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Bulk Powders: Campaign tips from a Freshers marketing veteran

Health & Fitness brands should leverage the power of Freshers to win over student consumers.

Student Beans sat down with nutrition brand Bulk Powders to find out exactly how they grew their revenue by 511%. Here are the key takeaways as you plan for Freshers 2022. 

Wise up on student marketing trends

You’re likely to know your customer personas pretty well. But when tailoring your marketing strategy to students, expect new trends to emerge – and plan for those trends to change year-on-year. Noticing that a lot of Gen Z consumers have embraced veganism, Bulk Powders recently launched vegan powders to appeal to this demographic. Understand the trends that make students tick – and you’ll start to notice key engagement points that will fuel your freshers’ strategy. 

Align with the student calendar

Students start heading to university from September onwards, with Freshers events running across the country right up until late October. It’s a large date range to work within – but there are ways to streamline your focus to reach as many students as possible. “Every brand will have different optimal times”, says Bulk Powders. Bulk Powders researched the time periods in which students bought gym memberships, as well as when they were shopping for workout gear, so they could reach students at a time when they had fitness on the brain. Delve a little deeper into the key dates in the Freshers calendar, and you’ll understand when your product will matter most to students.

Find collaborators that students know well

When marketing to students, you have a relatively new avenue at your fingertips – influencer marketing. Bulk Powders credits their strong network of ambassadors with some of its huge Freshers’ growth. From running a mental health awareness campaign with student influencer Emily Solman to securing sports superstars like Anthony Joshua and Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Bulk Powders found a way to speak to Gen Z through the people they look up to. 

Establish a student discount to suit your brand

With a strong variety of year-round discounts already in place, Bulk Powders was keen to tailor its approach to bring in a whole new generation of customers. Different discounts work for different brands – Student Beans was able to offer a flexible solution for Bulk Powders, who wanted to bring students on board with an exclusive discount that stood out at the right time. Implementing your student discount around Freshers is key – but you also need to make sure it appears in all of the right places. Ben describes how Bulk Powders used a series of online and offline media, taking part in Student Beans’ Wheel of Fortune and running a birthday-themed giveaway to celebrate their brand anniversary. Figure out what discount would work for your brand – and back it up with creative, comprehensive use of media.

Want to follow in Bulk Powders’ footsteps? Get the full lowdown on how to win big in Freshers 2022 with our brand-new omnichannel strategy guide. 

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