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Simplifying English – targeting prospective students with clear communication

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Prospective students are increasingly looking for study programmes across borders and are researching their options online. Therefore, international markets are becoming more important for a university’s student recruitment strategy. Communicating information in a clear way can help improve to reach out to future students. Nevertheless, keeping in mind that a large number of prospective students speaks English as a Second Language (ESL), your written communications should be kept simple. But how can you write content that is understandable for everyone? We compiled a short guide to bring you on the right track.

Why English plays a key role in international student recruitment

Not only is English the second most prevalent language spoken (following Mandarin), it is also the official research language at higher education institutions worldwide. Students start learning English at a young age and thus, it comes without surprise that studying in English remains the most popular choice. In response to the increasing demand, universities all over the world are raising the number of English-taught programmes (ETPs) in order to attract more prospective students. An overwhelming majority (99%) of our users are searching for ETPs on our platforms. The internationalisation of English in higher education allows students to pursue their degree abroad, stimulating the global mobility of students.

Target prospective students with the information they are looking for

No matter which audience you are trying to reach, targeting them successfully requires to know what they are looking for and adapt your content to their interest. Tools like Google Analytics can help you shed light on your prospective student’s online behaviour, in a quantitative manner, enabling you to make data-driven decisions. From understanding which pages are most important to them, to knowing what content they are searching for on your website. With that information, you can create content that addresses prospective students’ needs and wishes. According to our research, there are six factors that shape a student’s decision of where to study: location, tuition fee, scholarship possibilities, programme content, university reputation (including university ranking), and admission requirements. Making this information easily accessible on your institution’s website creates clarity in your communication and helps students to see the study programme information at a glance. Besides written texts, any kind of visuals can increase the student’s interest in your offer. By using tools such as videos, images, infographics and graphs, you can add a personal touch to your content and make your website more credible and trustworthy.

Tips & tricks: the use of global English

Using clear communications to target prospective students is an important aspect of reaching out to study seekers anywhere in the world. Your written English should be optimised to reach prospective students internationally. The aim is to reach both, native speakers and students who speak ESL, thus keeping in mind that both groups need to understand your communication. The best way to reach them is to start using global English that is not shaped by common speech. You can minimise misunderstandings by using simple and easy-to-understand vocabulary. Idioms, clichés and obscures references are out of bounds; you can rather describe the information you want to give in as much basic detail as possible. Using action phrases instead of big categories helps to make your content more simple and understandable for everyone. For example, rather than creating a “Contact Form”-button, display a button that says “request more information from the university”, or “sign up for updates and e-mails”.

Do you still feel unsure if your target fully understands your message after implementing all the tips & trick of using global English? One of the ways to reduce that uncertainty is to test the readability with a younger audience, such as teenagers. In this way, you can make sure that an even younger audience than prospective students comprehends the information. A faster way of testing your content is to make use of an online readability test which gives you an indication of words and sentences that might be difficult to read. We stumbled across the Hemingway editor which is one of our favourite tools for instant text improvements. By simply copy-pasting your text into the website, the editor grades its readability and provides instant suggestions for improvement. By eliminating certain words and sentence constructions, you will increase the chances of getting your message across successfully.

Improve your online writing

When writing for your institution, you should develop one consistent tone of voice which should be in line with your online brand. Furthermore, sticking with one type of spelling, British English versus American English, helps you to avoid confusion while reading. Even though you should not use common speech, make sure to write your content in conversational language instead of formal language. The advantage of conversational language is that it is easier to understand for non-native speakers but also for native speakers. Sacrificing grammar for clarity is one way to write plain content that is clear to international students. When using universal labelling, abbreviations, and categories, ensure to stick with the universal terms. For example, terms like ‘undergraduate’ only make sense to an American audience. A more universal term would be a ‘Bachelor’s’ or ‘Bachelor’s-level student’. Write M.B.A. for Master of Business Administration, rather than MBA. Last but not least, create a proper and easy-to-read layout and format your text in order to make it a valuable reading experience.

Becoming a good writer doesn’t happen overnight

Effective writing isn’t easy in any language and is a specialisation of its own. However, with tools such as the Hemingway app and consulting online articles that summarise the results of research on effective copywriting and also explaining the psychology behind it can give you some good pointers to start with, even if you are not a professional copywriter. We gathered some sources that we think are worth a read and help you boost your writing skills:

The use of global, simplified English allows you to reach students from all over the world. By creating content that is easy-to-understand and written in conversational language, you make sure that you target prospective students with clear communications. Improving your online writing skills allows you to target a specific audience and persuade them to pursue a study programme at your institution.

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