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Targeting Tomorrow’s Students: Marketing Strategies for Attracting Generation Alpha to Your University

When it comes to creating a more hopeful and better future, the largest generation to date is already well ahead of the curve. Born between 2010 and 2024, generation Alpha is already starting to exercise authority and make decisions. Including their university-based postsecondary education. The global pandemic has significantly impacted a new generation, prompting them to restrict social interactions exclusively to online platforms. This has led to the development of a generation with an extensive digital footprint. Additionally, their unique upbringing, influenced by exposure to media advocating social justice, has fostered a strong sense of social consciousness within this generation. Universities will need to adapt their media marketing techniques to suit this distinct online generation to remain afloat and guarantee applications of Generation Alpha.

When it comes to reaching digitally savvy generations, visual media techniques have shown to be an effective marketing strategy. Generation Alpha has and is continuously growing up around visual content with the generation spending an avid eight hours a day on video-based socials including applications like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. The relevance of visual media marketing is demonstrated by the fact that half of Generation Alpha discover businesses through YouTube’s visual media.

Universities will need to invest in effective visual media marketing campaigns, especially posting on social media platforms. Universities need to invest in the media that Generation Alpha consumes. Generation Alpha is actively engaged with visual advertising, with 19.2% of its consumption occurring through social media posts and an additional 24.2% through online videos. However, generation Alpha so the first prosumer generation as their actively involved in the consumption of the social media space while actively producing their video content. To establish a connection between active media marketing and Generation Alpha’s urge to produce and consume visual media, universities must develop a proactive marketing strategy that calls for active material from Generation X that presents a “real” visual perspective of living and going to university,

Additionally, Generation Alpha, following their predecessors’ millennials and Generation Z are very vocal when it comes to their beliefs. Being the first digital generation with ‘46%’ of Generation Alphas having an active social media account it is clear to see that they have followed along with the last few years of political and social strains and harmful developments that have resulted in a generational movement for freedom and rights online. The continuous exposure to this has taught Generation Alpha to raise their voices holding companies accountable.

Universities need to adapt their marketing techniques to ensure that Generation Alpha can view and get to know how universities expand student voices and ensure students are at the center of their universities and are not just cooperating and looking for their next paycheck. In making sure this happens Student unions need to be the centre of marketing towards Alphas. Student unions are an important aspect of university life. These unions do not only create club nights and events, but their main goal is to represent students through meetings, surveys, and feedback. Utilizing this service and promoting it to future generations allows Generation Alpha to understand their voices will be heard and expressed daily within the universities work especially when there is an issue that is raised.

In conclusion, to effectively engage Generation Alpha, universities must pivot towards visually driven marketing strategies, actively involve current students in content creation, and emphasize the empowerment of student voices through robust representation, particularly by highlighting the pivotal role of student unions. This approach ensures alignment with the preferences and values of Generation Alpha, fostering a genuine and impactful connection between the institutions and the emerging generation.

The Cusp
The Cusp