Education

How We Grow Education Brands in the APAC Market: A Comprehensive Digital Media Strategy

Expanding into the APAC (Asia-Pacific) market presents unique opportunities and challenges for education brands. To ensure successful market penetration and establish a strong presence, our digital media agency has developed a comprehensive strategy that addresses each stage of the marketing funnel. This strategy ensures that we effectively reach, engage, and convert potential students and advocates. Below is a detailed analysis of our approach, aligned with the stages of the customer journey and emotional touchpoints.

Understanding the Customer Journey

The journey to enrolling in an educational program, particularly for advanced degrees like an Executive MBA (EMBA), involves multiple stages where potential students experience various emotions and seek different types of information. Recognizing and addressing these stages is essential to influence decision-making positively. Here are the primary stages:

  1. Passion: The initial trigger where potential students realize their desire to advance their business skills and knowledge.

  2. Empowerment: Feeling empowered through information and opportunities to join top-tier programs.

  3. Unclear/Questions: Facing uncertainties and seeking clarity about the programs.

  4. Comparison: Comparing different programs and institutions.

  5. Decision: Making the final decision to enroll.

  6. Experience: Sharing experiences and advocating for the program.

Phase 1: Unique Reach & Awareness

In the initial phase, our primary goal is to build brand awareness and positioning among key audience segments. We achieve this through the following strategies:

  1. Programmatic Advertising:
    Leveraging programmatic advertising across various digital channels to maximize reach and frequency. This helps ensure that our brand message is delivered to the right audience at the right time.

  2. Social Media and OOH:
    Utilizing social media platforms and out-of-home (OOH) advertising to enhance visibility. These platforms are crucial for reaching senior executives and professionals in the APAC region who are considering further education.

  3. Content Creation and Distribution:
    Creating and distributing engaging content through social media, digital channels, and OOH to deliver the brand’s key messages about the program. This content highlights the benefits of studying with a top education brand APAC and the opportunities for networking with world-class talents.

  4. Target KPIs:
    The key performance indicators for this stage include unique reach, impressions, clicks, and new visitors.

Phase 2: Intent & Consideration

At this stage, our goal is to influence the key audiences' consideration by maintaining a strong online presence and delivering tailored messages that deepen engagement. Our strategies include:

  1. Social Media Ads and Content:
    Running targeted social media ads and creating content designed to resonate with specific audience groups. These messages address their needs and concerns, guiding them through their decision-making journey.

  2. Event-Based Tracking Tools:
    Using event-based tracking tools to monitor micro-conversions on social media. These tools help us understand which content and messages are driving engagement and allow us to optimize our strategies accordingly.

  3. Retargeting:
    Retargeting users who have shown interest in the brand but have not yet converted. By leveraging their previous interactions, we can deliver more personalized and persuasive messages.

  4. Target KPIs:
    The KPIs for this stage include pageviews, engagement rates, time spent on site, and the number of audience lists created.

Phase 3: Conversion & Action

In the conversion phase, our objective is to ensure that the brand collects sufficient audience lists and drives new conversions. We implement the following tactics:

  1. Customer Match and Automation:
    Utilizing customer match and automation techniques in ad copies, such as countdowns, to create urgency and encourage conversions on social media and search platforms.

  2. Secure New Conversions:
    Ensuring that our strategies effectively convert interested individuals into formal students. This involves optimizing ad placements and messaging to appeal to their motivations and needs.

  3. Target KPIs:
    Key performance indicators include conversion rates, lead generation, and new student enrollments.

Phase 4: Loyalty & Advocacy

The final stage focuses on building loyalty and advocacy among current students and alumni. Our strategies include:

  1. Sharing Success Stories:
    Sharing success stories, case studies, and testimonials from alumni on the program’s website and social media. This helps build credibility and trust in the brand.

  2. Continual Engagement:
    Ensuring that current students and alumni remain engaged with the brand through regular updates and interactions. This fosters a sense of community and encourages them to advocate for the program.

  3. Target KPIs:
    The KPIs for this stage include loyalty rates, advocacy rates, and overall student satisfaction.

Emotional Touchpoints for Performance

Understanding and addressing the emotions of potential students at each stage is key to our strategy. By tapping into their passion for success, empowering them with information, addressing their uncertainties, helping them make informed comparisons, facilitating their decision, and ensuring a positive experience, we create a holistic and impactful journey.

Key Execution Plans

To ensure the success of our digital media strategy, we focus on the following execution plans:

  1. Build Brand Awareness and Positioning:
    Implementing programmatic, social media, OOH, and other content tactics to build brand awareness and position the education brand as a top choice for senior executives in the APAC region.

  2. Influence Key Audiences’ Consideration:
    Using social media ads and content to deepen engagement and guide potential students through their decision-making journey. Event-based tracking tools help us refine our approach by understanding user interactions.

  3. Secure New Conversions:
    Closing the funnel by driving new conversions through social media and search platforms. Automation techniques and customer match strategies help us target the right audience with the right message at the right time.

  4. Maintain Continual Presence:
    Sustaining the brand’s offline and online presence across digital channels to ensure ongoing engagement and visibility.

Discover Your Path to Success with BMG

Our digital media strategy for the education sector in the APAC market engages potential students at every phase of their journey, from building initial awareness to fostering loyalty. Leveraging various digital touchpoints, we maximize engagement and conversion with proven strategies tailored to the unique needs of the education sector.

With our expertise and extensive experience, we craft effective market entry and growth plans for both new and expanding brands.

Contact us today to create a prosperous future for your education brand in the APAC market with our tailored strategies and expert guidance!