media pack · your trusted media partner for a partner that can cut through the noise, and help you...

Targeted student marketingSeptember 2019

MEDIA PACKSecure tomorrow’s customers, by building brand loyalty today

That verified student data puts UCAS Media in the perfect position to support brands that want to reach students with their acquisition messages. We’ve been helping clients reach the student audience for 12 years, supporting nine million students as they make decisions about their next steps.

Single or multi-channel campaigns deliver targeted, early access to students considering university or college, providing brands with the ideal opportunity to begin their awareness campaigns earlier than anyone else.

Our credentials are unparalleled.

> Our audience reach – unique to UCAS, our verified and qualified student data means your campaign will always be in front of exactly the right audience.

> Our high performing media channels – whether you need a single marketing message, or a multi-channel campaign, our team will recommend the right solution for you.

> Our unique insight – for added value, drive additional conversion, understand the performance of your current strategy, or plan longer-term initiatives with our data services.

Your trusted media partner

For a partner that can cut through the noise, and help you reach the right students with your awareness and recruitment campaigns, speak to us. Trusted by students and their advisers, 700K applicants use UCAS every year to progress to higher education, starting their research journey months before.

DIGITAL DISPLAY ON SITE

DIGITAL DISPLAY OFF SITE

TARGETED COMMUNICATIONS FACE-TO-FACE 2

You, at the heart of their journey

Researchucas.comBoost engagement with your brand – your advert integrated with UCAS’ trusted advice.

ActionTrackYour display advert in our application tracking system – they see your brand when it’s most relevant to them.

InfluenceEmail and SMSReaching applicants with a confirmed place at university to inspire their purchase of products and services to support them.

From the moment students start their research, we have unprecedented insight into their preferences. Our ethos is built around the need for effective marketing, and to do that, we fit with the needs of the student – giving them the right information, through the right channels, at the right time.

Look out for the iconsWe’ve linked each of our products and services to the objectives you’re trying to achieve. So you always know where they fit into the student journey.




Whatever your challenge, we can help pinpoint the audience, data, and channel you need for a successful campaign. Our verified and qualified student audiences allow you to precisely target your activity, and our experts are on hand to ensure we continue to optimise its performance.

UNIQUELY TARGETED CHANNELS, GIVING UNPRECEDENTED REACH IN STUDENTS’ REAL MOMENTS OF TRUTH

Extend your audience reach with students who have either applied to, or are considering, university.

Achieve earlier quality engagement with those who have been researching on ucas.com.

Reach those who are actively supporting students in their decision-making.

Verified data

Qualified data

Influencers

ucas.com

Adviser mailing

Student-facing direct mail

SMS

Solus email campaigns

Paid media

TrackEvents

Influencer newslettersStudent journey communications

700,000 applicants 185,000 considering higher education 1.62m current users

124m page views on ucas.com 24m users on ucas.com

7,000 advisers 30,000 parents of Year 12 and Year 13 students

CAMPAIGNS DRIVEN BY A UNIQUE AUDIENCE




Entry Rate25−28 %

28−31 %

31−34 %

34−37 %

37−40 %

40−43 %

Entry Rate25−28 %

28−31 %

31−34 %

34−37 %

37−40 %

40−43 %

PINPOINT ACCURACYKnowing where students are based, and the subjects they want to study, means you can focus your messaging on engaging students in the regions you know deliver the results you need.

THE ABILITY TO REALLY FOCUS ON THIS LEVEL OF TARGETING, BASED ON REAL STUDENT PREFERENCES AND DECISIONS, ISN’T AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE.

Reach students, by subject group, who have been searching for courses

Target students by their status: placed, unplaced, with offers, or deferred

Segment by predicted UCAS Tariff points

Geo-target by home location

Contact by preferred destination city or postcode

Target by university of choice

Focus by targeting students at specific school types

38.2% of all UK 18 year olds apply to university

Entry rates in 2018 for UK 18 year olds

As a student transitions from home to university, understanding when they need support is essential. Our experts are on hand to recommend adjustments to your campaigns to optimise their performance.

Whether you need to reach students who will be living at home, or moving into student accommodation, students who will be travelling to uni via certain routes, or who are studying certain subjects - having the right insight is critical to success.




The gateway to higher education.

ucas.com

Digital display across our network can be bought either programmatically or directly from our team of experts.

17.5 million

ad impressions per month

65%average desktop

viewabilty

With over ten million monthly page views, ucas.com is the trusted source of impartial advice for students considering higher education, at either undergraduate or postgraduate-level, as well as parents and advisers – their key influencers.

Your acquisition messages will be seen alongside advice covering early research, starting at university, and continuing to postgraduate study. Increased relevancy and engagement for your brand.

> What you get – targeted display MPU adverts (300px x 250px). MPUs are purchased on a CPM basis across ucas.com, and targeted based on location, or level of study*. Display placements on ucas.com, and across content pages, are available.

> Why it works – it builds brand awareness, and ensures you engage students earlier than the competition with your awareness and acquisition messages.

*See page 4 for a breakdown of region, and audience segmentation.




The heart of application decision-making.

Digital display across our network can be bought either programmatically or directly from our team of experts.

Track

122 million

page views per year

3.3minaverage dwell time

For the ultimate advert placement, ensure your message is in UCAS’ application system – the heart of application decision-making. Adverts are served to applicants based on their application status – for you, that means you reach students at the exact moment they find out they’ve confirmed their place at university.

> What you get – display ads (300px x 250px MPUs), purchased on a CPM basis, can be geotargeted.

> Why it works – for brands with products and services to support students’ transition to university or college, an advert in Track is the perfect in-the-moment placement.




Data-led search and social to engage the student audience.

Paid media

Our paid media product enables you to reach an extended targeted audience across social and Google products. With access to both our email opt-ins and our targeted website data, we can craft an audience that precisely meets your needs. To make that journey easier, we have a range of filters that can be combined and refined to ensure you have the most accurate audience. Using the paid media channels means you can choose the best platform, but also the best ad types to generate the best results. Our team will work with you to guarantee your campaign is perfectly structured and reaching the people you need to achieve the campaign objectives.

> Who can we target? – UCAS email opt-ins: target users who have opted into receive communications via email. – ucas.com pages including course search, career finder, and advisor pages: target users who have been actively be browsing the UCAS website. – UCAS Track: target applicants who have signed into their UCAS application.

> What you get – two flexible solutions, dependent on your needs. – Our fixed price cost per click (CPC) is perfect for those who are new to paid media, or want to test out our newest product. This includes the cost of the data, media inventory, optimisation, and reporting. – Our management fee model is suited to larger scale campaigns, where the aim is to work multi-channel with a particular goal or outcome in mind. This includes the cost of the data, media inventory, optimisation, reporting, and attribution analysis.

> Why it works – this channel is the most flexible of all of our products. It enables you to reach our whole dataset, as well as choice of platform, ad types, and goal tracking to achieve the best outcome.







4hr 49minAverage time spent

on social per day

60%reduction in ad

spend wastage vs lookalike results

TARGETED COMMUNICATIONSMinimise wastage and increase ROI, by pinpointing the most relevant audience for your campaign.

Solus email campaigns

Your creative, sent directly to the audience you want to recruit.

Email is a proven and effective way of engaging with our verified student audience. 70% of students like to be contacted through email, assuming the message is relevant. We understand the status of a student, and where they are in their journey with us, giving you an unparalleled level of insight to your campaign.

> What you get – we’ll work with you to define your objectives, and refine your target audience, so you get the perfect campaign to meet your needs.

Granular-level audience reach, with multiple segmentation layers, including application status, location, and even whether a student is living at home, purchased on a contact level basis – you only pay for what you use.

> Why it works – our insight ensures the right message reaches the right student, in the right moment. Students are actively engaging with UCAS, so aligning your campaign message to both their needs, and our brand, drives reach and impact for your email.

*See page 4 for a breakdown of subject and audience segmentation.

4.5%average click rate

47.5%average open rate




Trigger-based UCAS advice, with your messages directly aligned.

Student journey communications

15%average click rate 60%

average open rate

For the ultimate alignment of message and student decision, ensure you are in our student journeys. Communications, all based on the stage a student has reached in their application, are triggered by changes in application status, or by a point in the cycle.

> What you get – either a placed advert in one of our student email newsletters, or a solus creative, sent immediately after a status change. The immediacy of these messages means increased relevancy, engagement, and conversion.

> Why it works – our communications journey reaches 185,000 students who are considering their next steps, and 615,000 who are actively applying to higher education. This audience relies on UCAS for information and advice, on topics that matter to them. Align your message to their journey with us, and ensure your messages are more relevant and timely.

*See page 4 for a breakdown of region, and audience segmentation.




Our highly engaged teacher and adviser audience, directly focused on your message.

Influencer newsletters

Students’ influencers are a key part of the decision-making process, with 95% of students telling us they ask their influencers for advice when choosing a course. At UCAS, our regular, monthly engagement with this important audience adds real value to the performance of a recruitment campaign.

> What you get – a placed advert in one of our monthly teacher and adviser* newsletters to 6,000 individuals, alongside UCAS’ information and advice.

> Why it works –teachers and advisers look out for communications from us, to support them in managing their students’ applications. So, for brands wanting to support advisers directly with products and services to support them, or who need to ensure they are aware of services that will support students, this is an important way of reaching this critical audience. * Performance rates for parent and adviser newsletters combined.

9%average click rate

36%average open rate




Reach those influencers who we know are actively involved in supporting students through their higher education journey.

Influencer solus emails

37%average open rate

2.4%average click rate

> What you get – an email, sent from UCAS Media, to 7,000 advisers or 6,000 parents who are supporting someone who is interested in applying to university in 2020.

> Why it works – parents and advisers look out for communications from UCAS, so this is a great way to reach those supporting students with the university decisions.




Our trusted brand, delivering a 100% open rate for you.

SMS

50%of clicks occur

within five minutes

15%average click rate

Students look at their smartphones an average of 85 times per day. An SMS, sent at the moment a student will be considering the products and services they will need at university, gets your marketing message into their hands fast. We have the mobile numbers of one million students in our database – with the right message, sent at the right time, you can achieve outstanding and immediate response rates.

> What you get – an SMS is only as effective as the data behind it. We can advise who to select, what you say, and how you say it in the 99 character message, along with the most appropriate time to send your communication. Sent from UCAS, it provides a cost-effective, highly accurate way of reaching individuals who directly meet your campaign criteria.

> Why it works – our audience trusts the UCAS brand, and are already engaged and waiting for messages from us, meaning that your campaign is far more likely to be effective.

*See page 4 for a breakdown of region and audience segmentation.




Stand-out impact with both students and parents.

Student-facing direct mail

17 days

average retention rate for direct mail

92% of 16 – 24 year olds open direct mail. With the right message, using our quality data, direct mail sent through us achieves great results. Creative freedom to ensure your message stands out, and reaches parents and guardians too, means you get double the audience, and unique to DM, a message retention period of almost three weeks.

> What you get – your creative, supplied to us and dispatched, using our unique data, through one of our trusted mailing houses. Charged at a flat service rate, our team will manage the process through production and delivery.

> Why it works – direct mail offers commercial organisations the opportunity to sell the brand experience. Whether a product sample, or a student-focused discount, the creative execution of direct mail can make you stand out in a noisy recruitment market. *See page 4 for a breakdown of region, and audience segmentation.




Adviser mailing

If you have a product or service to support advisers, or you need to ensure advisers are aware of what you offer students, our biannual mailing could be the ideal channel. Sent directly to those responsible for supporting students through the application process, it allows you to ensure relevancy and timeliness.

> What you get – your creative is included in UCAS – branded posted mailings to advisers. Sent in September and April, to 5,000 UK-based advisers, your message sits alongside UCAS information that is critical for advisers managing applications. Charged at a flat service rate, our team will manage the process through production and delivery.

> Why it works – appearing alongside key operational content, this promotion will allow your message to both be seen, and shared, by this important influencer group.

Your message, in UCAS’ operationally critical adviser mailing.

Aligned with operationally

critical messages

5,000 advisers receive

the mailing




FACE-TO-FACEMeet students at a critical time in their thinking to build your brand story.

UCAS exhibitions have been part of the education landscape for over 20 years. For students, they are the foundation on which research is started, and decisions are made. 96% of students found a university they’d consider applying to at one of our exhibitions. For you, they are an opportunity to meet students face-to-face at the point they are making decisions on their next steps - whether that is taking a gap year, volunteering or providing experiential engagement with your student-focused products.

> What you get – from exhibition stands, to pre-event, in-event, and post-event marketing opportunities, we have a solution to meet your objectives. UCAS exhibitions run from March to October each year, across the country. Purchasing stand space is just the beginning – building an onward connection gives you the opportunity to create an experience students will want to remember.

> Why it works – our audience trusts UCAS exhibitions as the source of higher education information. Students begin their research at our events, which are genuine snapshots of the options on offer – ensure you are there.

Face-to-face engagement with 166,000 16 –17 year olds and their influencers, at UCAS exhibitions.

Events

Locations include London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and many more.

50exhibitors across the UK

166,000+visitors attended a

UCAS exhibition in 2018




Meet students at a critical time in their thinking to build your brand story.

Two packages are available for exhibitors wanting to create an experience for students to remember.

Making a connection Building a connection

Display advertising

Exhibition guide advert

Booking confirmation email and ticket

Exhibition listings

Floor listings

Pre-event

Event

Post-event

Solus email

360° video

Solus email

SMS

Scanning

U

Increase your impact at our exhibitions, then build your story with the students most likely to convert.

> Making a connection Focus on driving that all-important footfall – enable face-to-face engagement, and the start of conversion. Get your organisation in front of people interested in booking the event you have chosen. Then ensure you are part of their thinking, as they plan their attendance at the event.

> Building a connection Extend your student relationship to create a lasting impression beyond the event itself – greatly increasing your chance of later conversion.

EventsMarketing opportunities




BOOST APPLICATIONS BY SUBJECT Recruiting for a specific subject? Target the students most likely to convert, based on their course research.

Focus recruitment

4Msubject-specific

advert impressions served annually

Raise your profile

1.8Mcourse searches annually on our

search tool

Better results for you

51%higher email open rate

than the UK national average

UCAS DATA,CONSULTANCY ANDINSIGHTS

INFLUENCER FOCUS Build your brand message with student influencers throughout the academic year.

Influence the influencers –

59%of applicants ask their family for uni advice

Strenghten your message –

16,000parents receive our

monthly newsletters

A verified audience –

6,500UK advisers receive our mailings twice a year

UCAS DATA,CONSULTANCY ANDINSIGHTS

STUDENT JOURNEY Align your brand message with our student email journey, for maximum impact and relevancy

Early contact –

4HRSfrom status change

to personalised message

Better results for you –

36%click-through rate

for first status change email

Raise your profile –

80%open rate for

applicant emails

INSPIRING SUCCESS WITH OUR PRODUCTS TO DELIVER A SOLUTION FOR YOUR BUSINESSTo further enhance your campaign, we have developed a number of solutions. These blend the optimum channel combination to help you meet your objectives – providing access to the right students, at the right time.

To find out more about any of these solutions, visit ucasmedia.com.




https://www.ucasmedia.com/sites/default/files/MD-4775%20Boost%20applications%20by%20subject%20v2.pdf

https://www.ucasmedia.com/sites/default/files/UCASMedia_InfluencerFocus.pdf

https://www.ucasmedia.com/sites/default/files/UCAS%20Media%20Student%20journey.pdf

http://ucasmedia.com

Call 01242 544 881 or email [email protected]

If you need a partner that can cut through the noise to reach theright students with your acquisition campaigns, speak to UCASMedia. Targeted, early access to the UK’s verified student audience,months before anyone else, means we give your brand the edge.

Trusted by students and their advisers, 700k applicants use UCASevery year to progress to higher education, and thousands moredecide on an alternative route. That puts UCAS Media in the perfectposition to support brands that want to help students, with productsand services that will make their next step a confident one.

UCAS Media Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of UCAS. Byworking with us, you’ll be directly supporting today’s and tomorrow’sstudents, because we gift aid our profits back to UCAS, the charity.This reduces the cost of admissions services for students and highereducation providers alike.

To find out more about any of the media products in this guide, get in touch.

WHY UCAS MEDIA?

MD-5658

media pack · your trusted media partner for a partner that can cut through the noise, and help you...

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