Engaging Students and Communities: Data Driven Strategies for College Outreach

In the fall, the READY Career Education marketing campaign launched a research effort focused on refining future marketing strategies and gaining deeper insights into how local colleges are perceived by both students and their communities.  

Understanding Student Media Engagement  

The Media Habits Survey focused on students’ media consumption, advertising recall, and overall impressions of their colleges. Key findings include: 

• Social Media Usage: YouTube and Instagram are the most widely used platforms, with TikTok also seeing high daily engagement. Pinterest and Facebook are popular, though less frequently accessed. 
• Local Radio: 32% of students regularly listen to local AM/FM radio, primarily older, female, Latinx students. 
• College Marketing Research: 58% of students recall seeing or hearing advertising from their college in the past six months, and more than 80% check their college email daily. 

Local Awareness of Community Colleges 

The Community Attitude Survey assessed general awareness and perceptions of the 12 local community colleges among residents of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Key insights include: 

• Gap Awareness: Only 26% of residents are familiar with career education programs offered by their community colleges. 
• Impact of READY Campaign: Those who recalled the READY campaign showed significantly higher awareness and positive impressions of the community colleges and their career education programs.  

This spring, the focus will turn to understanding why students who have applied did not enroll, what barriers they face, and what type of support they would need to register.  

This type of research helps provide a clear path to refining outreach strategies, leveraging popular media channels, and improving the perception and access of career education programs. These insights will help the READY campaign and local colleges better connect with both prospective students and the communities they serve.