1. TRENDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
DIGITAL MARKETING
April 2016

2. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
Page 2
DIGITAL MARKETING TRENDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION 2016
Welcome to our first annual report on the state of digital marketing in the higher education sector. As universities
around the world strive to keep pace with the constantly evolving opportunities, challenges and expectations of
the digital era, we aim to provide insights on what’s happening, what’s working, and what’s next.
This report is based on a survey of higher education marketers and those in related roles, run between
December 2015 and January 2016. A total of 170 professionals completed the survey, with a majority
(54%) based in Europe, almost a quarter (22%) in North America, and the rest spread across Asia, Oceania,
Latin America and Africa.
Key findings
The results show a dynamic and generally optimistic picture for digital marketing in higher education.
Respondents report good levels of success from 2015’s digital activities, effective strategic decisions about
where to focus their energies, and clearly defined ambitions for the current year.
• More than 75% say digital channels are a high priority (rated 4/5 or 5/5) at their institution;
• Almost half expect their digital marketing budget to increase in 2016;
• Email remains one of the most used and most effective digital channels for universities;
• Website design and optimisation is the leading priority for 2016;
• Most universities report a hybrid approach to digital activities, combining in-house and external expertise;
• Student recruitment is the leading motivation for digital marketing, followed by branding.
In addition, it is particularly promising to find university marketers in close alignment with the demands and
expectations of their target audiences – as our market research with prospective students confirms. Read on
to see how your institution’s use of digital channels compares with the focus, budget allocation and internal
structure of others around the world.
37.6%
DECISION-MAKER
34.1%
EVALUATOR/RECOMMENDER
25.9%
INFLUENCER
2.4%
NOT INVOLVED
SURVEY RESPONDENTS' ROLES IN DIGITAL ACTIVITIES

3. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
Page 3
KEY MARKETING CHANNELS IN 2015
Although most university marketers used a combination of digital channels in 2015, there were some stand-out
preferences. Our survey findings show significant consistency in the sector when it comes to prioritising certain
channels over others. In particular, many reported email, social media, and website design and optimisation
as their key focus areas for digital marketing
last year.
Many institutions now recognise the need
to regularly engage with prospective and
students, as well as alumni communities,
maintaining strong communications at all
times. Our survey results show university
marketers have especially understood the
crucial importance of a user-friendly and
responsive website as the foundation for all
digital marketing activities. During 2015, many universities were focused on optimising their sites to attract
users from all over the globe, and to be accessible on any device.
From our own focus groups with prospective students around the world, we have found that poor and
confusing websites remain a common cause of frustration, often leaving students unable or unwilling to
consider applying*. While there is still plenty of scope for improvement, it seems professionals in the industry
are taking action to ensure their virtual shop windows provide a positive and user-focused entry point.
Social media is within the top two most used digital channels, with 70% of respondents citing it as a favoured
channel for engaging with prospective and current students in 2015. Email also remains a staple of the digital
marketing suite, with our survey results reflecting its continued utility and appeal among university marketers
and students alike.
Video marketing is on a par with content marketing, each selected by 11% of respondents, showing that many
universities are investing in a rich selection of multimedia resources to complement their marketing activities.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) was also a priority area for nearly 12% of respondents.
In terms of online advertising spend, pay per
click (PPC) was named as a focus by 13.5%
of respondents, and banner advertising by
11.8%. Activities involving online contact,
such as virtual calls and fairs, also made
an appearance, though lower on the scale.
Partnerships, though on the radar for many
university marketers, were not ranked as
highly, with only 4.7% of respondents rating
these among their top three priorities.
“Enormous success through content
marketing. Brand storytelling, supported
by digital campaigns was essential to
generate market interest and drive digital
recruitment.”
Decision-maker, Australia
“While our social media campaigns were
stronger than ever, we found more ROI in
the emails we sent. We have rebranded our
emails, and we found the call to action was
much stronger there.”
Decision-maker, US
*Source: International Student Recruitment: Are You Making a Good First Impression? - www.QSDigitalSolutions.com

4. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
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MOST SUCCESSFUL DIGITAL CHANNEL IN 2015
WEBSITE DESIGN
AND OPTIMISATION
SOCIAL MEDIA
EMAIL
EMAIL
PAY PER CLICK (PPC)
MOBILE
4.7%
4.7%
20%
20.6%
25.9%24.1%
TOP 5 MOST USED DIGITAL CHANNELS IN 2015
13.5%
61.8%
70%
22.4%
73.5%
SOCIAL MEDIAWEBSITE DESIGN AND OPTIMISATION PAY PER CLICK (PPC)
OTHER
(including Mobile, Partnerships, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Content Marketing,
Virtual Fairs, Banner Advertising, Video, Webinars, Other)
SKYPE CALLS OR SIMILAR

5. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
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Where was the ROI for university marketers in 2015?
How did these channels fare when it came to measuring success? Efforts in website design and optimisation
appear to have paid off. Among survey respondents, 25% said this was their most successful marketing
activity in 2015.
Close behind once again were social media and email, each gathering 20% of responses. These results show a
strong correlation between marketers’ key focus areas for 2015, and their most effective channels – suggesting
generally successful strategic planning.
The picture is more fragmented as we come into
online advertising, virtual fairs and calls, and
content marketing. PPC and banner advertising
were not ranked as highly as other channels,
coming in at just over 4% and 2% respectively.
These figures show that although they were used
as marketing channels, they were not perceived
to be as effective as marketers would have liked.
Although recruitment was reported as the chief reason for universities to invest time in digital marketing
activities, opportunities to strengthen branding were also recognised by higher education professionals.
“Through market research we decided
to make a move to predominantly
digital channels.”
Evaluator/recommender, UK
BRANDING NEW MARKET ENTRY OTHERSTUDENT MARKETINGSTUDENT RECRUITMENT
WHAT IS YOUR PRIMARY REASON FOR USING DIGITAL CHANNELS?
82.9%
45.3%
30%
7.1%
5.9%

6. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
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DIGITAL MARKETING PRIORITIES FOR 2016
Overall, university marketers report a mixture of expansion and improvement in their outlook for the year
ahead. For some, 2016 is set to be a year of new projects, new channels and new markets; for others, it’s about
improving the results attained through existing channels, and getting better at tracking their impact.
The most commonly cited priority is website design and optimisation, which – as noted earlier – suggests
many university marketing teams are working in close alignment with the demands of their target audience.
Our market research on the experiences of prospective students shows a majority of candidates struggling
to find all the information they need online*. So it’s a positive sign that almost a third of surveyed university
marketers identify website improvement as their top priority this year.
The second most common priority is social
media – a field in which many universities
are already active, but which continues to
offer significant scope for developing in both
breadthanddepth.Forsome,prioritisingsocial
media means branching out to new platforms,
while for others it’s a case of improving the
performance of existing channels, through
better-targeted campaigns and tracking.
Content marketing, an area which remains a
high priority for marketers in all industries, is
the third most commonly selected priority for 2016 among our respondents. This is closely aligned with the
other focus areas identified, going hand in hand with strong website performance and effective social media
campaigns – as well as email marketing, which comes fourth in the list.
“No major new developments but, by
implementing tracking links and using
Google Analytics more strategically, we
aim to better understand the marketing
we’re currently undertaking.”
Evaluator/recommender, UK
IN 2016, WHICH DIGITAL CHANNEL WILL YOU FOCUS ON MOST?
WEBSITE DESIGN
AND OPTIMISATION
SOCIAL MEDIA
EMAIL
CONTENT MARKETING
SEO
OTHER
(including Pay Per Click (PPC), Skype Calls or
Similar, Mobile, Partnerships, Virtual Fairs,
Banner Advertising, Video, Webinars, Other)
32.9%
17.6%
8.2%
10.6%
5.9%
24.8%
*Source: International Student Recruitment: Are You Making a Good First Impression? - www.QSDigitalSolutions.com

7. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
Page 7
While many marketers feel relatively confident about email, compared to newer communication channels
such as social media or virtual events, our student-focused market research suggests that it should indeed
remain a high priority*. While email remains the preferred method of communicating with universities for
a majority of prospective students, the fast-paced world of real-time, personalised digital communications
means the same high expectations are increasingly being transferred to email. Our survey results suggest
university marketers are well aware of both the opportunities and the challenges here, identifying email as
another key focus for 2016.
Key recruitment markets in 2016
We also asked our survey respondents which world regions they intended to focus on recruiting from in the
coming year. As would be expected, most universities place a high priority on recruiting from within their own
region, alongside other key recruitment regions further afield. Asia is generally a high priority for universities
in all locations, with relatively lower interest in recruiting from Africa or Oceania.
WHICH MARKETS WILL YOU BE FOCUSING YOUR DIGITAL EFFORTS ON IN 2016?
5%
0%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
1
LOW PRIORITY
2 3 4 5
HIGH PRIORITY
Europe North America Latin America Asia Africa Oceania
*Source: International Student Recruitment: Are You Making a Good First Impression? - www.QSDigitalSolutions.com

8. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
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CHALLENGES EXPECTED IN 2016
When asked to identify their biggest challenges for the year, the largest group of respondents (37.6%) named
budget restraints as their leading concern. As explored further in the next section (see page 9), almost half said
they expect their digital marketing budget to increase this year. So it seems this challenge is not necessarily
linked to cuts or freezes, but rather to general awareness of how much more could be attempted and achieved
if money was no object.
For 27% of respondents, the biggest challenge is lack of resources – which could, for example, mean demand
for more access to design or development teams in order to fast-track website improvements. A further 18%
name time restraints as their primary limiting factor, while 16% cite a lack of internal knowledge as their
biggest challenge. These results align with the multi-tasking nature of many university marketing roles, as well
as the fact that many institutions are still building up in-house expertise in the digital marketing sphere.
“Video, social and mobile are becoming
much more of a marketing priority
now, with dedicated resources being
specifically focused on these areas.”
Decision-maker, UK “Extend our partnership marketing
with key stakeholders; launch a new
website fully optimised and driven by
social content.”
Decision-maker, UK
LACK OF RESOURCES
WHAT WILL BE YOUR MAIN CHALLENGE IN 2016?
BUDGET RESTRAINTS TIME RESTRAINTS LACK OF INTERNAL KNOWLEDGE OTHER
15.9%
37.6%
27.1%
17.6%
1.8%

9. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
Page 9
BUDGET ALLOCATION AND STRUCTURE
Our survey respondents report a lean towards digitalising their marketing spend for 2016, with 38% saying
digital spend will outshine offline activities. However, events and other offline activities are still attracting
significant investment; 25% of respondents said this is where they will be spending the majority of their
budget. Another 27% of respondents were unable to say what the online/offline split will look like this year,
understandable given the common approach of spreading budgets across a range of activities.
We also asked our respondents if they were likely to see a budget increase in 2016 (see page 10), and we are
pleased to report that the picture looks very promising indeed – 46% of respondents said there would be,
with an average increase in spend of 20%. More than a quarter of university marketers surveyed expected a
decrease in spend, while the remaining 26% were uncertain.
It is safe to say that universities in all regions are focusing their attention on online activities, with some more
reliant on these than others, when it comes to recruiting students. Taking a look at spending between regions,
we can see that institutions in Europe, the US and Asia tend to spend most of their budget on online activities.
“We’ll continue to focus on brand
storytelling and content marketing,
supported by digital channels.”
Decision-maker, Australia
WILL YOU SPEND MORE ON DIGITAL OR OFFLINE ACTIVITIES THIS YEAR?
HIGHER BUDGET ALLOCATED TO DIGITAL
HIGHER BUDGET ALLOCATED TO OFFLINE ACTIVITIES
NOT SURE
50/50 SPLIT25%
27%
10% 38%

10. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
Page 10
How are digital marketing activities carried out?
When asked how their university approaches digital marketing activities, our survey respondents reported
a selection of hybrid approaches. The most common approach (44%) is a combination of an internal team
and external agency, followed by the use of an internal team working across both digital and offline channels
(38%). Fewer than 4% reported relying solely on agencies, while 14% said they have a dedicated in-house team
covering all digital activities.
WILL YOUR DIGITAL BUDGET INCREASE IN 2016?
28%
26%
NOT SURE
NO
46%
YES
44%
38%
14%
3%
1%
COMBINATION OF INTERNAL TEAM
AND EXTERNAL AGENCY/IES
INTERNAL TEAM WORKING ON BOTH
DIGITAL AND OFFLINE ACTIVITIES
DEDICATED INTERNAL DIGITAL/ONLINE TEAM
EXTERNAL AGENCY/IES
OTHER
HOW ARE DIGITAL ACTIVITIES EXECUTED IN YOUR INSTITUTION?

11. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
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1 = LOW PRIORITY 5 = TOP PRIORITY 1 = BEGINNER 5 = EXPERT
WHAT LEVEL OF PRIORITY DOES YOUR
INSTITUTION PLACE ON DIGITAL
CHANNELS FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT?
HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR
INSTITUTION’S USE OF DIGITAL
CHANNELS FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT?
1 2.9%
38.8% 6.5%5
5.9% 15.8%2
18.8% 43.5%3
36.5% 31.1%4
“We will exploit existing digital channels (website, social media, SEO) and explore
additional channels (behavioural/contextual advertising, social media platforms,
referral sites).”
Decision-maker, Ireland
Most viewed themselves as midway along the journey towards digital expertise, with a majority of respondents
rating their institution as neither a complete beginner nor an absolute master in this field. On the other hand,
almost all respondents said this was a high priority for their institution, with more than 75% rating digital
channels as either 4/5 or 5/5 in terms of priority level. Like marketers everywhere, universities are recognising
the paramount importance of prioritising digital technologies and trends – while also acknowledging that this
fast-moving field leaves no space for complacency.

12. Digital Marketing Trends in Higher Education 2016
Page 12
ABOUT QS DIGITAL SOLUTIONS
QS Digital Solutions combines digital and higher education expertise to help institutions around the world
make a difference. As we only work in higher education, we understand your markets and your challenges.
From student recruitment to university branding, to marketing and new market entry, we don’t believe one
size fits all, so we customise our solutions to work for you.
Get in touch to see what we could do for you: digital@qs.com
Monica Vannozzi
Monica Vannozzi, Digital Marketing Manager of QS Digital Solutions, manages and leads all B2B communications
for QS’s universities division globally. Having completed her Master’s in Marketing and Market Research, she
has worked in the higher education sector for the past 5 years. Monica also introduced and manages the
creation and promotion of higher education reports, trends and webinars, to a global readership of higher
education experts and professionals worldwide.
Laura Bridgestock
Laura Bridgestock is the editor of TopUniversities.com, the student-focused platform on which the QS World
University Rankings® is published. Attracting just under 30 million unique visitors in 2015, the site is one of
the world’s most-visited resources for prospective students. Laura also contributes to the company’s work in
providing insights for the higher education sector, including reports on student motivations and priorities,
online behaviour and mobility trends.
Natacha Cullinan
Natacha Cullinan is the digital marketing manager of QS’s universities division. She has a long-standing interest
in higher education and is passionate about engaging with both institutions and students. She works closely
with the TopUniversities.com and QSDigitalSolutions.com teams, to ensure students, marketing professionals
and higher education organisations are kept up to date with the latest QS research, insights and reports.
Georgia Philippou
Graphic designer Georgia Philippou creates innovative infographics and visualisations based on QS’s research
and rankings. Her work is featured on TopUniversities.com and TopMBA.com, and across the company’s social
media channels. Georgia is the lead designer for a range of print and online publications, including a popular
range of guides for prospective students, as well as market research reports for higher education professionals.

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