Students are counting down the days until college and universities open for learning in the fall semester. Likewise, the hundreds of campus departments and services at every university are all strategizing on how to vie for their attention. As a university transit professional, you have important info to share with students about your on-demand transit program. Here are 12 brilliant ways to reach them:
Online
Nearly all college students expect colleges and universities to have a social media presence. That applies to on-campus departments and services too. Tapping into popular social media platforms and online communities will be essential in engaging with students about your on-demand transit program.
- Collaborate with university social media coordinators to introduce your on-demand transit program using official university social platforms that students love—Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Snapchat. Be creative! Record a skit featuring a student demonstrating how to use the TransLoc app to book a ride. Go live on IGTV with the student body president riding an on-demand vehicle between campus landmarks. Remember: Students listen to other students because they relate to them.
- Don’t undervalue community network platforms like Reddit and Discord. These platforms often have university-dedicated forums that reach thousands of current students.
- While younger generations are using Facebook less and less, their parents aren’t. Engaged parents can extend the life of your marketing campaign by resharing your posts with other parents and informing their students about your services. Parents understandably want to keep their students safe!
- Create a social media campaign around your on-demand transit program data. Numbers speak volumes, and showcasing the number of rides per day or average wait times can entice students to use your services.
On-Campus Community Relations
Information moves at hyper-speed on a college campus. The key to a successful student-focused marketing campaign is delivering a consistent message across multiple outlets.
- Educate dispatchers to inform callers that on-demand transit rides can be scheduled via the TransLoc app or website.
- Record an on-hold message for callers that explains how they can schedule on-demand transit rides using the TransLoc app or website.
- Recruit student ambassadors! Demo how to request a ride with on-campus student groups in fraternity and sorority life or student government. Facilitate conversations with groups who are vested in sustainable and efficient transportation like a civil engineering honor society or sustainability stewards. These students will now become ambassadors and talk about your service with their peers.
- Tap into campus initiatives like Campus Safety Month or Graduation Week as a way to demonstrate TransLoc app features or share transportation data during sponsored activities.
- Student newspapers are still effective in getting a message out to the student body. Place an ad in the student newspaper about your on-demand transit program and include a QR code that allows students to instantly download the TransLoc app. Or sit down for an interview with a student reporter to discuss transportation safety while on a “ride along” in an on-demand transit vehicle.
Printed Marketing Assets
Print is not dead—it can be effective if used correctly (make sure it looks good too). Strategic placement of your printed marketing assets can complement your online marketing or community relations campaign.
- The day in the life of a college student is often hectic. They are constantly on the move, and do not have time to stare at bulletin boards littered with flyers. To maximize the visibility of your printed marketing assets, ask for permission to drop them off at departments and offices with university staff who frequently engage with students—the Office of Student Affairs, Academic Advising, Career Development Center, etc.
- Residence hall bulletin boards, common spaces, and front desks often get cluttered quickly with marketing paraphernalia. Instead, co-sponsor a residence hall social event (e.g., cookout, ice cream social, Mario Kart tournament, etc.) and distribute your printed on-demand transit program materials to students who attend.
- It’s hard to learn on an empty stomach, which is why dining halls and food courts are campus hotspots. Place table tents, postcards, or QR codes at dining tables for students to learn while they chow down.