Global student marketing podcast episode 8

Given the incredible upheaval of the past year, there have been huge changes in the way universities engage with prospective students, many of which were developed in a short space of time.  

With the COVID-19 pandemic imposing limitations and uncertainty over the legality and appeal of in-person events, many institutions have moved to virtual experiences, either fully online or hybrid, for applicants and non-engaged enquirers. This presents new challenges and opportunities for universities who must find new ways to create valuable and high-quality virtual events for students. 

In episode 8 of the Global Student Marketing podcast, we explore how institutions can present their evolved university experience to the next generation of prospective students in a way that is both honest and inspiring. 

You can listen to the episode on Buzzsprout here. 

In this episode, Aaron Porter, Associate Director at IDP Connect, is joined by two expert panellists: 

• Charlotte Renwick (Associate Director: Marketing & UK Recruitment) at Leeds Beckett University 

   

• Elliott Newstead (Head of UK Student Recruitment and Outreach) at the University of Leicester  

   

 Aaron opens this episode with a discussion of key topics and themes relating to engaging with prospective students in the age of COVID-19 and beyond. Charlotte and Elliot then go on to discuss the changes they had to make at their institutions following the lockdown announcements on 23 March 2021.  

The panel then shares how they have helped students make the difficult decision of selecting a university through virtual experiences by enabling students to get a 'feel' for a university and getting across the personality and community feel of an institution, albeit not in person. The panellists consider which elements may continue into the future and what university events may look like in the future.  

Finally, the group focuses on how recruitment teams have engaged academics in a virtual environment. They considered how online events can work alongside academics’ timetables to potentially improve engagement and facetime for prospective students with academic colleagues at universities. 

Listen to this podcast to hear from experts in the field on how they feel the past year and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will shape higher education’s approach to prospective student engagement in the future – and for tips on how your institution can be a future leader in this space.