In the US online festivals is a big craze. Close on the heels other nations also started virtual festivals on similar lines. Now with COVID occupying the centre stage, there is a complete overhaul of our lifestyle and when we dread about meeting in public the only way for business continuity is have virtual conferences. Our topic of discussion here is how universities can create universal appeal with strategic promotions.

Universities have been doing virtual conferences for quite some time as it became an inevitable practice to run the show. As people are increasingly becoming busy these days extended travel is a time-consuming affair. Secondly, it is about saving money also as going and staying close to universities and attending a conference is a costly affair. Yeah, there is much emphasis on cost-cutting because expenses are increasing and income diminishing. That does not mean that we can stop the process of education or learn altogether. On the other hand, it is an attempt to make it a cheap affair where we save costs and get our due.

Meeting the present needs

When universities can decrease the cost of education or specialised learning through virtual conferences students who got trapped in lockdown gets a new lease of life. Yeah, one way to get rid of home confinement and its drudgery is doing a good course from a famed Australian university. Students, as well as continuous learners of all age groups, need to think that COVID has thrown up a possibility for them to improve their job worth.

We know pretty well that today’s university degree has little to do with jobs because industry requirements are all about skills, a passion to excel and other factors like perseverance to execute the projects against all odds. It is at this stage specialised education come to the help of career aspirants to unlock their true worth.

On competitive impulses

Now there is a lull due to virus fears. Although universities have been attracting candidates across AU, the impact is phenomenal and certainly not universal. Because people were used to do a course in university where co-education set up exists and people have all freedom to relate, mingle, and have all sorts of fun. In a virtual atmosphere, one cannot expect a cordial environment where love, competition and innovation, combine studies give high satisfaction.But they carry their custom laptop bags with glee and attend all classes.

By way of a reality check, we give our energies to studies due to peer pressure. For example, when one sees his or her friend doing well in the first semester then the other person will stir up his or her competitive impulses to perform in the coming semester. This happens because when one looks at another person with envy which prods him or her to burn the midnight oil and becomes successful. For that, he or she may take special tuitions from a learned person or a consultant who has a better experience.

Yeah, there are advantages for classroom learning. When the girl performs well with better grades the boy will surely feel he should ‘measure up’ to impress the girl. In a virtual set up there is an absence for this because people are not seeing one another and one is not aware of the achievement of the other. When universities consider this attitude, they should do something like promotions to create competition within through proper communication.

The way ahead

Having come thus far, what is the way ahead for Australian universities to attract more students. In the earlier scenario students from Asia flocked to AU to do specialised courses in medicine and engineering streams. At that time, they received laptop bags with logo as a promotion where the cost they included with the tuition fee. Now the scenario is different where few venture to study overseas due to COVID fears.

Yeah, people are afraid to fly as they don’t want to violate the social distancing norms. These are the challenges universities face.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. It is the time universities should see opportunities to make virtual education hubs for the entire students in the world where students can stay in their respective countries but enrol online and get Australian degrees through virtual coaching. It is a promising scenario where both parties benefit like more enrolment with the lowest fees and students get a standard education in the comfort of their homes.

Do relevant promos

Don’t be in a rush to buy wholesale laptop bags right now. We need to ponder some other factors also like doing the promotions effectively. Universities should come to a reality that they should slash the fees to get more enrolments. The next step is giving detailed information on courses, its scope and a library of pdf documents saved in the laptop to be given to students as free giveaways. Yeah, before that order good corporate laptop bags that gives a feel of high-ranking executives right away.

The crux of the matter here is universities should see reason in making more enrolments. For that, you need to do some kind of promotions. Other than laptop bags, what is the best product for promotions for universities? Anyway, you have to give laptops as a package for the students who enrol the course. So laptop companies should see an opportunity to sell their laptops in more numbers and to give a special appeal to the laptops they should give a good carry case by sourcing it from a reputed corporate gift supplier.

The scenario unveils here is more opportunities for private sector specialists who can partner with the universities to give specialised training for the students in all age groups. That means, they too should get some promotional giveaway like laptop bags. Promote among all stakeholders to get the best result.
 

Author : Amit Ghia