The college student demographic is a tricky market to weave through, as it can be difficult to keep up with constantly shifting trends and choose between the slew of different platforms to advertise from. It is essential for every business to assess how they are expanding their reach and communicating with their customers. Listed below are aspects of advertisements that are not compatible with what college students want to see in an ad, and how to reinvent them to further suit what students want to see in your advertisements.

The ad didn’t compel students to visit your website/social media.

In the digital age, every like, follow, comment, or website view counts in order to broadcast your brand positively and efficiently. An ad that doesn’t include references to social media outlets misses out on the opportunity to boost revenue and increase the amount of people who will be able to recognize your brand. For more information on how to market students through social media, click here.

The ad did not follow the golden rule of keeping it simple.

College students are most susceptible to products that make their lives easier and help them perform certain tasks. The same rule applies to what they are looking for in advertisements. Amp up your advertisement by creating a campaign that is attention grabbing and cool, but also clear and simple.

There was no call to action.

Calls to action provide viewers on what to do next upon viewing an ad. Even if an ad follows the golden rule by keeping it simple, the ad will be wasted if it does not provide a call to action, which creates a sense of urgency that should motivate students to buy your product now.

It didn’t answer the question: “What’s in it for me?”

College students are very “me-centric” and as stated earlier, are looking for products that make their lives easier. Ads targeted college students should retain a level of person ability that clearly explains the rewards and benefits of responding to your call to action.

The ad didn’t push any buttons.

Creating a call to action should create a sense of urgency that motivates viewers to respond quickly. Pushing a viewer’s buttons by creating a certain type of reaction is vital to get your call of action across efficiently. For example, The City of Toronto’s Livegreen organization created an clever print ad showcased below that creates a call to action against littering.

The headline didn’t catch the student’s attention or interest.

The headline usually is the center focal point in an ad, contains the call to action of an ad, and expands on the photo or images pictured in the ad. Therefore, it is important that the headline is strong, powerful, and engaging. In order to grab the attention of college students in particular, include humor, speak their language, and incorporate the latest trends that they would be keeping up with.

Contact us at OnCampus Advertising for assistance on advertising to college students.