What a Higher Education Marketing Agency Does for You 

Looking at all the many, many strategies that contribute to successful higher education lead generation, the question becomes: do you implement them in-house? Or do you partner with a higher education marketing agency who can help? 

Obviously, we’re going to be a little bit biased, but there are very strong reasons why an agency partner could be the right path for your school. 

Specialized Knowledge 

You know your school best—your curricula, your brand, your mission—and your faculty and staff are focused on that. That doesn’t leave a lot of time or resources for learning the ins and outs of all the different aspects of digital marketing. Partnering with a higher education agency gives you immediate access to a team with specific expertise in: 

• Search engine and AI optimization
• Content strategy
• Website design and development
• Analytics and performance metrics
• Customer relationship marketing and public relations 

Adjustable Capacity 

The higher education calendar can be a series of peaks and valleys, with extremely busy months (i.e., admissions opening, program launches, class start dates) followed by quieter periods. A higher ed marketing agency can provide the extra hands and help you need when the workload spikes so you don’t have to worry about splitting your attention between enrollment and campaign metrics. 

Big Picture Thinking 

An experienced agency with real knowledge of the education field can bring a much wider perspective to your marketing efforts. They’ll have the tools to research competitors, analyze how new and alternative tactics are working, and understand how you can stand out and bring in more student leads. 

Multichannel Optimization 

Knowing your brand is one thing; communicating that brand in a cohesive way across all the different marketing channels is another. Because of that specialized knowledge and big-picture thinking mentioned above, a skilled higher education marketing agency can coordinate campaigns that work together and build on each other, telling a complete story rather than a series of scattered messages. 

Audience Targeting and Segmenting 

Quality over quantity, especially when it comes to enrollment lead generation for higher education. A good higher education marketing agency has a whole suite of skills to make it possible to identify and target the right potential students, from mapping the student journey to crafting personalized content to identifying which message works for which platform for maximum conversion. 

Efficiency 

Because a higher education marketing agency already has the expertise and experience with the latest digital tools, your school is likely going to see faster, more efficient results that if you’re trying to do the same stuff in-house. They’ll have the data and methodologies to quickly create campaigns, analyze how they’re performing, and optimize or pivot when the numbers aren’t number-ing. 

What an SEO Agency Can Do 

The whole point of SEO is increasing organic search traffic to your website, but it’s a lot more complicated than that simple explanation and it requires long-term strategy. A lot of SEO tactics won’t show up in overnight successes; instead, they’ll build slowly and can provide better return on investment in the long run. SEO is the intersection of content development, website structure, backend analytics, and technical skills with the aim of getting your site either on or as close to appearing on the first page of the search results for your targeted keywords and phrases. 

How to Assess SEO Agencies 

Once you have your shortlist of potential agencies, you need to compare and contrast to try and whittle down which one is a good fit for you. 

Experience and Track Record 

With an SEO agency, you want a true partner, someone committed to investing in the work that will result in long-term growth. This can mean: 

• Looking at case studies, either directly in your industry or with companies similar to yours
• Getting a clear picture of their recent results and strategies
• Understanding what technical knowledge and skills they have and how they leverage it to keep up with SEO best practices
• Meeting the team you will be working with and getting familiar with their individual qualifications, experience and insights 

Transparency and Accountability 

A good SEO partner agency will have clear processes and procedures around maintaining transparency in their strategies. They don’t rely on shortcuts or shady practices. (Remember bottom-of-the-page keyword stuffing back in the day?) They’re committed to building links and branding gradually and organically and can be confident in their goals without making flashy, impossible promises.  

Strategy and Reporting 

The SEO strategies you implement are what makes or breaks your success. You don’t want to settle for a partner who has a copy-and-paste approach, slotting every client into the same general structure without customizing it for your industry, your market, your business.  

An effective SEO agency will take the time to understand who your customers are, how they search, and how their behaviors change depending on where they’re at in the sales funnel. They should also be able to discuss staying adaptable and how they adjust to sudden shifts in the algorithms. 

Reporting and communication are also important here. There should be regular, clear documentation of what the agency is doing, why they’re doing it, and what results you’re seeing. A dashboard of stats and percentages can look very flashy, but it’s useless unless you know exactly what you’re looking at. 

Questions to Ask an SEO Company 

As you’re comparing and analyzing your potential options, we’ve got a list of questions you should ensure you get answers to: 

• What is your experience with our industry? Do you have case studies or reports that can demonstrate your ability to get results?
• What are your strategies for making the most of a client’s budget?
• What is your approach to staying updated on Google’s changes and algorithm updates? How do you respond when these shifts happen?
• What does success look like for you in an SEO strategy? What about for our business in particular?
• What SEO tactics do you employ? How do you prioritize them?
• What are your link building strategies?
• How do you approach a situation where a client is not seeing results after a certain amount of time?
• What kind of reporting do you provide? How much of it is automated? And how often can we expect to receive it?
• How do you maintain transparency with your clients?
• Can you put us in contact with some of your current clients to discuss their experience with your work? 

SEO Agency Red Flags to Avoid 

Seeing any of these in an agency while you’re doing your research should be a potentially negative sign: 

• Promises of fast results or big promises, especially when there’s little information on how they achieve it
• Comfortability with “black hat” techniques like buying backlinks, stuffing keywords, or employing fake reviews
• Aggressive sales tactics that push you to sign with them quickly
• Costs that look too good to be true because cheap SEO packages can mean cut corners and low quality results
• Reports that aren’t clearly communicating results
• Lack of communication in regards to tactics and strategies, including making moves like adding pages without approval 

Low-Cost Search Engine and Website Marketing Ideas 

Mobile Optimization 

It’s not enough to have a decent website — I mean, you should definitely already have one of those, but beyond that, it’s extra important to make it as mobile-friendly as possible. More consumers than ever are accessing the internet through their smartphones, and 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site. Eighty-eight percent of searches for local businesses on a mobile device result in either a call or visit to that business within 24 hours. 

Google Business Profiles 

We’ve mentioned this before when discussing the power of local SEO, but if you haven’t already set up your Google Business Profile (GBP), you’re missing out on a great tool that is completely free. BrightLocal actually found that in 2025 only 35% of small- to medium-sized businesses had claimed their GBP. When you set one up, it allows you to correct any misinformation, add photos and descriptions, select relevant business categories, and ensure your hours and contact information is up to date. This then helps your business to appear in search results and Google Maps. 

Consistent, Engaging Blogs 

Having a blog on your website isn’t a requirement, but it can be a fantastic tool for marketing with little overhead costs. According to marketers, websites, blogs, and SEO are the number one channel for generating a return on investment (ROI), and small businesses in particular are 23% more likely than the average to see an ROI from blog posts. The key, though, isn’t just posting a bunch of random writing. High-quality content posted on a consistent, sustainable schedule goes much further than an avalanche of junk blogs. Focus on content that your audience will find useful, like frequently asked questions, lists and guides, and behind-the-scenes industry information. 

AI Search Optimization 

Google’s integration of AI into their search engine has changed up the SEO game. In order for your website to rank well in search results, you want to use hone your tactics toward things like AI overviews. A lot of it will require building out content that answers common questions centered around the right short- and longtail keyword phrases. If you’re not sure what keywords to target, reach out to EdwardsSchoen and we can help. 

Low-Cost Social Media Marketing Ideas 

Social Media Presence 

Social media remains a very effective way to reach customers; in fact, it is the most preferred product discovery platform for consumers aged 18 to 44. To make the most of it on a small budget, it helps to focus on the one or two platforms where your ideal audience is most active. But you can’t necessarily just post and ghost. You’ll see greater benefits if you engage with the community and the conversation. Reply to comments, answer questions, and connect with relevant groups and accounts. 

Contests and Giveaways 

Hosting a giveaway on your social platforms can be great for increasing visibility and growing your followers. Keep it simple: the prize should be valuable but not bank-breaking, and you should have people who want to enter do one or two simple things, like submit their email or share some of your content. It’s not something you want to do excessively or it will become a gimmick, but used strategically, it can get your profile and your business in front of new people.  

Micro-Influencers 

Micro-influencers are those who either have a niche following or a small platform that’s still growing, usually around 1,000 to 10,000 followers. If you can find these kinds of influencers who have an audience that overlaps with your own, it can be a more affordable way to engage with content creators. 

Low-Cost Content Marketing Ideas 

Email Marketing 

Social media platforms can come and go, but the one guaranteed avenue for reaching both current and prospective customers is through email marketing. For very little money, you can collect, segment and personalize your audience, staying in contact with the people most likely to engage with your products. That’s why the ROI on email marketing is almost $40 for every $1 spent. Take the time to craft emails that provide value, though, and don’t just bombard recipients with half a dozen junk messages a week.  

Workshops and Webinars 

Content marketing is a long game that is all about demonstrating brand trust and authority by sharing valuable expertise and information. Hosting a workshop or online webinar about a specific topic inside your industry is a fantastic way to do just that, and it can connect you with new prospective clients and customers as well. 

Guest Blogs and Appearances 

Pitching yourself can be intimidating, but if you’re willing to face down your fear of rejection, it can really pay off. Step one is to find potential third-party platforms in your industry, like podcasts, YouTube channels, or online publications. Reach out to relevant channels and offer to share your own expertise through a guest article, podcast interview, etc. Be specific about your topic and what you want to say, and do your research about the platform’s past posts. You don’t want to drop into their inbox, proposing to discuss a subject that they’ve already covered multiple times. 

AI Adoption 

Starting where the previous section ended, we’re talking about the adoption and integration of AI tools and services. A chatbot can’t physically fix a pipe or install a heating system, but there are other ways that the industry is utilizing it. Contractors, technicians, and home service businesses are integrating AI to help with scheduling, quotes, resource planning, and customer communication. In areas like HVAC, AI-powered diagnostic tools are also boosting efficiency by helping technicians troubleshoot more quickly. 

Labor and Hiring 

The skilled trades as a whole are facing an uphill battle when it comes to filling open positions. The construction industry alone is projected to need to hire 349,000 workers to meet current demand, and this could only get worse as the large Baby Boomer population continues to retire. Beyond investing in programs that introduce younger people to the trades, contractors and companies are also looking into more support services, like additional training and job growth opportunities to improve retention. 

Customer Expectations 

The ways that clients and homeowners are choosing their home services providers centers around two things in 2026: how quickly they respond and how professional and trustworthy they are. According to a survey from Housecall Pro, 97% of homeowners say response speed and transparent pricing influence who they hire. Additionally, per the 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey, 97% of consumers read reviews of local businesses as a vital part of their decision making. 

Systemizing Operations 

In the Service Nation report, they point out that chaos does not make for a good foundation and can inhibit a business’s ability to grow and scale. Everything from dispatch to customer management to scheduling and follow-up communication needs to be made into a system that is easy and effective for contractors, clients, and technicians. Finances, processes, sales, invoicing—all of it should be documented so it’s easier for new hires to get trained and up to speed. 

Marketing Presence 

While referrals are still one of the biggest drivers of leads, your online marketing presence remains extremely important. For home services contractors and businesses, because so many of them are local, the ones seeing the most success are those who are focused on honing their Google Business Profiles, investing in their customer retention and communication, and generating reviews. Your online presence needs to be optimized for the people who are searching on their mobile phones and/or by using voice search and AI search functions. 

Economic Headwinds 

Any kind of investment or upgrade requires money and resources, both of which can be a struggle in the current economic landscape. Businesses and contractors operating on thin margins are facing greater challenges due to higher inflation, industry transformations, and potential rises in employee turnover. Pivotal decisions will have to be made on where any available budget would be best spent, potentially impacting staffing and workloads. 

Sustainability 

The conversation around climate change and sustainability continues to grow and get louder, and it’s causing a shift in customer expectations. More and more homeowners are looking to engage with companies that prioritize eco-friendly services and practices. Younger generations in particular are more prone to make value-based decisions, choosing to spend their money at businesses that align with their own priorities even if it sometimes means choosing a more expensive service. 

Trade-Specific Expectations 

The Service Nation report also breaks down some trade-specific trends that they’re noticing: 

• HVAC is seeing a shift to an emphasis on maintenance plans versus one-time replacements. High-efficiency HVAC systems like heat pumps are becoming more and more popular.
• Plumbing is seeing a rise in repair work as aging systems need repairs and upgrades. Additionally, more plumbing businesses are moving to flat-rate, options-based pricing for better clarity for customers.
• For electricians, demand is growing for electric vehicle chargers, solar panels, battery systems, and smart panels. Safety and compliance standards are also rising, with a higher bar being set for code enforcement and permits. 

Segmenting and Targeting 

We’re going to start from the assumption that you’ve already defined your goals and objectives—whether it’s brand awareness, lead generation, etc. If you haven’t, bookmark your spot here and go do that before reading on. Once you have, you’re ready to talk about audience segmentation, personalization, and targeting.  

You’re likely already doing this to some degree—we definitely talk about personalization all the time—but the number of tools and strategies has grown, many of which are paired with AI to make it easier than ever. Take a look at what types of information and insight you’re collecting about your audience, analyze it, and tailor your paid social content to speak more directly to each segment. 

Retargeting 

Users who have already expressed interest in you and your brand are more likely to be receptive to your messaging and more likely to turn into conversions. Make sure when you’re managing audience segmentation that you build retargeting audiences into it. 

Stopping the Scroll 

It’s the era of the attention economy, and capturing it is one of the biggest challenges in the social media landscape. It’s so easy for users to quickly scroll past your content, so you need to really invest in compelling, visually eye-catching creative. Think: clean, engaging designs, no clutter; a strong hook; messaging that’s direct and to-the-point; and a clear call-to-action. 

Develop multiple versions of your creative assets so you can run A/B comparison tests and collect information about what makes your audience do a double-take. 

Ad-Supported Streaming 

YouTube, Netflix, Disney, Tubi—streaming video currently reigns supreme. Almost all of these companies have ad-supported tiers for customers who can’t or won’t pay for premium levels, and many of them offer very sophisticated targeting. It’s worth it for you to take a look and maybe experiment in this area to see how it helps you reach consumers. 

Measuring, Adapting and Updating 

Measure twice, cut once. Except, in marketing, it’s more like: measure twice, adjust your tool, try a few cuts, go back and measure again. This is especially true for social media because there’s such an opportunity there for real-time data gathering, monitoring, and adapting. Many social platforms have their own dashboards to show you engagement and efficacy, which means you can quickly start gleaning insights to inform your ad spend. 

That’s where all those different creative versions come in handy for testing because you can get nerdy and granular with it. How does this visual compare to that one; what about this headline versus that headline; which CTA performs better, etc. 

Chasing Trends 

As much as social media shifts constantly, we don’t advise our partner clients to go out of their way to chase trends either. Most of the time, a viral fad is over before brands are even aware of it, and the high number of views it drives are not necessarily going to result in conversions. 

Budgeting Smart 

The best way to avoid wasting time, energy, and money throwing spaghetti at the social media wall is to start small and focused. Perform tests that target specific platforms, specific audience segments, specific goals, and don’t invest big numbers until you know something works.  

Why You Need a Digital Marketing Agency in Higher Education 

Because running a higher education organization can be so consuming, it can be difficult to find time to think about advertising, which is why many institutions look to bring on a digital marketing agency. Finding the right marketing partner can help: 

• Free up personnel and resources to better focus on the needs of the school and students
• Increase leads and enrollment by better targeting the students who truly fit the school’s culture
• Take advantage of the full slate of digital marketing tools out there without having to spend the time and resources
• Stay competitive within the dynamic landscape of higher education 

Keyword here being: the right marketing partner. There are a lot of digital marketing agencies out there, but not all of them have the in-depth knowledge of the higher education industry necessary to be truly effective. Schools and colleges need an agency that understands the unique challenges and goals of education marketing, that can balance student demographics, program and educational branding, and enrollment outcomes. 

7 Things to Consider When Picking the Right Higher Education Marketing Agency 

What experience does the agency have in the higher education landscape? 

You probably expected this to come up pretty early on; obviously, an agency that has worked closely with schools, colleges, and universities in the past will have a wealth of real-life experience to draw from. And the greater the variety of higher education institutions that they’ve worked with, the better. An agency that already recognizes the different approaches required for trade schools versus traditional colleges will be able to move quickly without you having to handhold them through the onboarding process. 

What are you hoping to see from your agency partner? 

There are a lot of different types of agencies out there, and not all of them will be a good match for your particular goals. Take agency size, for example. A large digital marketing agency might have more personnel and resources at their disposal, but may not be able to move as fast or give as much personalized attention depending on their client list. A smaller digital marketing agency might not have the same resource library, but are more likely to be nimble, adaptable, and more personalized to your needs. 

Is the agency powered by data-driven decision makers? 

To be frank: if an education marketing agency isn’t building their strategies and campaigns off data, they’re not worth your time. Your prospective students are generating a constant stream of information about themselves, their preferences, their interests, and their daily lives. Collecting it, analyzing it, and using it as the foundation for marketing is essential, and they should be able to walk you through exactly how they do it. 

What is the value they offer for your money? 

Depending on the nature of your higher education organization, you might not have a huge marketing budget to offer them. There are agencies out there who can only deliver big returns when they have big money to spend on it. The right digital marketing agency for you will be able to work with what you have, not what they wish you had, and still deliver on your performance goals. 

What is the agency’s track record? 

Every agency will tell you that they’re the best; the right higher education marketing agency will be able to prove it. They’ll be able to show you how they are growing, what their customer retention rate is, what kinds of testimonials they’re receiving from clients. They’ll have examples and case studies on how they’ve delivered for clients that are similar to you, both in industry and in budget. They’ll give you concrete, straightforward answers, not meaningless sales lingo. 

What level of accountability do they have? 

The students at your school have to show up and do the work in order to pass. You should expect the same from your digital marketing partner. A good education marketing firm will be able to communicate the kinds of metrics and benchmarks they’ll use to measure campaign performance and be transparent and accountable throughout the process. You shouldn’t have to guess where your dollars are being spent; you should have that information delivered to you regularly with an A+ level of clarity and detail. 

Why Market to Existing Customers 

The ROI from Marketing to Existing Online Customers, part of the Adobe® Digital Index Report, broke down some of the numbers behind marketing to existing customers: 

• In the U.S., 40% of revenue comes from returning or repeat purchasers, who represent only 8% of all visitors
• Marketers in the U.S. must bring in 5 shoppers to equal the revenue of 1 repeat purchaser
• Repeat purchasers account for even more revenue during the holiday season and times of slow economic growth 

In the report, they note that a much smaller percentage of digital marketing budgets are suited for marketing to returning and repeat purchasers.

The average retailer spends more than US$20 million annually on interactive marketing to persuade prospects to visit its websites, explore its product offerings, and make purchases. Because only a small fraction (approximately 1%, See Table 6) of these prospects actually purchase, retail marketers spend the bulk of their digital ad budgets acquiring new visitors. (page 3) 

In contrast to new customers only seeing conversion rates of 1%, returning and repeat purchasers have conversion rates that are five and nine times higher, respectively. 

How Your Small Business Can Market to Existing Customers 

Start With Understanding Your Customers 

You can’t market to people you know nothing about, so your first step is collecting the data you have on your existing customers and clients in order to create a better understanding of who they are. Not just age, gender, and income, but also their purchasing and shopping behaviors, what you can discern about their lifestyles and motivations, and what they might have in common. All of these aspects can help inform the rest of your tactics. 

Follow Up Post-Sale and Ask for Feedback 

One of the best ways to start a customer relationship is to follow up with them after the initial sale after a week or two to check in with how they are feeling about their purchase. Ask for and engage with their opinions and feedback and use it to inform next steps and changes. If these customers can see that their answers are really being listened to, that can be a huge component of building brand trust. Come back to these returning customers to get input on new products and services, and encourage them to leave honest reviews. 

Create Highly Focused Content 

Your existing customers can and should drive a targeted content strategy. From their data, their behavior, and their feedback, you may find that there are reoccurring questions and topics that come up time and again. You can leverage those trends to drive a campaign of blogs, social media posts, articles, and potentially third-party link building. 

Set Up Customer Loyalty Programs 

Everyone loves getting something extra, which is why customer loyalty programs are popular. The type of loyalty program varies from business to business, but it can involve tactics like: 

• Stacking small rewards that eventually add up to larger ones
• Tie purchases to shared values by linking a percentage of their purchases to particular charities
• Offer exclusive discounts and freebies for multiple purchases or particular products 

Keep the process simple and easy to use so that it’s easy for your customers to sign up and participate. 

Set Up Personalized Communications and Recommendations 

The data you gather on your customers should directly influence your communications with them, particularly with email marketing campaigns. We’ve discussed before how important it is for small businesses to personalize their email lists, and it’s an extremely effective tool for staying connected to your customers. Based on their shopping behaviors and purchases, you can keep them in the loop on new developments, offer them recommendations that align with their needs and interests, and even call out and celebrate their special days, like birthdays, so they feel understood and seen. 

Host Customer Appreciation Days or Other Events 

This one might be a little more costly or resource-dependent than other tactics on this list, but hosting a special live event can work on multiple levels. Customer appreciation events can help demonstrate how much you value your clients and build brand reputation and loyalty, but it can also serve as a launchpad for new products, additional sales, and feedback collection.  

Run a Reactivation Campaign 

If you haven’t already been maintaining a connection with your existing customers and/or if you’ve had customers who have fallen away, a reactivation campaign can bring a new infusion of energy into your marketing. This often looks like a series of emails with messaging tailored explicitly to people who previously connected with your brand but have ghosted your communications in recent months. If you can re-engage even a handful of these customers, it can pay off quicker and more effectively than trying to get customers who are brand-new. 

What Is Paid Media? 

Paid media is exactly what it says on the tin: it’s the ads, posts, and marketing that you pay for in order to get it to your ideal customers. Unlike traditional advertising, it’s aimed at boosting brand reputation and visibility and not just about selling a particular product or service.  

Paid media includes things like: 

• Paid search and pay-per-click
• Social media ads
• Sponsored podcast ads
• TV and radio advertising
• Ads for YouTube and streaming platforms
• Online display ads and banners
• Direct mail 

The benefits of paid media are that it can be implemented and scaled up quickly and targeted to specific demographics. It’s an especially effective way to reach customers who might already be interested in or actively searching for you. 

The biggest challenge with paid media is that it relies on you having the budget to keep it going, whether it’s for Google AdSense or an ad spot during the local news or a paid YouTube sponsorship. 

What Is Owned Media? 

Owned media is the advertising and content you produce and share on your own website, socials, and audience. It’s the long-term strategy for establishing your brand image and building authority in your industry.  

Owned media includes things like: 

• Your website
• Blogs and articles
• Whitepapers and ebooks
• Brochures
• Your social media accounts
• Email newsletters and subscriber lists 

The benefits of owned media are right there in the name—it’s owned, it’s yours. You have control of what’s being posted and the messages and values you’re portraying to consumers. It also doesn’t incur the same costs as paid media. 

The biggest challenge of owned media is that your own website and platforms likely won’t have the same reach, so there is less chance for discoverability for brand-new consumers who aren’t familiar with you. 

What Is Earned Media? 

Earned media is different from sponsored spots or paid ad reads; it is, instead, free coverage from an independent third party.  

Earned media includes things like: 

• Coverage on news programs or talk shows
• Endorsements on podcasts or radio
• Social media influencers naming and recommending your brand
• Customers naturally sharing and reviewing you online 

The benefits of earned media—sometimes also called user-generated content (UGC)—are that it carries the most credibility and weight with other consumers and can be extraordinarily beneficial to your marketing.  

The biggest challenge with earned media is that you can’t control it; it is entirely organic. It relies on well-crafted public relations and relationship-building, not just with journalists and influencers, but also with your own current customers. 

Best Practices for Using Paid, Owned and Earned Media 

For all the pros and cons of each, the best marketing strategy will utilize a balance of all three of these media types to achieve the best results in your campaign. Your budget, your resources, and your goals all will factor into the overall makeup of your sales funnel.  

When you’re developing your strategy, it’s important to stay flexible so you can adjust and pivot as needed depending on your key performance indicators. It’s okay for these three types of media to interact and overlap; they should work together.  

Earned media is difficult to track, but there are tools like Brandwatch that offer media monitoring and reporting, plus Google Alerts, which alert you of media coverage for free. Measure the effectiveness of earned media through metrics like third-party backlinks, quality press mentions, social shares and mentions, influencer shoutouts, and reviews.