As a media buying agency for higher education, our team excels in creating data-driven higher ed marketing campaigns tailored to the unique complexities and dynamics of this always-evolving market. We deliver strategic and targeted higher ed media campaigns that help institutions engage with prospects, drive enrollment, and amplify their higher education advertising efforts locally, nationally, and globally. By leveraging innovative technologies and a deep understanding of the higher ed landscape, we consistently deliver results that elevate your institution's brand and mission.
Why Paid Media Matters for Higher Education Institutions
Paid media is one of the most powerful tools universities and colleges can use to drive enrollment, enhance brand visibility, and engage today's digital-native students. In an increasingly competitive landscape, relying on organic efforts alone isn’t enough — you need a data-driven paid media strategy that targets prospective students at every stage of their decision-making journey.
By using our higher education paid media services, institutions can ensure their messaging reaches the right students, on the right platforms, at the right time — maximizing inquiries, applications, and ultimately, enrollments.
Common Challenges in Higher Education Paid Media
If any of these challenges sound familiar, you're not alone. Navigating the complexities of higher education paid media requires a data-driven approach to ensure your institution reaches the right students without wasted spend. That’s where we come in.
Rising Cost Per Lead (CPL)
Increasing competition and limited budgets can drive up CPL, making it harder to meet enrollment goals efficiently.
Inconsistent Lead Quality
Not every lead is the right fit. Poor targeting or messaging mismatches often lead to unqualified inquiries.
Platform Overload
Managing multiple ad platforms can dilute focus and waste spend if not strategically coordinated.
Attribution Complexity
Without clear tracking, it’s difficult to connect marketing spend to student inquiries, applications, and enrollments.
Declining Organic Reach
As social algorithms favor paid content, relying solely on organic posts means missing prospective students.
Fragmented Campaign Strategies
Running isolated campaigns without a full-funnel strategy leads to missed opportunities and enrollment gaps.
Why higher education institutions trust Mediate.ly to deliver results
Harness Data for Campaign Optimization and Maximized Impact
Mediate.ly utilizes data-centric strategies to fine-tune your campaigns, increasing recruitment effects and enhancing yield.
Accelerate Inquiries and Enrollment for Unique Programs
Connecting students and admissions, our proven strategies enhance enrollment by creating interest in your hard-to-market programs.
Adaptive Research and Customized Communication for Success
We continuously research, refine, and form partnerships to help you attract ideal students while ensuring the efficacy of your media channels.
How We Approach Paid Media Strategy for Higher Education
Every institution is unique, and your paid media strategy should be too. Our approach to higher education paid media services is rooted in:
- Audience and Persona Development: We create detailed student personas based on demographics, interests, and behaviors to inform targeting.
- Full-Funnel Strategy: From building awareness to nurturing consideration and driving enrollment, our campaigns are mapped to every stage of the student journey.
- Real-Time Optimization: We monitor campaigns daily to maximize performance, adjusting bids, creative, and targeting as needed.
- Transparent Reporting: You’ll receive clear, actionable reporting that ties paid media performance directly to enrollment outcomes.
- Account Ownership: You maintain full ownership of your paid media accounts — no black-box management here.
Our goal is to become an extension of your enrollment marketing team, helping you maximize every dollar spent.
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Paid Media Capabilities
Using smart TV and OTT devices, Mediate.ly can help increase your brand engagement and enrollments in undergrad, graduate, and continuing education programs by advertising across various inventory on Hulu, Pluto, Sling, Peacock, and The Roku Channel.
Online video advertising like pre-roll ads can drive higher brand and program engagement and has an impact on search performance advertising on mobile, tablet, and laptop devices.
Mediate.ly's native ad partnership with TripleLift allows your higher education institution to showcase thought leadership content by driving user engagement.
Audio advertising allows you to expand your institution’s brand message simultaneously to a broad and programs targeted audience, whether on local radio sites and podcasts, through Triton, Audacy, or Spotify.
Your higher ed institution expands its brand message through digital OOH like billboards, gym TV screens, mall kiosks, retail Point-of-Sale (POS) screens, and more. Mobile devices exposed to DOOH ads expand your brand and program message to audiences with an efficient total market targeting approach.
Recognizing the value of traditional print media in higher education, we can help your college or university reach a wider audience through print publications with targeted distribution, enabling you to effectively promote your degree programs.
Consolidate your publishers and vendors with Mediate.ly and reach your target audience through high-impact inventory, including display banner inventory. Run ads on popular platforms like Hearst RON, CNN, or Fox Sports, to name only a small few.
Connect with a wider prospective student audience and their influencers through traditional TV advertising. We partner with established television networks and interconnects to maximize reach and minimize waste effectively driving degree and program engagement while increasing brand recognition.
Make a lasting impact on your university’s or college’s message through broadcast radio advertising. Our buyers connect your institution with popular radio stations and networks allowing you to effectively promote your brand, degrees or programs, and expertise to a broader audience.
Targeting Capabilities
Unlock student and influencer personalization, improve targeting precision, and increase ROI with first-party data, site retargeting and precise CRM targeting. Maintain student data privacy compliance while embracing growth and success in the evolving user’s higher education journey through media.
Replace outdated cookie-reliant approaches with intelligent contextual targeting. Serve ads to the right audience in relevant web content for heightened engagement and exceptional ROI when users are doing their research for their next move in advancing their education.
Sequenced ads effectively captivate higher education audiences by telling a strategic narrative. Create connections and deeper engagement to lead to successful enrollment inquiries and deposits.
Our use of LiveRamp's deterministic third-party data targeting in higher education marketing gives institutions the benefit of data privacy, expertise, and a network of trusted media partners that deliver measurable results, and improve the human experience.
Free media consumption analysis for higher education
Want to drive high-quality RFI's and boost enrollment? Learn how to effectively reach your target audience and improve your media mix.
Results
We deliver impressive KPI numbers for top brands across several industries. Our research and approach help ensure our clients' marketing has the maximum effectiveness and drives impactful business results.
