Your unique student community is what will set you apart from your peers in the coming years. Education marketing teams need to act now to get ahead of the rest.
In 2022 the National Student Survey found that 65% of students responded positively when asked if they feel part of their university community.
In today's digital age, many students turn to online spaces for community, but social media is no longer the go-to place it once was.
So, where are they all hiding?
Other lesser-known sites are now where students prefer to connect with each other.
Here are our top six places student communities congregate online and why you should start building a presence and trust on them today.
Top of our list for a reason, The Student Room is the UK's largest online student community, with over 1.8 million registered members. A whopping 74% of students aged 14 - 24 visit the site on a regular basis.
The site offers a variety of resources for students, including study help, careers advice, and university guides. What makes The Student Room stand out is its active community forums, where students can share their experiences and ask for advice.
The forum is well-moderated, and the community is supportive and helpful, making it a go-to destination for students looking to connect with peers.
StudentCrowd is a review platform for students in the UK. It offers reviews of universities, courses, and student accommodation, helping students make informed decisions about where to study and live.
What makes StudentCrowd stand out is its user-generated content. The site relies on students' reviews and ratings, providing an authentic and trustworthy resource for prospective students. Students can also use the site to connect with each other, share advice, and ask questions.
Collaborating with StudentCrowd as a university can help boost trust within target audiences. StudentCrowd can also assist marketers with student experience, brand marketing, data insights and recruitment.
Noted as the ‘homepage of the internet’, Reddit is a massive platform that hosts communities for every interest and niche, including education. There are several UK-based subreddits dedicated to student life, such as r/UniUK and r/Student.
What makes Reddit stand out is its anonymity, allowing students to share their experiences and opinions without fear of judgment. Reddit is also highly interactive, with upvoting and downvoting systems that allow users to curate content.
However, enter Reddit with caution. It has a highly anti-marketing vibe and the community will flush you out with no hesitation if you are disingenuous or performing a hard sell. It is advised to use this platform more for social listening than as a central pillar to marketing efforts.
Often underestimated, the question and answer platform has become an important resource for students seeking advice and information about their studies.
Users can ask and answer questions, making it an excellent platform for students to connect with like-minded individuals and make informed study decisions.
In fact, almost as many students (3.7%) use Quora to make study decisions as they do TikTok (4%), according to a recent survey by the student marketing agency, Unidays.
By engaging with the student community on Quora, marketers can establish themselves as authorities in their respective fields and build lasting relationships with their target audience.
Discord is a messaging and voice chat app that has become popular among gamers, but it has also gained traction among students.
Many student societies and clubs have set up Discord servers to connect with members, plan events, and share resources.
What makes Discord stand out is its ease of use and flexibility. Students can use the app on their desktop or mobile devices, making it accessible and convenient.
As with Reddit, overt community marketing efforts should be kept to a minimum. When used genuinely and with respect to the user base, Discord can be a valuable direct line to what potential students are really interested in.
Instant messaging is now the go-to platform for student communities to connect and share information. With over 2 billion active users, WhatsApp is still the most popular messaging app worldwide.
In fact, a recent study by Keystone Education Group found that 25% of students use WhatsApp to research study options.
To further enhance its community-focused positioning, WhatsApp has introduced new features such as 32-person video calls and in-chat polls. These features should be big news for education marketers, as they allow students to connect with larger groups and gather feedback from their peers.
WhatsApp is fast becoming the ideal platform for building and engaging with student communities. Marketers who leverage these features and engage with students on WhatsApp can build personal connections and establish themselves as trusted sources of information.
These six platforms only scratch the surface of where student communities congregate online, but are an excellent place to begin.
Try to think laterally when planning a community marketing strategy for students. Potential applicants congregate in the previously unexplored nooks and crannies of digital spaces.
Each platform has its unique features and benefits, making them worth delving into for higher education marketers. By understanding where students are active online, marketers can better connect with them and build meaningful relationships for the future.
Need help building your own community marketing strategy? Words On Brand are here to help.
