Student engagement
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True or false? Gen Z has the attention span of about 8 seconds. False. You’ve probably heard this statement many times before – but that’s simply not the case. The truth is you just have a few seconds to convince a Gen Zer that what you’re marketing is worth their time. If you succeed, they will dedicate enough time to conduct thorough and in-depth research.

Generation Z is coming of age and they’re taking over university campuses around the world. Universities and colleges are preparing to attract and welcome incoming and existing students, eager to engage them and enhance their college experiences. College marketers must now appeal to the Gen Z demographic, a tech-savvy generation that values trust, authenticity, and relatability. So how can you connect with prospective Gen Z students and capture their interest? 


CSR and Good Cause Awareness

The Good Men Project recently stated that Gen Z and Millennials are ‘woke and broke’, and they’re not wrong. As a generation born into recessions, climate change fears and political uncertainty, Gen Z are more cynical towards larger organisations. Social equality, the environment, and helping the less fortunate is important to them, and companies and colleges alike are now using CSR initiatives as a marketing strategy to attract customers and students.

Temple University in Pennsylvania, USA, partnered with Guinness World Records to bond students, faculty, alumni and local community volunteers in a record-breaking donation experience. The participants gathered to assemble a whopping 49,100 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the most sandwiches made in one hour. With hands-on participation from over 1,300 volunteers and sandwiches donated to more than 15 local food banks, Temple University succeeded in engaging both its campus and the local community.


Team building activities 

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The college experience gives students the perfect opportunity to meet different people, develop new skills and build character, and team building activities for students is a way to seamlessly integrate these all into one.

Newcomers at Purdue University in Indiana, USA, were encouraged to take part in a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt, which provided students with an opportunity to make new friendships and learn tips for navigating college life a week before classes would begin. New students gathered to attempt the record for most people blowing whistles simultaneously, which paid homage to their sports team, named the Boilermakers. The number to surpass was 1,569 participants, and Purdue were blown away by the 5,527 students that were eager to work together in achieving the record title.



Leveraging influencers

 
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Gen Z have never known a world without the Internet, which means they are more tech savvy than the generations before them. YouTubers and Instagram Influencers are becoming a mainstream career path, with some students garnering thousands to millions of followers online.

With that in mind, why not leverage an influencer’s engaged audience and authenticity by utilising them as student ambassadors? Influencers allow educational institution to reach new audiences and heighten their college marketing campaigns. As long as the influencer's online persona and content aligns with your institution, their video content and social posts that showcase university life will become a beneficial partnership to connect with potential college applicants.

Guinness World Records can help provide an unforgettable Welcome Week for your students. Contact an account manager now to bring your on-campus marketing strategy to life!