If you are already running a successful business at college, there’s a chance you are relying on one, or maybe two, marketing techniques. If it works and brings you a little extra income, why not?
However, if you plan on bringing that – or any other – business into the wider world, you have to mix things up a bit. The good news is that your campus is the perfect place to get started. All it will take is a little investment of your current profits, and time out of your study schedule.
You’ll gain excellent first-hand knowledge of all kinds of marketing, and will be in a great place to take your business up a level when you leave. Let’s take a look at some ideas for you to play around with.
One off events
University is the perfect place to start holding one off events for your business. You will have access to all kinds of rooms and halls, so why not take advantage? Get an event management team in to give you a hand, and take notice of what they do and how they do it. Get used to talking to people face to face, and try and recognize what works and what turns people off. There are some things you can try out, from simple tutorial workshops to charitable, fun events.
Partner with other businesses
If there are other people with businesses at your university, get to know them. Build a business community and see if there are any others that compliment your own. On your own, you might be successful in college, but the outside world could be too much. But together, with a far bigger and brighter offer? You could be onto a winning formula. Make friends with other college business owners and you never know what might be around the corner.
Involve students in your projects
You have a wealth of talent available to you at your fingertips, so use it. For example, you could approach the design department to see if any students are up for joining you for a project. They could produce your marketing materials while you come up with the message. It gets you into the habit of interacting and working with people that have skills you need, but don’t work in your chosen market. And, of course, it will give them valuable knowledge of how to put their talents to use in the business world.
Get into testing
How many people go to your university? It could be thousands, or it could be ten of thousands. Either way, it is ripe for testing. Split – or A/B – testing is an important marketing tool that can help you refine your message and your design until it works at an optimal level. And, with so many people on your and other campuses, you have a great chance to start working on it. You could try putting adverts in student papers and making note of the ones that get the best responses. You could even play radio jingles on your student station to see which one fails, and which one catches fire. The main thing is, though, that testing in the real world can be tricky for a startup. But, the level of access you have to a big population makes your university a great practicing ground.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can lay down the foundations for marketing success at university. Give them a go and let us know how you get on!
No comments yet.