Utilising user-generated content at University of Pavia

The University of Pavia only begun marketing and student recruitment very recently – in 2016.

Having implemented a CRM, and starting to attend fairs, the team realised they had to improve communication with prospective students and get closer to them.

And so they implemented Unibuddy to put their best advocates, their current students, online.

Starting with two students, who acted as ambassador coordinators, the University of Pavia then recruited a team of 22 ambassadors.

International Officer Elena Fontana said,

“Navigating our website is not easy, and user generated content is more trusted than any other content. We believe this is the right way to let fans create fans and to boost our credibility. Students blogs are also a way to create and share awesome content.”

“The implementation process for Unibuddy was fast and easy, even during the coronavirus pandemic. A very precise roadmap was defined.”

The University of Pavia has attracted prospective students from 110 different countries, and over 44% of visitors to their Unibuddy page go on to sign-up and chat.

They are also benefitting from data and insights, “which will help us in reviewing our recruitment strategy,” said Elena.

And ambassadors love the platform – they find it very easy to use and the majority gave it 5-stars in a survey by the University!

Virtual events with Unibuddy Live

As one of the first universities to use the new platform, the University of Pavia ran a Unibuddy Live event for over 350 prospective students.

They used the new Unibuddy Live with Videostreaming tool to put a friendly face from the university front and centre.

International Officer, Elena Fontana, said:

“We thought that the online chat format along with the video format was the right tool to give immediate answers to the students’ needs.”

“Live communication is very appreciated by students and we plan to increase the use of these tools to get closer to them. In fact we are planning to use the platform for the Welcome Day event in September and later in October to present the new European University Alliance the University of Pavia will be part of.”

The events are easy to set up, and drive real results: with hundreds of messages sent by applicants and prospective students.