Education PR: How to Create an Effective PR Strategy

Posted by Crier Communications on April 18th, 2019

Education PR: How to Create an Effective PR Strategy

There an increasing pressure on institutions of higher learning to venture into new markets and take advantage of additional revenue streams other than the traditional ones. This calls for increased brand awareness on the part of the institutions, and the use of a carefully crafted education PR strategy would be an invaluable tool towards this end.

Contrary to the opinions of many, you don't need a master's degree in communication to create a refined PR strategy with all the elements needed to build brand awareness and the raise the profile of the institution. With that said, here is a simple, yet effective approach to crafting such a strategy-:

Analyze the competition

The first step towards developing an effective PR strategy for educational institutions is to begin by analyzing what the competitors are doing. This is crucial to help you understand who the key competitors are, how they are positioning their brand, their market differentiators and the various messaging channels they are using.

Competitor research is not to let you copy what your competitors are doing, but to give you insights on what may be working for them so that you see how you can adapt it and make it suitable for your own needs.

Understand what the institution stands for

One of the most important elements of a PR strategy is to have a good comprehension of what the institution stands for. To achieve this, you must carefully evaluate the institution's reputation, its sentiments, and brand perception.

This is how you will have an in-depth analysis of the weaknesses, as well as the strengths of the institution. Additionally, understanding the brand perception will help in identifying opportunities that could be exploited to position the institution in the largely untapped markets.

Determine and refine the institutions USPs

Determining and refining the institution's USPs is critical to the overall success of the education PR being developed. This is the best way to have a good understanding of what makes the institution different from others. To determine and refine the USPs, responses to the following questions are a must-:

• What are the outstanding features of the institution which makes students want to enroll?
• What attributes separates the institution from the rest?
• What is the alumni's feedback about the institution?

It is not a must that the USPs must be related to academics or athletics. It could be anything that would endear potential students to consider enrolling. For example, it could be a unique campus tradition, staff-student ratio, and unique acts of kindness of the institutions to the needy in the society.

Get qualified staff to PR

Most of the educational institutions around the globe never have a designated PR staff to contact for comments and this is why it is important to consider getting a qualified staff as part and parcel of the education PR strategy.

Such persons should be present online and be ready to take inquiries and also make appropriate comments in terms of crisis. It is sickening to see how some institutions go mute when the public is desperate for a comment during a crisis.

Involve faculty and students

Naturally, the faculty comprises of academic researchers and leaders whose regular contributions to the institution's PR can go a long way in raising its profile. By creating original and evergreen content such as podcasts, infographics, and blogs, the faculty members will not only elevate their status, but also that of the institution, and with time, it will appear as a real authority in the eyes of the society.

Students' involvement, on the other hand, is necessary to keep the social media channels active at all times. Nearly 95% of students in institutions of higher learning have access to smartphones and are always online. Their engagement in content creation and sharing will expose the institution to not just amongst the students, but also to their networks that the institution may not have any direct access to.

Irrespective of the strategy adopted, there is a need to monitor it and make alterations when necessary. You must understand that the process of creating a PR strategy takes time, and requires a lot of effort. If you get it right, the benefits will be tenfold. However, if you feel you don't have the competency to craft such a strategy, you can always use the help of professionals such as Crier Communications for all your PR strategy needs.

Contact Information:

Crier Communications

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9507 Santa Monica Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Business Phone:
310 274 1072