Homeschoolers are in the market for different products, services, and experiences depending on the ages and interests of the children in the family. We have organized our homeschool audience into various categories, such as students focused on music, athletics, or trade-school careers, and we have opportunities and expertise in marketing to these smaller markets within our wider homeschooler market. One of those big segments is marketing for higher education, which includes families with children in their pre/early teens to late teens.
Content creation is an impactful higher education marketing strategy and comes in the form of website content (with a specific focus on SEO marketing tactics), podcasts, social media activity, video content, traditional media, and targeted advertising. In this article, you’ll learn about the advertising options we have at The Old Schoolhouse® for higher ed companies, and in this article you’ll get more on digital marketing opportunities that you can leverage on your own channels.
Marketing for Higher Education with TOS Ad Spots
Print and Digital Magazine Ads
There are many effective ad placement options in our quarterly magazine issues. Display Ads can be placed around the regular articles we publish on the topic of higher education or on any other page, and our Premium Ads are excellent full-page opportunities for high visibility to our readers.
Resource Guides
Resource Guides are sections of our print and digital magazine that show a certain number of company ads (maximum of 6 listings per page) on specific topics for homeschooling families. These Resource Guides are also promoted on some of our digital channels, like our website, emails, and social media.
Next Higher Ed Topic: Fall 2023 issue—Higher Education: Preparing for the Future
Other topics are also a good opportunity for colleges and universities, like schools specializing in science and tech would be well placed in the Spring 2023 issue that has a Resource Guide on Science and Technology, or a school training in music and art would be a good fit for the Summer 2023 Resource Guide on Celebrating Music and Art. The Back to School: Planning, Curriculum, and Supplies in that same issue would be applicable when looking to enroll a student for a dual-credit class.
Homeschool College Directory
The Homeschool College Directory is a growing directory of colleges, universities, and other companies that would appeal to families planning for education after homeschool. The directory is part of the Homeschool College Directory and Resources section of our site and is the place where families come for any resource they may need for their children’s career planning and preparation.
There are three different packages that include a Premium page listing in the directory and other ads on some of our different advertising platforms. You can also get a Basic listing just to take your place as a higher education resource for homeschoolers.
Specialty eBlasts
At selected times throughout the year we send out special topic-focused emails to our 60,000+ subscriber list. Specific topics or themes for each blast are sent around the same time each year, which have become an annual expectation of our long-time subscribers.
Next Higher Ed Specialty eBlast: March 2023—Higher Education and Dual Enrollment
Spotlight Feature
Every month we send out a Spotlight eNews email to our subscribers on a specific theme. These eBlasts are the perfect low-cost opportunity for companies to have the space to share their messages with a 250-word count, graphic, and URL. Only five companies are featured in each Spotlight email, so it’s an effective inbox marketing option for higher education companies to show off the unique values your school has to offer.
Higher Ed Topics for 2023:
- April: Navigating Higher Education
- September: Higher Ed on the Horizon?
Local Reach and Other Avenues
Colleges and universities get results with any of our ad options in the Media Kit by just getting seen and becoming a recognized name for homeschoolers. However, as part of an overall marketing strategy for higher education institutions, the best approach is to use ads in order to interest parents in signing up for email lists. Then families with seventh graders can begin thinking about college as their children are getting more defined interests and considering career possibilities.
A family can create a four-year high school plan before ninth grade begins. Getting these families when their child is in eighth grade gives the college four years to potentially have them become consumers (e.g., buy sporting or special event tickets or apparel; dual-credit classes). Many homeschoolers are anxious to enroll their children in dual-credit college classes, which often leads to them attending that college after high school graduation because the relationship is already established.
With our local reach avenues, like the Facebook Regional Add-on and Regional eBlast you can narrow your target audience to specific US States.
You can also build valuable connections with our Web Banners, Dedicated eBlasts and Homeschool Lives (a conversation-style video interview broadcast on The Old Schoolhouse® Facebook page and YouTube channel).
Becoming a recognized name takes more than reaching your target market with your ads. You want to let them know your story so you can be part of theirs. Marketing for higher education involves creating content that focuses on career outcomes and how their student’s whole life is benefited by being educated at your institution. Homeschoolers have grown up being instilled with a love of learning. Show them how you can be part of their educational life.
Receive individual attention that will help you reach the segment of the homeschooling market that is right for your business by contacting us for personal help with your advertising needs.
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