Andrea Rizzo | The Employment Guide

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When targeting suitable career college applicants, it's obvious that placing an ad here or there won't work. Effective career college advertising includes a dynamic mix of print, Internet and customer service, with the main intention being to bring awareness to a specific brand image and what it has to offer.

So where do you begin when creating an ad campaign? For the most part, the messages for print and Internet readers will be nearly identical, but it's just not possible to make carbon-copy ads and find success. Given factors include location, colors, size and frequency, and how you decide to apply those to each medium depends on the target audience for each medium. Most likely, your school measures demographics and return rates on conversions from both online and print (or television and radio in some cases, too), which are a solid scope for determining your readership.

The fastest-growing medium in career college advertising, or any advertising for that matter, is the Internet. Designing an Internet ad is similar in nature to print in that it should be eye-catching and in a good location, but the similarities tend to end there. Graphics are an obvious advantage over standard, in-line classifieds, and utilizing Flash or a moving GIF image brings attention to an ad.

Once the reader finds the message, it is imperative that it cuts to the chase with the amount and types of programs offered, typical timelines for completing degrees, specific success stories, or any similar critical information. It is also important to keep this text in mind when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). By utilizing industry-specific keywords, users are more likely to find your listing versus blindly stumbling upon it.

This is also a good time to make sure your company's web site is well optimized and contains keyword-rich content to make it search-friendly. Michael Griffin, Owner of EdExperts, a marketing agency that works with proprietary school clients, found that once a potential student logs onto a web site, content and user-friendly functionality are key elements to conversion. EdExperts has found that web site leads generate at a higher conversion than paid leads, and both sources of online leads should be maximized.

"We have found that prospects that visit a client's site are three to five times more likely to be successful at going through the enrollment process," Griffin said. Griffin also reassures that this is not an entirely new audience of people - just a new and improved avenue for people to find your offering and become better informed. Unique and easy-to- remember URLs will also help send more traffic your way and open the door to an audience that may be a bit more introverted than the traditional career college crowd.

Don't assume that all future career college applicants have abandoned the print ship. Newspaper inserts are still a highly successful medium, as well as display ads in job seeker publications and other resources. Keep in mind that many readers are still without Internet access at home and/or find print to be a more familiar way to search for opportunities.

Consistent messages are important in all forms of recruitment advertising. National logos, similar color palettes, fonts, images and, most importantly, consistent messages effectively brand academic institutions. Through these methods, the ads will bring instant recognition and a sense of familiarity. Run campaigns creatively and often, targeting specific demographics or programs of study that need the biggest boost. Keep the audience in mind when choosing the message and graphics. An ad will be viewed much differently in the eyes of a 20-year-old male than a female baby boomer. In some cases, it may even be appropriate to run an ad for the same position, but design it to target different audiences.

Your applicant recruitment plan should not stop at just Internet and print advertising. Your career college should also include an outbound calling campaign, as well as in-house fairs that show off your campus and its areas of expertise. Traditional mediums, like radio and television, may work effectively in some markets, while billboards or ads within industry-specific magazines may work in others. ■

Andrea Rizzo is the Marketing and Media Manager for The Employment Guide® and contributes to industry-specific publications on recruitment technologies. She currently resides in Norfolk, Va. Contact Andrea at andrea.rizzo@employmentguide.com.