs only to give away leaflets just like every other stall holder, bar and eatery in the vicinity. Campus grounds are simply littered with discarded flyers throughout freshers’ week as so many are given away. If you really want to attract the attention of students then consider giving something practical away, something that won’t immediately be put in to the bin. You can get your logo printed on to almost anything these days like tin-openers, glasses, bottle openers, t-shirts or tea towels. This is the kind of stuff that is essential to student life and will be picked up and used again and again thus continually exposing the owner to your brand.
Think Big
Students are known for being creative, loud and quirky. At their age there are no limits and every day they are pushing the boundaries of what is normal. A tiny, unimaginative poster won’t catch the attention of raucous students anymore.
Consider hooking up a games console to your freshers’ fair stand, hiring people in fancy dress to give out your promo materials or playing some live music around campus. Think big and think outside of the box. What would grab you attention if you were 18 years old?
Think Competitive
Students are generally known for their competitiveness, especially against other colleges or universities. Can you run a competition and give away some of your products as prizes? Simply ask for peoples name and email address when they sign up and you will have an instant mailing list. Students are fantastic viral marketers and if you competition is unique and edgy enough you can be sure that they will tell their friends about it too!
Having a stall at a freshers’ fair should be top of your list when it comes to reaching students. Thousands of them will pass through these fairs and the exposure that you get will be worthwhile. You could also consider networking with any university societies that may be relevnat to products or services. They may be able to endorse you or give you a chance to present to their members.
Vicky loves to write business and marketing related articles. She likes to cover topics such as unusual promotional items & fundraising ideas for school as she works alongside Stuart Morris.