Owning a business in a college town is nothing a degree can prepare you for. The inflow of your customers can hugely depend on whether it is a university holiday or not and many other factors that you may have little to no control over. Making sure that your company is accessible to college students who may not have a car or other resources can also be tricky. Probably the most challenging issue to solve is how to increase brand awareness among college students who are overwhelmed by other information and limited in their free time. Luckily, there are easy ways you can transcend beyond traditional marketing strategies and utilize your enterprise’s location in a college town to your advantage. 

Student Groups

Students want a sense of belonging and community when they are at college, especially those who are leaving home for the first time. To find this, a student is likely to join one of the hundreds of clubs that their university likely offers. It is a time-tested, proven method of forming a community. Being a business owner in a college town where such a large number of interest groups, clubs and organizations co-exist is one of the most advantageous features that is often overlooked. 

One method to increase brand awareness among a large group of students through a singular marketing effort is collaborating with student groups to host a benefit night at your business. Typically, hosting a benefit night entails the student leaders publicizing your company to their group and encouraging the group’s members to go to your enterprise for an exchange of a percentage of the sales that your business makes in a certain window of time. 

Another great way to engage with student groups and put your business’s brand out there is by catering or sponsoring group events. In a college town, you can find numerous events being hosted by student groups regardless of if it’s a Tuesday night or Sunday morning.

Utilize Social Media

In this digital age, social media can be one of the best ways to increase brand awareness. This is especially true if your target audience is college students, as social media usage in this age demographic is huge. 

A great way to combine student group engagement with social media is by implementing a giveaway. Often, social media giveaways require reposting or sharing your business’ post with one to three people for an entry in the giveaway. In this way, you are able to reach immediate followers and their network.

Hosting Events

Just as much as college students face stress in school and work, they are looking to have fun and strengthen their friendships through leisurely activities. Hosting an appealing and fun event at your business can attract many college students to come out on any day of the week. Some event ideas are trivia night, game night, speed dating, raffle drawing, contests, etc.

How We Can Help

At 1893 Brand Studio, we are a dedicated group of college students who are also marketing-savvy. We have a talented group of copywriters, social media campaign managers, graphic designers, and web developers. Check out our services here to learn more about how we can help you reach college students.