Education Marketing & Advertising
Connecting You With Future Students
Education marketing and advertising for schools, colleges and universities, planned around the students and parents you need to reach.
Tell us about your next intake or open day and our team will come back with a campaign plan and costs.
An Education Marketing Agency for Schools, Colleges and Universities
For over 10 years, CMe Media has planned and bought education marketing campaigns for schools, colleges and universities, reaching prospective students and the parents supporting their decisions. From building awareness and increasing student recruitment to promoting open days and events, we plan campaigns around your audience, your objectives and the places where your message will have the greatest impact.
We’ve worked with over 30 private schools across the UK, alongside colleges in multiple regions and universities looking to attract their next generation of students. From Out of Home and cinema to digital, social, audio and targeted TV, we bring the right channels together to get your message in front of the people you need to reach.
Our Education Marketing and Advertising Services
Out of Home
Bus backs, bus shelters and billboards across the towns, cities and catchment areas you recruit from.
Digital & Social
Meta, Snapchat, third-party education portals and news titles, targeted to students and parents.
TV, Cinema & Audio
Sky AdSmart, cinema and streaming radio to extend a campaign beyond traditional Out of Home.
Open Days & Events
Activity planned around the event date, location and recruitment area to fill your open days.
Recruitment Deadlines
Campaigns booked ahead of application deadlines, clearing and enrolment windows to secure the best sites.
Marketing for Schools, Colleges and Universities
Marketing for schools works differently to most sectors, because the decision involves both the student and the parents behind them. CMe Media has planned and bought education advertising campaigns for more than 10 years, working with over 30 private schools, colleges and universities across the UK, including Blenheim Schools and Cognita Schools.
Much of our work centres around student recruitment and open events, promoting schools, courses and campuses when students and parents are actively considering their options. Campaigns can be local, regional or wider depending on the institution, its catchment area and recruitment objectives.
Marketing for Higher Education
Marketing for higher education runs on a different cycle to schools, with recruitment tied to application deadlines, clearing and open day dates that sit at fixed points in the year. Campaigns need to be planned and booked well ahead of those windows to secure the right sites and airtime.
- Undergraduate and postgraduate recruitment campaigns
- Open day and applicant day promotion
- Clearing activity planned well before results day
- Campaigns built around a single faculty or course
- Out of Home around campuses and student travel routes
- Digital, audio and cinema to reach applicants at home
- Activity that supports the wider reputation of the institution
We work with universities on campaigns that reach applicants directly and support the wider reputation of the institution. Activity can be built around a catchment area, a particular faculty or a single recruitment event, and can combine Out of Home around campuses and travel routes with digital, audio and cinema to reach students wherever they are making their decision.
Our Student Recruitment Marketing Services
At CMe Media, we plan and run recruitment campaigns that help schools, colleges and universities reach prospective students and the families supporting them. We keep you updated from planning through to results, so you can see how each channel is contributing to enquiries, applications and open day bookings.
- Recruitment Campaign Planning
- Media Planning & Buying
- Out of Home Advertising
- Bus & Transport Advertising
- Radio & Audio Advertising
- Cinema Advertising
- TV Advertising
- Digital Display & Video
- Social Media Advertising
- Paid Search Campaigns
- Open Evening Campaigns for Schools
- Sixth Form & College Recruitment
- Independent School Marketing
- Parent-Focused Campaigns
- Creative Design & Copywriting
- Campaign Tracking & Reporting
Out of Home Advertising for Schools and Colleges
CMe Media helps put your school, college or university in the places students and parents see every day, which is where most schools marketing budgets earn their keep.
Bus backs, bus shelters and billboards give education providers a visible presence across the towns, cities and catchment areas they recruit from.
We plan and buy locations around your target area, including key travel routes and areas surrounding campuses. Out of Home can promote a specific open event or form part of a longer student recruitment campaign.
Digital Marketing for Education: Reaching Students and Parents Across More Channels
We also help you extend your campaign across the channels students and parents use.
We plan and buy education advertising across Meta, Snapchat, third-party education portals, news titles, Sky AdSmart, cinema and streaming radio, giving campaigns options beyond traditional Out of Home.
Channels are selected according to the audience, location and objective of the campaign. They can be used individually or combined with Out of Home as part of one media plan.
Open Day and Event Campaigns
Open days and open evenings are a major part of our work with schools, colleges and universities. We plan activity around the event date, location and recruitment area to reach prospective students and parents ahead of the event.
CMe Media can manage the full media campaign, from audience planning and channel selection to buying the advertising space and coordinating bookings across multiple media owners.
Reaching Parents as Well as Students
Choosing a school, college or university is rarely a decision a student makes alone. Parents often shape the shortlist, attend the open events and look closely at the cost and the commute, so a campaign needs to speak to both audiences.
We plan media that reaches each group in the places they spend their time. Parents can be reached on the school run, through local news titles and through targeted TV, while students are more likely to see your message on social platforms, education portals and streaming audio.
Campaigns Timed Around the Academic Year
Student recruitment follows the academic calendar, and the strongest campaigns are planned around it. Open days, application deadlines, results day, clearing and enrolment all create moments when students and parents are actively looking at their options.
We map out these dates with you at the start, then plan when each channel should go live. Longer-lead media such as Out of Home and cinema is booked early to secure the best sites, while digital and social activity can be switched on closer to each date to keep your message in front of the right people.
Marketing for Independent Schools
Independent schools compete for families who are weighing up fees, location and reputation over a long period, often years before their child starts. Marketing needs to keep the school visible throughout that time, not only in the weeks before an open morning.
Having worked with over 30 private schools across the UK, we understand how these decisions are made. We plan campaigns around the catchment area each school draws from, combining visible local advertising with targeted digital and TV to reach the parents most likely to enquire.
Media Planning and Buying for Education
Running a campaign across several channels can mean dealing with a long list of media owners, each with their own deadlines and booking processes. We take that work off your hands so your team can focus on your students.
As a full-service marketing agency, we plan the media, buy the space and coordinate every booking within one joined-up plan. You have a single point of contact throughout, and each channel is chosen because it suits your audience and objectives rather than to fill a schedule.
Our Education Marketing Process
1. Discovery
We learn about your institution, your intake targets and the students and parents you want to reach.
2. Audience and key dates
We map your catchment area and the open days, deadlines and enrolment windows the campaign needs to support.
3. Media plan
We recommend the right mix of Out of Home, digital, social, audio, cinema and TV for your budget.
4. Buying and booking
We buy the advertising space and coordinate bookings across multiple media owners on your behalf.
5. Launch and monitor
We manage go-live dates across each channel and keep track of how the campaign is performing.
6. Review
After each campaign we look at what worked and use it to shape the plan for your next recruitment cycle.
Why Choose CMe Media as Your Education Marketing Agency?
Since 2014, CMe Media has helped organisations of every size reach the audiences that matter to them. We’re a family-run agency working with clients right across the UK, and education has been a core part of our media planning and buying for more than 10 years.
We’ve worked with over 30 private schools, alongside colleges and universities, so we understand how recruitment cycles work and how students and parents make their decisions. We know which sites and channels need booking early, and we’re honest about what each channel can realistically achieve for your budget.
Most importantly, we take the time to understand your institution. We’ll learn what makes you different and who you want to attract, then build a media plan that puts your message in front of the right students and parents.
Explore Our Other Media Buying Services
Billboards, screens, buses and cinema.
Local and national airtime.
Podcasts, digital audio and CTV.
National, regional and trade titles.
Broadcast, AdSmart and on-demand TV.
See every media buying service we offer.
FAQs
What is education marketing?
Education marketing covers the activity a school, college or university uses to attract prospective students and the parents supporting their decision. It usually combines advertising across channels such as Out of Home, digital, social and audio with campaigns built around specific moments like open days, application deadlines and the start of the academic year.
How do you market a school?
Marketing for schools works best when it concentrates on the catchment area the school actually recruits from, rather than spreading a budget thinly across a wider region. That normally means a combination of visible local advertising on bus routes and roadsides, digital and social targeting of parents in the surrounding postcodes, and a push around open events.
When should an education campaign be booked?
Booking depends on the event being promoted and the channels involved. Out of Home sites and cinema screens are bought in advance and the best locations go early, so campaigns around open days and application deadlines are usually planned several months ahead. Digital and social activity can be turned on with much shorter notice and is often used to support the longer-lead channels.
Can you reach parents as well as students?
Yes. Most education campaigns need to reach both, because parents often play a large part in the decision. We choose channels for each audience, such as local Out of Home and targeted TV for parents, and social platforms, education portals and streaming audio for students.
Can Out of Home and digital be combined in one campaign?
Yes. Channels can be used individually or combined as part of one media plan. Out of Home builds visibility across your catchment area, while digital and social activity can target specific audiences and be switched on closer to key dates.
Do you manage the bookings with media owners?
Yes. We can manage the full media campaign, from audience planning and channel selection to buying the advertising space and coordinating bookings across multiple media owners, so you have one point of contact throughout.
Plan Your Campaign
Tell us about your next open day, recruitment window or application deadline and we will plan the media around it. Get in touch or call the team on 02380 170 955.