“TikTok is coming for Google’s gig, as the kids might say.” —Nadia Tamez-Robledo, writing in EdSurge

If you’re of a certain generation, you “just Google it” when you need to find something, whether it’s a definition, the history of a country, or where to buy your favourite brand. But if you’re a teen or twenty-something, Googling is just one of many searches you might perform every day.

In fact, research shows that people under 34 are now more likely to visit a visually based social media platform such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube to find or explore topics, people, places of interest, or 
 schools that might be just the right fit for their goals and personality.

According to Google research, almost 40% of young people looking for dining or recreational options choose TikTok or Instagram rather than Google Maps or Search. Commenting on that finding, Prabhakar Raghavan, senior vice-president at Google, told an audience at Fortune’s 2022 Brainstorm Tech conference that “We keep learning, over and over again, that new Internet users don’t have the expectations and the mindset that we have become accustomed to. The queries they ask are completely different.”

Intuitive recommendations

Often Gen Zers don’t even “query.” For example, when they open their TikTok app, their For You Page (FYP) serves them a delightful banquet of things they will probably love. Prospective international students will almost certainly have looked at schools and the posts of current international students, so their FYP will show them more of that kind of content because that’s the way the TikTok algorithm works. Interviewed in the New York Times, Pennsylvania-based Jayla Johnson, 22, said, “[TikTok] knows what I want to see. It’s less work for me [than]to actually go out of my way to search.”

Ms Johnson’s observation underlines a very important point. TikTok is mostly known for the buzzy, candy-like short video experience it provides. But underneath that is what is arguably one of the most sophisticated recommendation engines ever created. That engine is the reason the algorithm is so successful at holding people’s attention and why the platform has such a significant impact on sales of music, film, TV, books, and a wide range of other products.

Sense of authenticity

Though TikTok’s algorithm masterfully manipulates content based on user data, younger users find it to be more authentic and trustworthy than Google. Alexandria Kinsey, 24, a communications and social media coordinator, told the Times that TikTok’s results “don’t seem as biased” as Google’s. She said that she “often wants ‘a different opinion’ from what ads and websites optimised for Google say.”

The success of apps such as Instagram and TikTok is due in large part to users’ sense that they are hearing recommendations from peers, rather than from corporate brands.

Show me, don’t tell me

Another reason students turn to social media for discovery is that they love learning through video and photo-based posts – especially when it comes to experiences like dining out, travel, and study abroad. This is key because QS global research has found that 70% of students’ exploration of the “feel” of a campus or city happens before they even submit an enquiry to a school.

What are the implications for international recruiters?

Keep adjusting. Digital marketing budgets are made to be remade. Change is a constant in terms of student preferences and digital algorithms. As important as SEO remains for the institutional website (since prospective students almost always go there as part of their research), a strong presence on one to three social platforms is essential.

Choose platforms where you can establish a personality. According to We Are Social’s 2023 Global Web Index survey, TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) are favoured for product and brand research, making them likely contenders for one of your budget lines.

Enlist the help of students. TikTok and Instagram users are looking for fun, creative posts. This is where it makes all the sense in the world to have student social media ambassadors help your school with – or star in – posts and videos. More and more, major colleges and universities are leveraging current students in their overseas recruitment campaigns, and you can be sure that a good deal of their investment here is linked to social media.

Consider a third-party social media firm. School and university resources are often stretched thin, and creating a successful social strategy can be quite a lot of work. Many excellent social media marketing firms specialise in the education sector, and investing there could be wiser than overwhelming your staff, who may or may not have expertise in this area.

Back it up. If you have tweens or teens, you have probably heard something they learned on TikTok quoted as a “fact.” But TikTok and Instagram are fun/shocking trends first, accurate sources second. This is where an excellent institutional website comes in, along with accurate marketing materials and training for agents and in-country reps, and allowing students to talk with institution-vetted students on peer-to-peer platforms such as UniBuddy or The Ambassador Platform. Students can get a feel for your school on social media, but make sure they can get solid information on other channels.

For additional background, please see:

• “Is your TikTok good enough to get noticed by international students?“
• “The new playbook for international recruitment“

The post Move Over Google: Social media is also a search engine appeared first on șÚÁÏčÙÍű Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

Actually, there are two.

1.     Let your students intrigue other students about your brand

Students watch other students on TikTok – they very rarely watch institutions. They are looking for authenticity and relatability – not a brochure. TikTok is not the place for overt marketing. There are lots of other channels for that. If you haven’t already, reach out to your current international students and find out if any of them are savvy TikTok creators. If they’re not already posting about their experience at your school, it’s a good time to ask them if they will. Launch a Social Media Ambassador programme so that students get rewarded for their efforts.

2.     Repost!

Your school or agency might not have time and money for tons of original TikTok videos, which is why reposting videos is something to consider. When you share others’ hilarious or otherwise awesome videos you gain credibility for knowing what is funny and trending. Reposting can be especially helpful for brands just starting out on TikTok and/or with small follower counts – it helps them to post frequently enough to make a difference even when they don’t yet have a lot of original content.

It’s important to know that reposts are only viewable to certain people and they don’t show up on your profile page. Reposts show up on your friends’ For You pages (FYPs) alongside the original videos you create – so they can complement the work you are already doing and solidify the personality you want to convey. “Friends” are those who follow you and whom you follow back, underlining the importance of not just posting, but also following influential students.

When you repost, the original creator sees that activity, and they (1) become aware of your brand and (2) might repost your own original content if ties in with their audience and niche. To heighten the chance of forming a mutually beneficial relationship with an influential creator, make sure to not just repost their content, but “like” and comment on their videos and follow them. Ideally, share videos created by users with a significant following. This can help your school/agency to get more views and followers, as their many fans will be exposed to your account when they see the video on your feed.

A repost should always tie into your brand strategy. Be judicious about what you choose to share – even if a video is pure silliness, there should be some link to education and study abroad. Sprinkle a couple of reposts into your feed every week or so – just enough to spike your own original content with a bit of flavour and fun. Your original content should more than match the volume of reposts in your feed.

Over time, your target audience on TikTok will come to expect a great mix of information and humour from your account – and that’s what you want.

Looking for inspiration?

Here are four TikTok videos we’ve come across recently to get you thinking about reposting (and giggling).
 
The first is from Yasmine Sahid (ladyyasmina1), an artist with Los Angeles-based a3 Artists Agency who has 2.1 million followers. In this video, she cracks us up by poking fun at the pretensions some people have when they come back from a study abroad experience.

She’s ba-ack! And she won’t stop talking about it.

The next video also lampoons over-the-top study abroad returnees – this topic is a seemingly inexhaustible trend because so many students either study abroad or are jealous of people who have. As in the previous video, there is digital media agency behind the video. In this case, it’s , and the artist is Vienna (viennaayla), who has more than 863 thousand followers.

she does NOT want to talk about it!!!

The next video is from Arjun (arjunmanjunath_), who posts about “college, travel, and Taylor Swift.” He has over 40 thousand followers. In his POV video, he riffs on the challenge of packing for study abroad.

@arjunmanjunath_ the vaccuum seal bags are linked in my storefront this bag has come full circle from when it went viral in january lol

The final video here is by a creator putting her own take on the packing theme, and it highlights the power of music and sound effects on TikTok. According to , 88% of people on say that sound is central to the overall TikTok experience, and “80% of the top videos [in 2022] had music, with upbeat songs being the most popular TikTok music choice by far.”
 
The video is also notable for being from a creator with a relatively small follower count. Despite not (yet) being well known, Olivia Richine (oliviarichine) got tons of likes and comments on this video – she’s a great example of a student a college or university might want to follow and engage with on TikTok. She was packing for Spain – hopefully her host institution knows about her talent!

leaving tomorrow:)

Is TikTok still huge despite many governments’ concerns about security?

The short answer: yes. TikTok is only completely banned in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. It’s banned on government devices due to concerns that the Chinese government could access TikTok user data, but the mainstream public in those countries can still access it for recreational use.

reports that “from 2020 to 2023, TikTok grew its global user base by 368.6 million—an overall increase of 79.1% and an average annual growth rate of 22.2%.” Roughly 3 in 10 (29%) TikTok users open the app every day, making TikTok second only to Instagram (39%) in terms of this daily engagement rate. An equally important metric for marketers is how much time people spend on an app; in this case, TikTok beats out Instagram and is .

Many of the most important markets for schools and colleges in destination countries are in the top 10 markets for TikTok in terms of active monthly users.

For additional background, please see:

• “Too many social media channels to manage? Maybe your students can help”
• “Why the viral video app TikTok needs to be part of your recruitment strategy this year”

The post Is your TikTok good enough to get noticed by international students? appeared first on șÚÁÏčÙÍű Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

A potential widescale ban on TikTok in the West will have implications for educators and agents that have come to rely heavily on the channel for student recruitment. Young people aged 18-24 are the demographic that is most likely to be using TikTok.

Today, we look at the fast-moving controversary around TikTok and what it suggests for best practices in social media channel management right now.

TikTok stats

The following stats from illustrate why a ban on Tiktok would be a challenge for many marketers:

• The average TikTok user spends 89 minutes per day on the channel;
• TikTok users are twice as likely as users of other channels to recommend something they found on the platform;
• Brands are remembered 40% more on TikTok than on other platforms;
• 71% of TikTok users who take action off platform say that TikTok shows them exactly what they are looking for;
• 55% of users use TikTok to research new brands or products;
• TikTok has an ad reach of roughly 885 million people.

For international marketing teams at schools and universities, TikTok is especially relevant because international students from key emerging markets use it to research study abroad options and share recommendations and experiences. This graph from Statista indicates the countries in which TikTok has the highest penetration. Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand are priority source countries for many educators in 2023.

Why is TikTok under fire?

Some parents and mental health experts are alarmed about the influence of TikTok on young minds. Preliminary studies show that TikTok scrolling is affecting kids and teens’ and to have patience for tasks that do not provide immediate gratification. Jessica Griffin, associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, told VeryWell:

“Short videos, like candy, provide a rush of dopamine, a feel-good chemical that’s released in the pleasure centre in our brains. That rush often leaves you wanting more – like kids in a candy store.”

For governments debating whether they will extend their TikTok bans beyond the phones of civil servants, the more immediate concern is that TikTok poses a security threat – especially during a time of heightened US/China tensions. sums up the issue like this:

“Lawmakers and regulators in the West have increasingly expressed concern that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, may put sensitive user data, like location information, into the hands of the Chinese government. They have pointed to laws that allow the Chinese government to secretly demand data from Chinese companies and citizens for intelligence-gathering operations. They are also worried that China could use TikTok’s content recommendations for misinformation.”

So far in the West, TikTok is banned on government-owned/linked devices in Canada, many EU countries, and the UK. In the US, legislation around TikTok is currently happening at the state, rather than federal, level. More than two dozen states have banned the app on government devices, and many universities have blocked it from campus Wi-Fi networks (however, students can work around this by accessing TikTok using cellular data).

TikTok is banned much more comprehensively in India. The Indian government banned it completely in the country in 2020 due to security concerns, which led to a surge in downloads and use of Instagram.

President Biden’s administration is considering a more comprehensive, nationwide ban of TikTok in the US , but a Chinese government spokesperson said that China would “firmly oppose” the sale of TikTok. TikTok’s executives say they will spend US$1.5 billion on a data security plan called “Project Texas” that would create more separation between TikTok and ByteDance.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew submitted to five hours of intense questioning last week by US Congress representatives and said that the company is committed to “firewalling US user data from all unwanted foreign access and to keeping content free from any manipulation from any government.” However, Mr. Chew did not respond directly to House Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ demand that he state “with 100% certainty” that the Chinese government could not spy on Americans through TikTok or manipulate the content that Americans can access on the app.

What’s next?

It took a while for college and university marketers to understand how to leverage TikTok, and often with the help of student social media ambassadors. For schools that have become successful on the app, a potential banning of TikTok is unfortunate, not the least because so many students are on TikTok and not on other social media platforms. Hubspot reports:

“TikTok has untapped potential to reach new audiences that aren’t on other platforms. In January 2023 TikTok reached 850 million global users, though 40% of TikTok users aren’t on Facebook, and 63% aren’t on Twitter.”

However, digital trends change quickly; apps cycle fairly quickly in and out of style. Even if TikTok isn’t banned further in the US or elsewhere, a new or existing app could conceivably disrupt TikTok’s current dominance in the video-based app landscape. staffer Conor Murray writes about how Instagram has already mimicked some of the most compelling features of TikTok:

“Key to Instagram’s success in India was Reels, its algorithm-based, endlessly scrolling vertical video feed that closely resembles TikTok’s For You Page and other TikTok copycats like YouTube Shorts and Snapchat Spotlight.”

A major part of Instagram parent company Meta’s growth strategy for Reels was to provide monetary incentives to top influencers, , the company is discontinuing this incentive strategy. There is speculation that Instagram will be the likely beneficiary of TikTok’s audience and reach if TikTok faces further restrictions in the West or elsewhere, followed by YouTube.

Instagram’s Reels does not yet boast the engagement levels of TikTok, and it is less effective for brands with relatively small follower counts. But it is a good investment for schools and universities that do have a strong presence on Instagram, especially given uncertainty around what governments will decide about TikTok.

Hedging your bets is the best strategy

Short-form video is a must for reaching GenZ. Josie Ahlquist, a digital engagement consultant interviewed by , notes that, “TikTok’s popularity has helped make vertical video – videos that are taller than they are wide, thereby filling up a typical smartphone screen – one of the highest-demand forms of content on other apps.” She says:

“I would encourage everybody to download their videos, because what we know is that vertical video is doing fairly well on different platforms. YouTube is putting a lot of investment into that. They’re even paying content creators to do more of that 
 Reddit just added kind of a vertical video–esque element. We know that, at least, that type of content is working.”

Similarly, advises marketers to “ensure the content you’re creating for TikTok could also be repurposed for other short-form video platforms, keeping in mind the differing content length limits and topic restrictions.” Reels, for example, accommodates short videos of up to 60 seconds – much longer than TikTok’s 15-second limit.

Given YouTube’s nearly global reach, experimenting with might also be worthwhile.

Whatever happens to TikTok, this is the time to lean into customer engagement and to invest in building brand loyalty on social media platforms. An essential activity is providing incentives for your student audience to provide their emails. AdRoll elaborates:

“For example, create a TikTok campaign that encourages customers to go to your website or link in bio to sign up for your email list. This can be a simple message like, ‘We love you all so much, we’d like to send you more content like this in our email newsletter 
. You can also simply ask customers to follow you on other social media platforms where you have a presence, e.g., ‘If you love what we post on TikTok, follow us on Instagram, too!’”

For additional background, please see:

• “Too many social channels to manage? Maybe your students can help”
• “Are you paying enough attention to social media in your recruitment marketing?”

The post What a widening TikTok ban could mean for international student recruitment appeared first on șÚÁÏčÙÍű Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

If you haven’t spent time on the app before, is a social channel for short-form video content. It’s where you go to check out the cool new viral trends, and where you will find lots of memes, jokes, and little peeks into other people’s lives. TikTok is also an increasingly important channel for reaching students.

Top 10 Universities In the UK

The platform was originally released in China in 2016 where it still operates as . An international version – TikTok – launched in 2017. About five years later, at the start of this year, TikTok had over 1 billion monthly active users, and it is projected to roughly double that user base by the end of the year. That is enough to make it the sixth most popular social channel in the world, putting it the same field as other leading channels like Instagram, WhatsApp, and WeChat. For additional background on the app, please see “Why the viral video app TikTok needs to be part of your recruitment strategy this year.”

Of particular note to international recruiters is that most of the active users on TikTok are aged 24 years or younger. In other words, they are the core of the college-aged demographic as well as those younger students who are planning ahead for studies abroad.

That 25-and-younger demographic – aka Generation Z – currently accounts for a little over a quarter of the world’s population. That translates to 2 billion Gen Zers worldwide, making this group the largest demographic cohort alive today.

This is also the first generation to have grown up with access to the Internet and portable digital technology. The Internet is always on for Generation Z. It’s in their pockets and Gen Zers are relentless consumers and creators of digital content. Research also tells us that this is a cohort that is confident and optimistic about the future. They value authenticity and they value connection.

For all these reasons, Generation Z uses and thinks about the Internet in a completely different way than other generations.

Google already knows

Prabhakar Raghavan is a senior vice president at Google. Appearing on a conference panel in July this year, he quite notably said:

“We keep learning, over and over again, that new Internet users don’t have the expectations and the mindset that we have become accustomed to. The queries they ask are completely different.”

What Mr Raghavan was getting at, in an observation that drew a lot of attention in technology circles, is that Google’s own, internal data reveals that Generation Z’s search habits are changing. When they want to find information, Gen Zers don’t turn to Google. Almost half of them instead use TikTok and Instagram as search engines.

If we unpack that a little further, what we see is that younger users are searching to learn about experiences, gather recommendations, and connect with other users with similar interests.

Think about that for a minute: all the effort we spend on search optimisation, online advertising, putting info out on our own websites (or on other websites) is necessary, but many of the students we’re trying to reach are searching for information on channels on which we may not even be active yet.

The TikTok video you saw at the top of this article, for example, was one of the first results returned for a simple search of “university UK” on TikTok. Once you dip a toe into those waters, you will quickly see that there is a great deal of student input coming back concerning every aspect of study abroad.

The student journey

Put yourself in the shoes of a student who is planning for study abroad.

Where does their research take them? Probably to quite a few different sources where they can gather up facts and details about different study options: programmes, admissions, fees, travel, and visas.

But aside from those practical matters, what other things might this student be wondering about at this stage? One thing we know from research in the field is that students are quite concerned about simply fitting in on campus and making friends.

But how would a student know if a particular institution or school is the right fit for them? Recent studies provide some clues.

The QS International Student Survey, for example, tells us that 85% of students use social media in their research about study abroad. In fact, after the institutional website, social media channels are the second-most important channel for students who are exploring where they will study.

The QS survey also reveals that 70% of students’ exploration about what kind of social experience they might have on campus or in a city occurs before students even submit an enquiry to an institution or school. The implication here is that students are often looking on social media for a general sense or gut feeling of whether or not a school is the right fit for them. They are asking, “Is this place for me?” “Can I see myself there?” And “Will I fit in?”

The lessons I learnt after 3 years of university – it’ll really help in your transition & enhance your experience at Uni

Guiding ideas

Here are a few key ideas to consider when it comes to beginning or expanding your social media marketing:

• Choose carefully: There are many apps and platforms out there, but each one will take some measure of budget and staff time to develop. So choose carefully and be guided by real insights into which channels are most important to the students you are trying to reach.
• Participate: Spend time on the social channels you are exploring. Observe, practise, and learn how people talk to each other and interact in that space.
• Get your students involved: Peer-to-peer influence is crucial when it comes to social. You will learn a lot from your students about how to be successful on popular channels. Let students help shape or even lead your outreach efforts on social media.
• Be real: Anything that is not authentic, or that feels like codified marketing language, is just not going to work with Generation Z. Express the values and the intent of your institution or school in an authentic way.

Most of all, understand why your students are looking for and sharing information on social channels in the first place. When it comes to study abroad, there is a very human question at the heart of this activity and it amounts to this: “Is this place for me? Can I see myself there?” You should, in every aspect of your approach to social media, aim to answer those questions as completely as possible.

Ask me questions about studying in Paris in the comments

For additional background, please see:

• “Tracking the Gen Z student journey in planning for higher education“
• “Why the viral video app TikTok needs to be part of your recruitment strategy this year“

The post Are you paying enough attention to social media in your recruitment marketing? appeared first on șÚÁÏčÙÍű Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

Most of your international students will be on Instagram and TikTok, and/or many other social platforms besides. They may know a lot about how to make catchy videos and posts that could go viral in your target markets, and they may be looking for a fun, on-campus job for the number of hours permitted by their study visa.

Different uses for TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook

TikTok (in China, Douyin) and Instagram tend to evolve more quickly than Facebook or Twitter in terms of what kinds of posts resonate and – ideally – go viral. This is because image and video-based environments are truly the realm of teens and 20-somethings, digital natives who are always looking for the latest social trend.

The demographics of these channels make them no-brainers for educators and agents. Almost half (44%) of TikTok’s global user base is between the ages of 18–24, while for Instagram, it’s 30%. By contrast, Facebook is losing share of the 18–24 age bracket at the same time as it gains share among users aged 65+.

This isn’t to say, however, that there is a diminishing need for institutions to promote themselves on Facebook. College-age students still go to Facebook to research study abroad options and will interact with other students, alumni, and institutional staff who post there. Facebook is also crucial for reaching another key audience: parents, who are often more comfortable there than on Instagram (or especially TikTok).

Managing multiple channels can be a stretch

Some institutions and agencies will be able to drive results through an integrated strategy for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok – but many will not. There are all too many cases of educational brands that are expertly managed on Facebook but left to flounder on other channels. For example:

‱ Instagram posts that are overly corporate and formal
‱ TikTok videos that aren’t fun or funny
‱ TikTok videos that have no music or special effects
‱ Any type of post that does not invite participation
‱ Any type of post lacking strategic hashtags

If any of this sounds familiar, hiring international students to be social media ambassadors could be a great solution.

Students know what other students want to see

When you hire a student to help with social media, bring them into meetings with your marketing team and let them feel like part of the overall recruiting strategy. Their work (posts and videos) could well be a crucial way to reach your audiences and they should feel like valued contributors to the mission. They should also feel like stars! Celebrate them on all your channels and on the institutional website.

Following are a few examples of institutions that are clearly tapping into the power of students as social media ambassadors.

Social media ambassadors are a key part of the budget

Last year the University of Victoria (UVic, in Canada) hired students as social media ambassadors (SMAs) for a few hours a week to represent them on Instagram and TikTok. Students applying for the position were required to have a social media presence and/or digital marketing experience and be “keen to share UVic-related stories, attend UVic events and/or share about UVic on their own personal channels.”

Jes Scott, manager of digital media strategies, told the (UVic’s university newsletter) that the SMA function was included as part of the CDN$14,600,000 budgeted for external engagement in 2021. SMAs’ work cost the university around CDN$10,920 per semester. Overall, UVic spends over CDN$100,000 on social media platforms annually.

Ms Scott noted that “the posts by SMAs and other students do not garner close to the same amount of attention on YouTube as they do on Instagram and TikTok.” Accordingly, the latter two channels are priorities for UVic’s social media ambassadors.

Social media ambassadors from emerging markets

George Brown College (also in Canada) introduces its social media ambassadors on the institutional website, explaining that these ambassadors star in its TikTok videos and also analyse social media data to measure the impact of their work. The website’s profiles of each ambassador also serve to promote George Brown’s programmes. In the 2022 winter semester, five of the six ambassadors were international students. In total, they represented Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Barbados, and Belarus.

Apply by video

(US) clearly defines what it is looking for in a social media ambassador – and requires candidates to submit a video to show what they are capable of.

University of Cincinnati: Hitting all the bases

The University of Cincinnati (US) has an active social media ambassador programme designed to respond to all the elements that go into prospective students’ decision-making process. This ambassador’s TikTok posts explore how to choose programmes, accommodation, what to pack, what to do the first day in the city, and what it’s like to walk through campus – all overlaid on trending songs on the platform.

Agencies can leverage social media ambassadors, too

Education agents have great potential for achieving success by hiring students they have referred to universities. Happy students could make videos about any of the following experiences, for example:

‱ Receiving an admissions confirmation letter;
‱ Arriving exhausted and excited at their destination;
‱ Setting eyes on their campus for the first time;
‱ Decorating their residence/apartment room;
‱ Attending an amazing orientation or other campus event;
‱ Participating in a moving graduation ceremony;
‱ Achieving success in a job related to programme to which the agent helped them to gain acceptance.

There are endless opportunities for agencies and institutions to work with student social media ambassadors. The screen shot below, from , shows just how timely the idea is as the 2022/23 academic calendar starts to kick into high gear.

For additional background, please see:

• “Visually led: The growing power of image-first design in international student marketing”
• “Campus tours from a distance: Best practices in virtual open houses for international students”
• “Are you paying enough attention to parents in your recruitment marketing?”
• “How to build a better peer recruitment programme”

The post Too many social channels to manage? Maybe your students can help appeared first on șÚÁÏčÙÍű Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

Famous filming locations at via @steven.van

The addictive app was created initially in 2016 in China under the name Douyin (which is still going strong with 600 million daily active users). In 2017, Chinese company ByteDance launched the app in markets outside of China and called it TikTok. The user growth has been astounding. As the online marketing hub Oberlo notes,

“Just to give you an idea of how other apps performed in comparison with TikTok’s growth, it took Instagram six years from its launch to gain the same amount of monthly active users that TikTok managed to achieve in under three years. Facebook, widely known as the king of social media, took more than four years.”

Some mind-blowing include:

• 689 million users worldwide (not including China), more than Snapchat, Pinterest, and Twitter;
• Downloaded more than 2 billion times on the Apple App Store and Google Play, making it the top download ahead of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat;
• Received more downloads (315 million) in one quarter (Q1 2020) than any other app in history;
• 62% of users are between the ages of 10 and 29;
• It’s most popular in South America – particularly Brazil and Mexico;
• Daily average time on it is 52 minutes, similar to Instagram and Facebook, and 90% open the app multiple times a day.

TikTok is available in 155 countries right now (but not in India, where it is banned for “indecent” content) and in 75 languages.

What works

A study of 317 brands by the stock video service found that:

• Many brands don’t yet have a TikTok presence, indicating an important market gap;
• Posting 3-4 times per week yielded the best results;
• 90% of top videos had product placement, 80% had music, 30% were humorous, and 25% featured an influencer or celebrity;
• Creative videos with animations and graphics overlays get lots of views.

For a primer on how to get started on TikTok, check out .

Ask for help from students

TikTok users are incredibly savvy and know exactly what a good TikTok video looks like and feels like. Filters, playlists, and “transitions” elevate a normal video to something that they will think is cool – and the best come close to an art form that has the potential to go seriously viral.

To be successful on TikTok, you absolutely must know what the current trends (with hashtags), transitions, and filters are. These change weekly, if not more often. If you’re new to these concepts, Backlightblog has a good post up that shows them in action – but be warned, the trends shown here are likely already out of date!

To find out what’s hot on TikTok, spend time on the platform and use the “Discover” page to see what millions of young people are watching right now. There’s also a lot of sharing of TikTok videos on Instagram, so that’s another place to look.

If all this sounds overwhelming, it’s because staying on top of TikTok trends and then putting them into action likely is overwhelming for most school marketing departments and their already stretched resources and budgets. But there is a solution: enlist the help of your current students who, especially right now, may have lots of time on their hands.

Some students will have particular sway on TikTok

Do you have brand ambassadors or have you identified “influencers” within your international student and alumni populations – people who get all sort of likes and engagements on Instagram or other platforms? These students are also the most likely to be very active on TikTok right now. We have written before about the power of student ambassadors and it’s worth repeating what Unibuddy CEO Diego Fanara has said about peer-to-peer marketing:

“Student-to-student connection has taken over as the most influential and helpful factor when deciding where to apply to university 
 even more influential than friends and family. This is a huge shift for universities and colleges. Students are the heart and soul of institutions so it’s no surprise that prospective students value the authenticity of their experience above all else.”

Show off your campus or city

As noted earlier, millions of TikTok videos feature product placements. For many international educators, the campus – or city, or region if the campus itself isn’t a main attraction – is as much of a “product” as the programme itself. has a great post showing creative ways that educators are showing off their campuses on TikTok – from day-in-the-life student videos to students participating in viral dance challenges on the beautiful grounds of a university.

= Chad & Emma from the School of Theater + Dance, UF College of the Arts.

There are endless TikTok possibilities for each part of the enrolment funnel, and college acceptance TikToks are a big thing, as you can clearly see below.

TikTok can be emotional, too, with so much passion and creativity driving its popularity. Check out this video if you want your heart strings pulled a little today. From a brand perspective, became aware of the teaching talent and student community at The College of New Jersey as a result of this one TikTok.

during these tough times it’s important to show extra appreciation!

For additional background, please see:

• “The peer-to-peer effect in international student recruitment”
• “Instagram’s profound effect on travel destination choice”

The post Why the viral video app TikTok needs to be part of your recruitment strategy this year appeared first on șÚÁÏčÙÍű Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

A rapid evolution

In the first weeks of the pandemic, there was a general sense of chaos and uncertainty across the international education landscape; neither students nor institutions knew exactly how to react to the reality that borders were changing and physical campuses closing. Every day brought another unpleasant surprise, as travel restrictions, social distancing, and border closures became more severe.

Quickly though, many educators realised that their best bet – in fact, the only option for most – was to move their programmes online, even as they naturally wondered whether (1) they could deliver a compelling study experience via screens and (2) students would be interested in learning online.

For their part, students wondered, among other things:

• Would the ROI of foreign credentials obtained either partially or totally online be lower than what they would have been if these credentials had been earned on campus in the host country?

• Was it worth it to begin a programme online with the reassurance that once COVID-19 travel restrictions eased, they could continue their programmes in-person in the host country?
  ï»ż
• Would the online experience be good enough to justify investing in this type of education?
  ï»ż
• Would there even be a time, in 2020, when they might be able to begin or resume studies in another country?

Nothing is normal

Suffice to say, both students and educators have experienced serious disruption as a result of the repercussions of COVID-19. But there are signs that many have moved into a new phase of adjustment to the changed world we now find ourselves in.

For example, among prospective international students found that 61% showed interest in studying online due to the effects of COVID-19, versus 39% who said they would not be interested in online learning. That’s a large majority of students now expressing an openness to online learning delivered by schools and universities that were once associated mainly with on-campus instruction.

There are many qualifiers that could be attached to this observation. Student expectations around quality of instruction online will continue to rise this year as we all continue to adjust to this new normal. And student perceptions of pricing for online programmes will continue to move as well, including the growing expectation for (partial or full) refunds for forgone on-campus instruction and of relatively lower fees for online programmes.

A bridge to campus

At the same time, through ongoing tracking of opinions and behaviours around study abroad during coronavirus, QS has also found that the percentage of students who intend to defer their studies because of COVID-19 has been increasing.

For example, in February 2020, 27% of respondents said their study plans had been impacted by the pandemic, and of these students, 35% said that as a result they would defer their studies to the following year. By mid-March, the proportion of students saying their study plans had changed rose to 35% and the percentage of those students saying they would defer increased to 54%.

With such a large – and increasing – proportion of students choosing to defer their start dates, offering a foundational course or suite of online courses that students can then use as credits toward completing programmes seems an ever-more useful strategy. Whether for secondary studies, language training, or post-secondary education, the option to start online and finish on campus is going to be the most important pathway for many students this year.

We are already seeing some early recognition of this in immigration policy as well. In Canada, for example, educators are now able to offer students planning to begin studies in May or June the ability to complete up to 50% of their programmes online. The idea here is that students can travel to Canada for the rest of their programme once it is safe to do so.

Boost recruitment on social

QS says its survey results indicate “that online learning will increasingly become a crucial component of higher education moving forward.” At the same time, they note, “experts predict that the traditional campus learning environment will return to full strength once the global health emergency has abated.” One implication? Schools and universities that reassure prospects and current students now – via online channels, learning platforms, and communications – will be in a better recruiting position going forward.

If your institution can’t fully move instruction online – and there are many that simply can’t – there is still an amazing opportunity to keep connecting with students through the crisis. For example:

• Virtual campus tours;
• Social media posts that invoke the student experience, celebrate student success, and reassure incoming students;
• Contests (e.g., students post Instagram photos of them studying at home during COVID-19 for a chance to win school swag);
• Communications oriented to students’ particular interests (e.g., recipes, contests, and how-to videos, if students are in culinary school; top design trends if students are in this field).

Engagement is up

This Atlantic article underlines the degree to which photo culture (e.g., Instagram) during COVID-19 is , and as you might imagine, student who had expected to study abroad and make new friends before the pandemic might well be feeling lonely and disconnected right now.

On a related note, social media engagement rates are currently at an all-time high for 2020, even though many businesses are publishing fewer posts. , the first reason for this is that because of the way that Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter algorithms work, “when a company posts less frequently, each post they create has a better chance of earning impressions and engagement, which in turn yields higher per-post performance.”

The second reason is about quality of posts:

“When marketers focus their energy on a few great posts instead of many mediocre ones, fans and followers naturally engage more. This natural engagement increase encourages social channels to re-serve that content to other users, leading to higher engagement. As we’re all trying to figure out exactly what and how to market during this time of stress and uncertainty, marketers are putting more thought and authenticity into everything they post on social, which Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are rewarding.”

As Instagram expert Jenna Kutcher said, “this is not the season to be quiet, this is the season to communicate.” Social media expert advisor Steph Gilbert includes this caveat, however:

“Brands and social media managers have the unique challenge of embracing an unsettling time – becoming as human as possible on their social media channels – while juggling the necessary bit of marketing and selling needed to stay in business.”

Nothing is normal right now, and successful communications have to reflect this fact. Tone is all-important, as is a reassuring emphasis on responding quickly and helpfully to any questions. Here is a final screenshot showing just how effective that commitment can be:

For additional background, please see:

• “Virtual campus tours take on new importance during travel restrictions”
• “Looking ahead: Scenario planning and recovery forecasts for international education”
• “Instagram’s profound effect on travel destination choice”
• “The opportunity of student comments”
• “In the sharing marketplace, video is king”

The post COVID-19: Social media engagement is up and so is interest in learning online appeared first on șÚÁÏčÙÍű Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

A growing body of research is showing that Instagram now plays a considerable role in influencing where people decide to go in the world. has found that:

• 70% of “travel enthusiasts” (people using travel-oriented hashtags) share their travel plans on Instagram;
• 67% of them use Instagram to find inspiration for where to go next.

And there’s inspiration aplenty. Check out (40 million+ posts) or , for example, and within a minute you’ll feel a strong need to go somewhere you had never thought of before.

People look for proof of a worthwhile destination

As digital agency notes, many Instagram users are “millennials who consider it vital to be seen as a ‘traveller’ rather than a ‘tourist.’ For [them], it’s important that their trip is an experience worth sharing.”

In fact, one UK-based study found, astonishingly, that over 40% of 1,000 millennials it surveyed prioritised a destination’s “Instagrammability.” This is the top driver, ahead of personal development, sightseeing, and the opportunity to sample local cuisine. However you feel about that, the fact is that many students today are looking to increase their followers, likes, and comments on Instagram and will be hoping that their study abroad experience fuels this goal.

The example of Iceland

Gunnar Frey, a destination marketer whose @icelandic_explorer posts aim to draw visitors to Iceland told Canada’s Global News, “Instagram has ‘been really inspiring people to go and do interesting things. It brings a big world to a small place.’” And Iceland’s official tourism board told the media site that “a lot of people first become aware of the country as a destination through social media, with a big part of that being Instagram.”

The example of Iceland underlines:

1. That education institutions should include Instagram hashtags related to their community, city, or country destination (e.g., if you were a school in Iceland, #exploreiceland is a hashtag on close to half a million posts right now);
2. That students will be looking for places to take optimal selfies to share while studying (so think of some great places and publish them on the website, on social media, etc.);
3. That small schools, like small destinations like Iceland, can have a strong “Insta-game” and draw prospects using well-considered strategies around the platform.

Ideas and strategies

Selfie-starters: Though students will come up with their own ways to take selfies, it certainly won’t hurt to get the ball rolling with some ready-to-go “moments” for them. Nomadic suggests creating “special backdrops, art installations, or photobooth style setups” that can help to brand your institution on Instagram.

Influencers: We’ve long emphasised the key role student ambassadors can play, and this has never been more important than in today’s Instagram culture. Do some research about which students are posting great pictures and stories about your school and engage with them. found that 34% of Instagram users in the US made a purchase based on an influencer’s recommendation; roughly a quarter of Facebook and Twitter users had as well.

Once you’ve identified some student influencers, find out what niche passions they have. Is it cooking? Hiking? Art? All these interests suggest opportunities for your school to hop on board and provide inspiration for them.

Let’s say one of your influential students shares recipes on their Instagram. Feature one of their recipes on your school’s feed and ask your followers to check out their posts! The example below is a variation on this idea, where Buzzfeed featured one of their staff member’s recipes:

As for the optimal number of followers your influencers should have, it’s not necessarily huge. Hootsuite notes that,

“A smaller follower count can be very powerful if it’s a niche area 
 niche influencers can have very dedicated and engaged followers. The latest development is the emergence of nano-influencers. These influencers can have as few as 1,000 followers, but their word is gold to their dedicated fans.”

Just as important as follower count is whether the influencer is liked and trusted by the specific people you’re trying to reach: prospects in target markets. As Hootsuite says, “You want to see plenty of views, likes, comments, and shares from the precise follower segments you’re trying to reach.”

Geo-tagging: reports that “posts tagged with a location get 79% more engagement than those without.” And of course geo-tagging also links your school to a destination. Enough said!

Better performance for educators

On a final note, another from Trackmaven found that higher education institutions got more than 10x the interactions on Instagram than on any other major platform, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

For additional background, please see:

• “3 smart ways to give recruitment marketing a boost”
• “The opportunity of student comments on Instagram”
• “Let them talk: the power of student reviews”
• “Are you paying enough attention to Instagram?”

The post Instagram’s profound effect on travel destination choice appeared first on șÚÁÏčÙÍű Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.