How TikTok can support your student recruitment conversion
Over the last few years there’s been an increase in Higher Education institutions creating TikTok accounts to support student recruitment.
TikTok has positioned itself as a discovery platform and, more recently, has been launching international campaigns to promote more users to use it for search.
According to Nonsensical TikTok Agency, 74% of Gen Z’s are using TikTok for search and, surprisingly, 49% of millennials are too!
With an increasing number of TikTok users turning to the platform for search, having an effective TikTok strategy is crucial to increase your institution's discoverability on the app.
Finding your ‘Tok’
A ‘Tok’ is defined as a specific or specialised topic (or digital space) on TikTok.
In the early stages of the student recruitment cycle, TikTok is a great platform to reach your target audience in a multitude of Toks.
This could be subject-specific like Dance Tok or Teacher Tok, or more broad like Uni Tok or Book Tok.
It’s important to be on Toks that are relevant to your audience to maximise reach and increase interest in your institution.
But what about when prospective students are looking to apply or deciding their firm choice?
We’re overlooking how TikTok can actually help with conversion.
And one thing you might not be considering…
What if your ‘Tok’ is you?
It’s easy to focus on the ‘discovery’ of TikTok, yet be unaware of how powerful it can be for community building and for users who have already found you.
Higher Education institutions have huge communities made up of current students and alumni regularly creating content. It’s likely your Tok already exists!
Use the TikTok search bar to see your top search results:
And prospective students are already going to your current students and alumni with questions!
Looks like the prospective students might be on your Tok before you are. 🤷♀️
Are you missing the opportunity to create content where your audience is already looking?
As we enter a crucial part of the recruitment cycle, now’s the time to work with your students to create the social media content your audience needs.
Prospective students wanting to hear from current students isn’t new information. It features in nearly every student recruitment report.
More recently:
78% of prospective students found speaking to a current student helpful (UniBuddy, 2023)
43% of prospective students want peer-to-peer support between receiving an offer and deciding their firm choice (The Student Room, 2024)
The problem is actually finding students to be content creators and social media influencers.
But how can we find the right students to make the social media content needed?
Supercharge your social media ⚡
Ready for a social media power-up?
Join our social media experts on a four-week interactive course:
Working with students to supercharge your social media content
Thursday 13, 20, 27 June, 4 July
1pm to 2.30pm (BST)
Register your place
You’ll learn how to maximise the reach, engagement, and conversion of your social media by transforming students into content creators.
Each weekly session will include:
Examples of best practice
Opportunities to share and learn with your peers
Interactive breakout rooms and activities
Tips, tools, and templates to put into action right away
Discover how student-generated social media content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok can boost your student recruitment, alumni relations, research communications, and more.