Market Research

Original market research for your institution can help you identify your market differentiators and use them to your advantage. This doesn't have to be a long, involved process. Here at Intead, we like to stay focused and learn what we need to develop your unique marketing plan. 

Established Research Techniques

Every stage of our holistic approach to international student recruitment and enrollment is built upon a strong foundation of original student decision-making research – a customized process of data collection and analysis that is directly relevant to your institution. This may include: 

• Targeted surveys
• Student and alumni focus groups
• One-on-one in-depth interviews
• A comprehensive digital brand audit

 We use this data to develop and design localized content with messaging that appeals to your target market’s unique cultural biases, addressing the need for targeted information at all stages of the recruitment lifecycle.

 Each of our techniques is implemented using best-in-class digital tools and continually refined throughout the process based on analytics.

Customized Digital Brand Audit

A digital brand audit is our way of giving you insight into how your institution is accessed and perceived online in international markets. An example: China's government restricts access to standard US-based social media tools (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google). Intead offers an inside look at how your institution appears when Chinese students search for your school.

 Working with our staff in China – or another country of your choice – we research exactly what kind of digital presence you have in that country. As part of this service, we provide a summary report card, screenshots and recommendations specific to your institution.  

 What you can learn from our audit report:

• What your website looks like when viewed through a Chinese ISP (Internet Service Provider), along with accessibility statistics for your website 
• What happens to your website’s links and feeds from Facebook, Googlemaps, YouTube, etc.
• What kind of comments are appearing on Chinese social media – alumni and prospective student activity
• Results from major Chinese search engines – how Chinese students and their parents find your institution
• How and where your brand appears on other Chinese websites, including university blogging sites like catchdream.com.
• What the Chinese recruiting agency community is saying about your institution 

Looking for More Information?

Here at Intead, we are passionate about understanding the international recruitment landscape. We have been doing this research for a long time. Explore some of our findings through our blog: Recruiting Intelligence or explore some of our latest research.