Marketing Postgraduate Taught Courses

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Marketing Postgraduate Taught Courses

• Jane Penrose
• Postgraduate Directions, Senior Partner
• janepenrose_at_postgraduatedirections.org.uk

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Current Provision
Qualifications awarded in Geography and
Environmental Sciences (HESA)
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So what's new?

• Markets size, extent and balance
• Technology delivery and marketing
• Competition
• Student attitudes to choice and opportunity
• The customer service imperative
• Money pricing and funding
• An unpredictable buyers market?

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The route to success?

• Understanding your market
• Segmentation
• Exploring underexploited markets
• Effective marketing - the communication of value
• Sustained, excellent customer service

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Understanding your market

• What are you selling? What are they buying?
• Names content AND/OR market expectations AND/OR
  futures? findability?
• Pricing and funding the value/investment
  equation recycling money

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Current Markets Obvious

• Home and Overseas
• Current final year ugs
• Specific professional markets
• Subject/Department based marketing

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Current Markets Underexploited

• CPD students
• Alumni (repeat business and influencers)
• Socrates/Erasmus/JYA
• Overseas already in the UK
• Marketing by segment

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Segmentation a quick guide

• Current students
• age and stage? where from? who pays? other
  applications? aspirations? information routes?
  value points? entry qualifications? timing?
• Alumni
• What did they go on to?
• Decliners
• The wider context what else do they do?
• By course, by department, by institution
• Different courses, common markets?

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Segmentation the results

• Information, not assumptions
• Comparison with stated purpose of course
• Major and minor markets choices
• Customer preferences
• The basis for a marketing strategy/operational
  plan

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Effective marketing

• Using evidence to plan campaigns
• Show understanding of markets
• The so what? test benefits not features what
  does unique really mean?
• Real life examples/success stories
• Integrated campaigns emails, direct marketing,
  advertising (with care), events, print, blogs etc
• Their information needs, your priorities
• Be specific

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Effective marketing

• Market to segments, not by subject
• Imagination and lateral thinking
• Engagement direct communication
• Calls to action, effective landing points, data
• Follow up and follow through keep them warm
• Measuring effectiveness
• Customer service and expectation management
• Strategic premium pricing and studentships
• the communication of value

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Questions?

• or contact me on
• janepenrose_at_postgraduatedirections.org.uk
• Or 07739 457182