It’s no secret that younger members of our society are highly digitally engaged. Research shows that 96% of American teenagers use the internet every day, and 46% say they’re online “almost constantly.”

For colleges and universities trying to reach these younger generations, a strong online presence is critical. Prioritizing digital engagement will help you accomplish your goals of encouraging prospective students to apply to your university and keeping current students in the loop about all of the opportunities they can take advantage of during their higher education journeys.

In this guide, we’ll walk through four tips your university can use to boost its digital student engagement strategy, including how to:

1. Build out Your Social Media Strategy
2. Create Student-Focused Website Content
3. Employ Digital Recruitment Tactics
4. Develop Virtual Mentorship Programs

While implementing these strategies will look different for every college depending on its size and student population, they’re a good starting point for any higher education institution wanting to grab and keep students’ attention online. Let’s dive in!

1. Build out Your Social Media Strategy

Since more than half of Generation Z uses social media for at least an hour a day, these platforms should be central to your university’s digital student engagement efforts. Here are some ideas for elevating your social media strategy to appeal to students:

• Prioritize the platforms students likely use. The report linked above shows that younger generations gravitate toward Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok as their preferred social media sites, so use those platforms to create student-facing content. While sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are still valuable to your university’s strategy, they’re better for engaging alumni, parents, donors, and other non-student audiences.
• Post a wide variety of content. Appeal to different students’ interests by featuring various university departments, student organizations, athletics, the arts, and more on your college’s social media accounts. You might even post some user-generated photo or video content to incorporate student perspectives into your feed.
• Use students’ interests and current trends for inspiration. While some posts will require a more serious tone to provide key university updates or highlight important accomplishments, mix in some lighthearted content as well. Keep up with social media trends and pop culture news so you can incorporate these attention-grabbing themes into your student-oriented posts as appropriate.

Using these tips to keep current students interested in your social media content will ensure they never miss an update from your university. This strategy can also inspire prospective students to follow your accounts and give them a sense of what it would be like to attend your college.

2. Create Student-Focused Website Content

Your college’s website has a broad audience—even more so than your social media. However, focusing at least some of your content on students can boost your online engagement with them. For instance, you could:

• Write blog content that students may be interested in reading. Posting articles about recent university events or spotlighting students’ accomplishments may get the rest of your student body excited to engage with your website content, especially if they see themselves or their friends on your site.
• Incorporate images and videos. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and including photos of university activities on your site can draw prospective students in and help them see themselves at your college. Video content also helps both current and prospective students understand the information on your website in new ways. Just make sure this content is accessible to all website users via alternative text and closed captioning.
• Develop a virtual campus tour. As Kanopi’s guide to the best college websites explains, “Virtual tours provide an immersive experience that can include panoramic photos, videos, and student-led tours that help prospective students get a better sense of the campus. This insight is particularly important for students who may not be able to visit in person due to distance or other limitations.”

Among all of this engaging content, ensure the logistical information that current and prospective students likely come to your website for is clear. For instance, on the page where students can access your virtual campus tour, include details about application deadlines, submission requirements, and instructions on how to submit materials via your college application management software.

3. Employ Digital Recruitment Tactics

In addition to using your website and social media to draw prospective students in generally, consider using digital methods for more targeted recruitment. For example, you could:

• Have website visitors enter their email addresses before taking your virtual tour so you can send them a follow-up message with more information about your university and the application process.
• Message students on social media who indicate an interest in your university via their engagement with your posts to see if they have questions about your school or application process.
• Maintain open lines of communication through contact forms on your website and text messaging services where prospective students can ask questions or sign up for application reminders.

Additionally, there are specialized recruitment networks online that you can use to reach out to students who may be a good fit for certain programs or scholarships at your university. For example, Acceptd recommends that college performing arts programs leverage recruitment networks to access a diverse candidate pool for music, dance, and theatre and reach out directly to potential applicants who have made profiles within the network.

4. Develop Virtual Mentorship Programs

While some of your programs and organizations might have in-person mentorship programs between newer students and more experienced ones, virtual mentorship programs are also a great way to engage students by having them learn from each other. 

Since mentoring in the digital space isn’t restricted by location, your program could ask current students to mentor prospective students through the application process or help them prepare to start college once they’ve committed to your university. Or, alumni could mentor current students through the transition from college to their future careers—the sky's the limit!

Advertise these mentorship opportunities through all of your university’s digital channels, including links to the signup forms for both mentors and mentees. Then, match up mentors with mentees based on their academic, professional, and personal interests so mentors can offer tailored advice to their mentees through video chats and other digital communications. 

For instance, a prospective dance major would likely benefit from having a current dance student mentor them through their program audition. Or, a senior journalism major may appreciate having an alumni mentor who works for a news station to help them identify job opportunities that align with their skills and interests.

As you implement these digital student engagement strategies at your university, remember to track relevant data such as social media interactions, website traffic, and mentoring program participation rates so you can see what is working and where you have room for improvement. Additionally, consider surveying students periodically to see what they like about your college’s online presence and what else they want to see from you going forward.