Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram continue to be the most widely used online recruitment mediums for higher ed marketers, who may want to consider delving into other platforms now popular among high school seniors.
Nearly four in 10 high school seniors reported using Snapchat, a photo messaging mobile app, but fewer than 3 percent of colleges and universities recruited with it, according to the “2014 E-Recruitment Practices Report” from Noel-Levitz. Google+ was used by 31 percent of high school seniors compared to fewer than 13 percent of colleges and universities.
“We saw some similar findings a couple of years before Facebook and Twitter became popular,” says Fred Longenecker, a higher ed trend specialist at Noel-Levitz.
Representatives from 258 colleges and universities participated in Noel-Levitz’s 2014 national survey of undergraduate electronic recruiting practices. Respondents included 144 four-year private institutions, 78 four-year public institutions and 36 two-year public institutions. The poll was completed between February and March.
“What social mediums are popular among high schools students is changing constantly and we expect that to continue,” Longenecker says. “With so many social media options available, colleges should experiment with new trends, but it’s also important to track effectiveness to see what works best for them and their individual recruitment goals.”
