Our whitepaper on how higher education institutions can attract Generation Z

Most universities are now looking towards Clearing in the summer and competing fiercely for the best fee-paying students. These students, now finishing their A’levels, are part of a group known to marketers as Generation Z. Colin Cheng, Strategic Digital Account Director at MintTwist has written a white-paper here about who Generation Z are, how they behave, how universities can appeal and attract them and mistakes to avoid. This whitepaper is based on Colin’s expertise in developing digital marketing campaigns for HE institutions including City, University of London and Cass Business School where he utilises various channels such as PPC and SEO.

What makes Generation Z different?

The whitepaper pulls together information from the latest research about how Generation Z behave. This group is being hailed as the 'Most Different Generation' - never before has a generation influenced so much of how older generations behave. The internet and social media has allowed people to experience what is important and top of mind for the emerging generations instead of being locked in a diary. We now know what is important to 18 year olds in a way that we never knew before. We know how they would like to receive their information, how they make purchase decisions and how they develop trust in a brand or institution. To ignore this information would be a mistake.

Why is it so important to establish an online presence?

As Sabrina Francis, Social Media Officer at City, University of London said this week; “Fundamentally, students and the people that engage with City will be talking about us online whether we choose to actively listen and engage or not; so, it's far better for us to be in the social space so we can learn as much as possible and offer the level of customer service that digital natives have come to expect.” To discover how these digital natives behave is the key to being able to offer them the right information, at the right time and in the right way.  With years of experience of working with businesses and higher education institutions developing their marketing strategies, Colin would be happy to discuss your marketing plans with you on +44 (0) 20 7284 9749