At one point in time, nearly every college in North America asked, “Should we advertise online?” Lets face it – many of us have either had to find someone to help with online advertising or figure it out ourselves.

So what are the things you should think about if you are outsourcing your digital advertising or flying solo?

1. Persona – Think audience first. The partner you engage with should know as much about your audience as possible. This includes data from previous students who have enrolled in the program and psychographic information, including lifestyle, employers, challenges, interests, jobs and goals. If you aren’t currently collecting this information, do a quick survey. Personas will drive your digital strategy. When starting a new program, think about the types of students you think will enroll based on other programs.

2. Reporting – It’s important to know your ROI on every inquiry and how your dollars are spent. This allows you to adjust channels and budgets based on what is working. A good partner will meet with you monthly to review your reporting and ROI and change your channel mix accordingly. Because of the number of channels and reporting types, a standardized dashboard is incredibly helpful.  Look into tools such as Acquisio that allow you to view data real-time, make adjustments from the tool and within seconds, provide cost per lead. Understanding ROI puts you in control of strategy, gives you the power to make decisions and ultimately, impacts your success.

 3. Channel Mix – In a world where consumers check their phones more than 150 times a day, it is imperative to have a multi-channel advertising approach. Using one channel to advertise is like sending out postcards and hoping all audiences read them. Start with primary search tools, such as Google and Bing, where you can gauge available traffic and build the foundation for your budget. Talk to an expert who knows what types of programs perform best on these channels. Then take the other portion of your budget and invest it in Facebook, LinkedIn (depending on your audience), YouTube and Twitter. Don’t forget retargeting and Google Display Network.

4. Focus on Programs– The schools that successfully use digital advertising are specific about the programs they advertise. Develop programmatic ads based on specific majors and tailor the copy, images and offer to those programs. General advertising campaigns aren’t going to cut it. Most prospective students are performing narrow and targeted searches for schools (e.g., MBA programs in downtown Chicago).

5. Recruitment Funnel – Work with a partner who understands the recruitment funnel and how to treat an inquiry. Think through the entire funnel and what comes after the inquiry, application and deposit. There are many retargeting options to connect with prospects after they visit a page without inquiring, or after they inquire and you want them to apply, visit and attend an open house. The ROI on your inquiry is only beneficial if prospective students enroll.

To determine what channel is best for you, check out this Digital Advertising: Change the Channel infographic.