College students are extremely connected in this digital age as almost half are online for over 10 hours per day. Given these statistics, it should make sense that companies would want to point their efforts advertising online. A recent prediction by eMarketer says that this year, more money will be spent on digital marketing than any other form of advertisement, including television. However, it is important to avoid making the following mistakes that have the potential to damage your brand’s potential to attract this lucrative market.
Mistake #1: Making Outdated or Irrelevant References
Internet memes are funny, shareable content that are an important way for college students to connect and communicate with others. There is no specific place that memes come from, but once something catches on, it spreads quickly. Memes can be about different aspects of campus life, being a college student or reference specific pop culture incidences. However, brands that use Internet memes fail to recognize they have an extremely short period of time when it is popular. The shelf life of a meme or saying can be either funny one day and outdated and overused the next, or remain funny or relatable for a long time. Using memes in your marketing content is a tricky feat – and should be used only at the right time in order to stay relevant.
Mistake #2: Using Phrases without Understanding Meaning or Context
Memes, phrases and other popular references can easily be used by brands to portray a certain idea or even to make a relatable joke college students can share with their friends. Many times, brands post sayings or hashtags in the wrong context. For example, one popular phrase used by college students is “I can’t adult today” – used in a joking manner to show how much they don’t want to go to work, class or study. Posts tagged with the #adulting are more likely to be about eating ice cream in sweatpants for dinner than about purchasing a new home, getting a job or paying taxes. The result is miscommunication from brands about the meaning about certain phrases – which becomes a hashtag fail.
Mistake #3: Making Something Up to Seem Cool
Originality is something that all brands should strive for, but there are times when it shouldn’t be used. Because there are so many marketing messages coming at college students 24/7, there is pressure on brands to stand out. Attempting to seem cool or original can come off as trying too hard if you are attempting to create a new phrase or mentioning something that irrelevant to your brand or product or not true to your values. College students appreciate companies that stand by their core values and have something to say that is relevant and true to themselves. By doing a bit of research to understand current trends and how your brand fits in the college student lifestyle, it will be easier to target college students and portray your brand in a favorable, trustworthy and positive light.
