Nowadays, the education market is at the stage of transformation. After the pandemic, more and more universities and colleges switch to online study mode. Both education in Russia and approaches to its promotion are undergoing these changes. In this article, I would like to talk about the most efficient modern Internet marketing tools in 2023.
University website
Today, the university website is one of the main means of marketing communications. It helps to build relations with applicants, professional and scientific communities, and educational services market players much more efficiently than other marketing tools.
That is why creating and promoting the online representation is one of the components of the university development strategy.
According to the federal law "On Education in Russian Federation", there are a few specific requirements for the availability of the information posted on the official university website.
These are:

1. Information about the organization, its structure, regulatory framework (copies of documents authorizing educational activities should be posted on the website);
2. Information about educational services and their cost, educational and calendar plans, admission conditions;
3. Information about the material and technical support of scientific and educational activities;
4. Information about the management and teaching staff of the educational organization and their qualification level.

Marketing-wise, the website is also the main conversion platform in the sales funnel. In order to increase the key efficiency metrics of the website, you need to make it more user-friendly and attractive for the target audience.
This is affected by:

1. A well-defined structure of the site which would help a user understand where and how to get all the necessary information quickly;
2. Design using the logo and corporate identity of the university;
3. High-quality diverse content: texts, photos, videos, etc.;
4. Usability — user-friendliness of the interface, logic
5. and simplicity of controls;
6. Up-to-date and regularly updated information in the applicant's and student's personal account (results of entrance exams, class schedule, teaching materials, news and educational content);
7. The ability to submit and receive documents online.

Speaking of increasing the site conversion rate, I should mention such an important tool as capture forms. Their main purpose is receiving the name, phone number and e-mail of a potential client. Later on, it allows to collect a database of contacts of attracted clients and influence them with the aid of additional tools such as e-mail marketing.
In order for the client to leave their contact details, you have to offer something valuable in return. This can be useful content, access to a free online lesson, a selection of courses or a personal discount. Thus, you will solve tho tasks at once. The university receives a database of contacts of potential applicants, and the user receives additional useful information about the product of interest.

Advertisement
The site itself cannot generate sales. To ensure conversions from the site, it is necessary to conduct incoming traffic, which we can provide with advertising.
To date, there are several types of online advertising:

• contextual search advertising in Yandex Direct;
• contextual display advertising in YAN;
• targeted advertising;
• seeds in social networks;
• banner networks, etc.

Each of these tools has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, and they should be discussed separately. The most important thing for effective advertising is the correct selection of the target audience, its segmentation and broadcasting of relevant information.

SMM
An important part of any info product, including educational, is the creation and increasing of the loyal audience in social media. They have become an integral part of our lives, and the lack of brand representations on these Internet resources often makes users feel perplexed.
SMM (social media marketing) allows you to solve a number of tasks:

• Increase brand awareness, especially if you use different social networks aimed at certain segments of the target audience for promotion.
• Increase the level of trust in the brand by publishing expert content.
• Inform users: share university news, announce events, tell about opportunities and internships, answer questions.
• Handle negative reviews. Communication with clients via social media allows you to identify and solve emerging problems, as well as to counter-balance the negative feedback.
• Analyze user behavior to adjust further brand development strategy.

When choosing a university or a college, modern applicants not only want to get the basic info, but also to see the university life from the inside, get to know the student's version of the situation, receive answers to their questions.
Social networks have the highest level of trust among applicants comparing to traditional media and advertising.
With a smart SMM strategy, the university can grow its own brand advocates in social networks. These are the people who are already familiar with the university and its products; they are highly loyal to its brand and are ready to recommend it to friends, acquaintances and other users. Their value is extremely important, since more than 80% of people trust reviews on the Internet, as well as the advice of their loved ones.
This means that a loyal audience of a brand has a positive effect on its reputation and helps in promotion.
To date, such social media as VK, Telegram, Odnoklassniki, YouTube are the most popular for promotion. 90% of educational institutions that implement both higher and further online education are present at these sites. Social networks have a huge potential for reaching users
with targeting by gender, age, geographical, educational and other characteristics, which allows you to configure ad impressions as accurately as possible for the desired target audience. This explains the relevance and effectiveness of this marketing tool.
We have analyzed only the most basic tools of modern Internet marketing, but there are also such tools as SEO-website promotion, email marketing, participation in educational exhibitions, online presentations and open days, admission board and the call center of the university. Only the coordinated work of all these components ultimately gives a successful result!