Your Guide to Segmentation Analysis
Embedded Files
Segmentation: is the act of categorizing your audience based on their buying behavior. Different approaches to segmentation exist and each helps university administrators reveal student behavior and habits.
Audience Segmentation Matters For Universities
Audience Segmentation Matters For Universities
Today most progressive research universities use technology to evaluate and set prices in global or national markets. Hence, research universities don't just compete against other schools located near them— they operate in monopolistic competition on a world scale that's shaped by elite hierarchy and uneven development.
For example, United States Ivy Leagues schools hold the most control over the higher education market than any other type of university in the world. These institutions could afford to rely solely on their academic prestigious to attract staff and student talent for some time but they don't. Why not? It's because they understand the competition for quality goods is becoming more economized and the private capacity to pay is diversifying. Therefore, a one-size fits all approach to student recruitment could not maximize revenue generation.
Segmentation is an outside-in approach to help you figure out where to spend your time, resources, and money to reach those audience members most critical in designing an effective & efficient strategy that will allow each of them to adopt new behaviors. Accordingly to Heidi Keller, below are the top three reasons why audience segmentation matters.
To be more effective at delivering what your consumer finds beneficial
Allows you to uncover your target customer and risk set of needs
Budgets aren't infinite, and trying to reach everyone is too costly
Audience segmentation addresses these challenges by matching messaging, social media, products, and services based on the specific needs and preferences of the audience. It highlights what attributes make up the target customer and categorizes them by their unique characteristics in multiple ways (not mutually exclusive or exhaustive buckets). University administrators are left ready to create customizable messaging, programs, etc., related to each identified collection of consumers that will optimize the institution's communication channel and tactics. In essence, customers want to be treated differently, and the same content will not resonate the same with everyone.
To summarize, finance administrators should be wary of solely leveraging their academic reputation to attract students and consider adopting an agile approach to student recruitment that reaches different student segments with personalized content. Moreover, universities can only meet students' needs when they define their target consumers' risk factors.
How to Get Started with Audience Analysis
How to Get Started with Audience Analysis
Audience segmentation takes place during an audience analysis. As the exercise of trying out different methods to segment VNU's audience is beyond the scope of this module as that requires audience intelligence tools and combining data (e.g., geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioral, or attitudinal metrics), the learning material below rather provides a high-level step-by-step guide on how to conduct an audience segmentation.
Audience Analysis Steps
Define your goals and objectives
Select the Priority Audience
Identify Priority Audience Characteristics
Identify Their Knowledge, Attitudes, & Practices
Identify Barriers and Facilitators
Consider Audience Segmentation *If yes, follow Audience Segmentation steps*
Identify Key Influencers
Organize Influencing Audience Information
Develop Audience Profile
Audience Segmentation Steps
Review Audience Information
Decide Whether to Segment
Determine Segmentation Criteria: you need to segment them into smaller and more homogeneous groups based on their similarities and differences
Segment Audiences
Decide which Segments to Target
Assess the Proposed Segments
Develop Audience Profile
The Power of Segmentation
The Power of Segmentation
"See the power in separating, categorizing, and prioritizing student segments based on persona factors!"
Audience personas are fictional representations of your ideal audience segments based on real data and insights about their demographics, behavior, preferences, and needs (Raitaluoto, 2023). They help you effectively communicate by understanding and empathizing with their needs.
Key Takeaways For Audience Segementation
Key Takeaways For Audience Segementation
Classifiable: Identify individuals in each group. Measure their behaviors, location, mindset, or their position in the university selection process.
Significant & Stable: Remember, you can't target recruiting every type of student! Small segment groups are not worth the market cost. Plus, developing a marketing strategy for each subset isn't effect
Distingusibale: Characteristics should distinguish group needs from each other
The advanced tips below can help you create personalized messaging across various university departments.
Integrate research by using literature to expand your knowledge and create a research plan to explore
Conduct qualitative audience research via focus groups and workshops
Use current data to hypothesize your target subgroups to determine significant characteristics that set them apart
Going Deeper
Going Deeper
After a VNU has established its target audience, it's time to try a Market Segment Analysis (MSA)— there are various types & benefits to gain!
References
References
Cheung, Alan et al., "Promoting Hong Kong's Higher education to Asian Markets: Market Segmentations and Strategies. (2010)"
Inside Higher Ed All Publication
The Compass for SBC
Page updated
Report abuse