One of the strengths of Schools & Agents is that it creates brand awareness among people/businesses that focus on international education for your school, university, college, or agency,.. But how many students will I sign up? - we often get asked. And while that is a very important metric, we always try to explain that brand awareness goes beyond that. And considering that within the international education industry, there are many potential interested groups of people, that want to know that your business exists (parents, potential students, agents, other education providers, service providers, etc.), it’s good to understand how brand awareness can help you get those students signed up and how to measure it.

First things first - Why should brand awareness be interesting to your #intled business?

Brand awareness reflects how well your brand is recognised and remembered. Just to give you an example:

- If you had to ask your best agent which school in the UK (for example) they would send their students to, would your brand (school) be at the top of their list?

- Do they remember that your school exists? Have you created enough online presence to keep reminding them you’re there and why you’re the best choice?

If the answer is yes to both questions, then you’re on the road to success. If you’re unsure or the answer is no, then it’s time to look internally and see how we can improve that.

Measuring brand awareness involves collecting data from various sources and conducting competitive benchmarking to set KPI targets. Sure, the jargon is fancy, and we’ve heard all this before, but how do you actually do it? How can a small school or agency that already struggles to keep up with marketing, sales, etc. find the time to gather this data and make use of it? 

Well, what we can tell you before we jump into the hows, is that this data helps you evaluate the effectiveness of those marketing efforts you’re putting into your business. It also gives you a better audience perception. This ensures that your allocation of resources (i.e. staff, budget, and time) gets done in the best way possible. 

How Can You Measure Brand Awareness? - Our Top 3 Sources!

1. Calculate your Online Brand Mentions: To effectively manage your brand's online presence, monitor mentions on social media, blogs, forums, and news sites. These mentions represent public discussions of your brand in the digital sphere. Set benchmarks by increasing the percentage of positive mentions through partnerships, and influencer marketing. 

2. Use Social Media: Social media platforms offer extensive brand exposure potential. Measuring social media reach involves assessing the unique users exposed to your brand's content within a specific timeframe. Key performance indicators (KPIs) include post impressions, platform-specific followers, and total followers overall. Track the number of post impressions and distinguish between existing followers and new visitors, which you may also get from third-party platforms that feature your brand. If you want your benchmark to be successful you should also be realistic, considering factors like time, existing social presence, and budget constraints.

3. Don’t Forget About Search Engine Results: Search engine visibility measures your brand's presence in search engine results for relevant keywords. Develop a keyword strategy to enhance brand awareness through SEO. This simply means that you should compile a list of target keywords and track performance. If, for instance, you rank in the top three positions for only 25% of your keywords, consider focusing efforts on improving rankings for an additional 10% of keywords each quarter. This strategy can boost brand visibility and organic traffic.

Last but not least, we always remind our users that when working with international education news platforms, like Schools & Agents, always make sure you inform us if you’re targeting specific social media channels and keywords. We’re always happy to help boost your brand's visibility and increase your online brand awareness.