The study presents data from 26 American colleges and universities about their student marketing efforts during the pandemic and their plans for post pandemic marketing. The 170-page study gives highly detailed data on trends in spending on Google, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, Pinterest, Tik Tok, Instagram and other digital marketing vehicles, as well as on sponsored campus visits, radio, cable and network television, billboards, newspapers of various kinds and other traditional channels. The study presents highly specific data on each of these marketing channels and often on particular brands. The study also looks at the impact of the pandemic on overall college marketing budgets in the current year, and the budgetary outlook for the coming year. In addition, the report presents data on current and expected use of market research and advertising firms, marketing consultancies and video production consultants – with specific data on spending on each of these services. In open ended questions, survey participants discuss their recent experiences and plans in ways to enlighten their peers.
Just a few of the report’s many findings are that:
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Respondents reported an average annual marketing budget of $1,207,733
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About half of the respondents (46.15%) reported that spending on Facebook over the upcoming year will remain about the same.
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Respondents spent an average of $22,888.89 annually on Instagram ads (with a median of $15,000, minimum $0.00, and maximum of $100,000).
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11.54% of survey respondents had advertised in the newspapers of other colleges in the past year.
Data in the report is broken out by size, type or Carnegie class, tuition level, percentage of students from local area, and for public and private colleges.