Multichannel advertising is a win for higher ed enrollment growth
August 21, 2025
Higher education faces shrinking enrollment pools, increased competition and the need to recruit prospective students in new, inventive ways. This is your path to reach more prospects, stand out in a crowded market and guide students from their first impression to the first day on campus.
Why multichannel matters for higher education
Attracting prospective students is complex, mostly because their journey from awareness to enrollment is never a straight path. Before committing, a student may interact with your school through several media channels, each one influencing their perception and decision. They might see a short Instagram video highlighting campus life and search Google for program details, then click a retargeted display ad and receive a personalized email invitation to attend an open house.
That’s why relying on a single channel isn’t enough. When you only advertise in one place, you miss opportunities to connect, tell your story and stay top-of-mind. Also, students expect a seamless experience everywhere they see your brand. When your touchpoints work together, they strengthen your message, build trust and make it easier for prospects to move from awareness to action.
A multichannel advertising strategy ensures your college or university stays front and center throughout the prospective students’ decision-making process. Being on the right platforms at the right time with consistent messages will drive engagement and enrollment growth.
The core elements of a higher ed multichannel strategy
You’ll want a multichannel advertising strategy that grabs attention, fuels engagement and drives real results for your college or university.
Here’s what it takes to build a multichannel strategy that gets real results.
Define clear goals
What do you want to accomplish? Be specific and measurable.
Boost enrollment
Build brand awareness
Fill open houses and tours
Know your people
Segment your audience so every message feels personal.
Undergrads
Grad students
Adult learners
Online students
Map the student journey
Align your channels and message to meet students at each step of their journey from “just looking” to enrolling.
Awareness
Early stages of career exploration
Introduce them to your college or university
Create interest that builds a connection
Consideration
Focus shifts to applying and admission
Students compare schools and narrow down choices
Personalize communication about academic and campus life, employability, program strengths and financial aid
Decision
Students choose the school they will attend
Communicate next steps, scholarships, sports camps and remind them they made the right choice
Choose the right media channels
Be seen where your audience spends their time.
Digital:
Invest in search results with search campaigns targeting program-specific keywords
Engage prospects on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn with student stories and campus tours
Capture attention with display ads that highlight application deadlines, scholarship opportunities and career outcomes
Use YouTube videos to showcase campus life, residence halls, faculty and alumni
Utilize sponsored content to tell your story and uplift what makes you stand out above the rest
Owned:
Make your website a top resource with program pages, virtual tours and admissions information
Retarget personalized messages from specific pages with clear call-to-actions like “Apply Now” or “Register for the Open House”
Offline:
Use direct mail to send accepted student packets, event invites and program brochures to qualified leads
Promote on-campus events such as preview days, scholarship dinners or networking nights to encourage engagement
Extend your reach with billboards, transit ads and radio or podcasts to connect with students and parents in your region
Make media channels work together
Your message needs to be delivered clearly and consistently across every channel. And when those channels work together, you connect with your audience and prompt action.
Your brand voice serves as your unique identifier for your school, helping to convey your values and academic strengths. You’ll want to maintain a unified brand voice across all media channels to boost your school’s identity. When your brand voice reflects the quality and professionalism of your college or university, you reinforce your credibility to prospective students.
Coordinated advertising, such as promoting events through multiple platforms at once, increases your visibility and engagement. You should leverage strategies like retargeting to guide students from initial awareness to application, encouraging their interest every step of the way. When your media channels work together, your message becomes more powerful and memorable, driving both engagement and loyalty.
Measure for success and optimize for growth
It’s important to evaluate your advertising performance and review key performance indicators (KPIs). These metrics provide insight into how well your ads drive awareness, spark interest and encourage action.
With this data, you can make decisions, refine your strategy and get better results from your advertising efforts:
Clicks: The number of people who click on your ad. This indicates whether your advertising prompts interaction.
Click-through rate: The percentage of people who click on your ad. This reflects the strength of your targeting and messaging.
Conversions: The percentage of visitors who complete an action on your website (i.e. apply, submit a form, request information, etc.). This is one of the best ways to know if your ads drive results.
Engagement rate: The percentage of people who interact with your ad (i.e. likes, shares, comments, etc.). Engagement determines if your content connects with your audience.
Impressions: The number of times your ad is displayed. Impressions are useful for building brand awareness.
Social media engagement: The number of shares, likes/reactions and comments. These interactions create engagement and extend your reach.
Website sessions: The total number of visitors to your site or page. This metric provides insights into how people navigate your site after clicking on an ad, such as the pages they visit, did they complete the desired action, how long they were on a page, etc.
As you track the following KPIs during your recruitment season, keep in mind that this data can also guide and optimize your ad strategy.
Applicants: The number of students who apply to your college or university. This reflects how compelling your value proposition is and how effectively your advertising reaches qualified prospects.
Enrollment: The number of students who enroll in your college or university. This indicates the success of the recruitment process from interest to action and shows where advertising influences final decisions.
Inquiries: The number of students who request more information. This is an early indicator of your advertising reach and message relevance.
Quick wins you can do right now
While you are working on your multichannel advertising strategy, there are some quick wins you can do to attract prospective students:
Leverage social media stories: Use Instagram and Facebook for short, highly engaging content featuring campus life, sports, student achievements and more. These stories are affordable and ideal for the high school audience.
Promote virtual campus tours: Make it easy for students to experience your campus with a virtual tour. These tours are effective and can be updated regularly with new content. Follow up with an invitation to an on-campus visit day.
Turn searches into students: Ensure your college or university is at the top of search results when students are researching programs, scholarships or campus life. Targeted ads drive traffic straight to your website.
Be seen where they travel: Place digital billboards near major highways, high traffic areas and high schools. Digital billboards can be updated with messages about application deadlines, open house dates and more.
Target your website visitors: Retarget your audience with display ads based on the information they were looking for while on your site.
Don’t let competition and smaller enrollment pools stop your enrollment growth. Get started on a multichannel advertising strategy and develop some quick wins for immediate impact. And know that Forum Communications is here with the tools, expertise and partnership you need to make your strategy a success.
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