Clearing 2023
The fast-track to your student recruitment target
What can we expect for 2023?
“Clearing is never easy to predict. And, if recent years have taught us anything, surely it is to not make assumptions about future trends.
But… 2022 did provide an encouraging sense of normality. With nearly 60,000 students finding a place through Clearing by end of September 2022, we just might be returning to pre-pandemic behaviour.
Allied to this, Clearing’s stigma continues to decline. When we surveyed university applicants in July 2022, 74% considered Clearing a good choice for those looking to change their options. Just 25% thought Clearing was solely for people who missed their grades.
These applicants were also open to the opportunities Clearing provides. If they didn’t get their place at university, three-fifths (60%) said they would look for the same course at different universities. However, only 32% felt they knew a lot about Clearing. Communication is key for enabling conversion in the coming months.
Other factors to consider this cycle
As families feel the pinch, students’ university plans could be affected amidst the cost of living crisis. In our Cost of Living report (Sept 2022), 47% of the Year 12 and 13 students surveyed were more likely to change their university plans (either choosing a university closer to home or living at home and commuting to university) than they would have 12 months earlier.
Whatever the coming months hold in store, The Student Room team is here to support you with your campaigns, goals and challenges.”
Claire Gammell, Director of Marketing & Engagement+44 (0) 800 999 3222
The Student Room
hello@thestudentroom.com
Every year, The Student Room proves that it is the go-to destination for applicants as they receive their grades. While some were on our platform celebrating their success, a huge number came seeking advice about applying through Clearing. Results Day: Top forums by pageviews 138,113 Medicine 134,378 A levels 81,416 Applications, Clearing & UCAS High engagement on A-Level Results Day 2022 1.8 million users 2.5 million Education forum views 964,233 Views of Official Rep posts Results Week activity (18-24 August 2022) Results Day activity 9,785 posts 1,194,291 pageviews 367,628 users 773,354 Education forum pageviews 491 Official Rep posts 3,071,787 words written The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com
What students were saying on Results Day
“I haven’t tried that, thank you!! I will phone them now, how did you find that, you guys are legends!”
“Hey! I did manage to, thank you for your help! And allyour support yesterday! Feels great to look forward now and completely forget about A Levels, thank god.”
“I wish I used The Student Room a lot more during these years considering the level of support on here is outstanding. I really appreciate your kind words as well as everyone else’s kind words here.”
“Hey guys! I guess this is kinda my goodbye to this thread once we get our results. It sort of officially marks the end of year 11. Just wanted to say how nice it was to have a community of other year 11s to chat with from across the country. I’ll see some of you guys on the year 12 thread!”
The Student Room +44 (0)
3222 hello@thestudentroom.com
800 999
We delivered more than 100 Clearing campaigns for university clients in 2022. This flight plan shows our recommendations for when to run your student activity to achieve the best results this cycle. Look out for our key on the product pages to identify the best media options for each stage of your campaign. SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG Which courses need a boost? Clearing Pre-UCAS deadline Key time for applicant consideration and research Research and test creatives ‘Always on’ brand building and 2023 applicant engagement activity ‘Always on’ postgraduate engagement Subject specific Subject specific Open Day activity Open Day activity Research Clearing audience and test strategy Influence applicant decision-making before UCAS deadline Early engagement 2024 applicants Pre-Clearing Peak Clearing Look for the flight plan colour key on the following pages to see what products align with your campaign schedule. Clearing flight plan The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com
Optimised for the student journey
Put your opportunities front and centre during the Results period with our exclusive Clearing packages.
These targeted solutions reach Clearing applicants who match your student recruitment criteria during the peak A-level Results Week window.
Our National packages also provide you with Clearing content and your courses boosted in the search results on The Uni Guide.
Starting from £4,000, find out more about the packages at TSR Matters and contact us to discuss audience reach and costs for your chosen target areas.
Packages targeted by subject, region or nationally Huge savings versus rate card Exclusively yours - only one university per package Find bandings and breakdowns on TSR Matters
region and subject bundles Packages enable you to target by
reach Region Subject
National,
National
Email sent in Results Week SMS sent in Results Week Forum sponsorship in Results Week Targeted display impressions The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com
Providing big budget savings compared to rate card inventory, you will receive an impactful mix of media including:
Clearing forum sponsorship
The Student Room forums are well-loved and trusted spaces where students connect, ask questions and share information.
By sponsoring a forum, your brand will be prominently displayed in a space where applicants are already making life-changing decisions about where to apply in Clearing. With many forums to choose from, you can align your campaign with your unique audience targeting and recruitment goals. For example, you can focus on a particular subject, or cast a wider net by sponsoring our A levels or Applications, Clearing and UCAS forums. Contact us for the full breakdown of forum options.
brand awareness tool Key Dates July - August
*July-August 2022, session forums 8.2M sessions* Excellent
Maximise your exposure to Clearing applicants by sponsoring a forum
Starting from £3,000 per week (contact us for subject band breakdown)
+44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com
The Student Room
Email - Clearing database August £12,000 July £10,000 Results Day £17,500 Average open to delivered rate 48.7% Target the full database or choose from our targeted audiences Key Dates Late July - August Our Clearing applicants are waiting to hear from you
database is a
of prospective applicants who have opted in to hear about Clearing places. You can email the whole database, or use targeting criteria, such as subject interest or location to find your ideal applicant
The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com Subject or location targeting starts from £1,500 (contact us for band breakdown)
The Student Room’s Clearing
warm audience
audience. In 2022, one university achieved an open rate of 66.7% and a CTO of 7.7%.
Clearing competitor targeting
Target applicants who are interested in your closest competitors with email or SMS Your campaign
reach
highly bespoke audience of Year 13 Clearing applicants who are interested in your university or any of the top ten competitors you nominate. These bespoke, highly targeted communications put you front-of-mind when your strongest prospective applicants are comparing your university against similar options.
Key Dates August Limited to 10 clients Please request pricing for your bespoke audience
Influence students who are still undecided about where to study Send dates start from July SMS or email Limited to 10 clients The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com
will
a
Key Dates July - August Listicle emails An authentic way to reach a minimum of 100,000 prospective applicants Feature in a listicle email to achieve huge audience reach, while splitting your share of voice with other universities. Our recipients trust The Student Room to send them appropriate university options which match their preferences, which is why these emails get strong engagement. Listicles give students a choice, resulting in a more authentic, user-centric experience. 47.7% Average open to deliver rate* 15.1% Average clicks per unique URL in listicle Sent to minimum 100,000 recipients Premium slot from £5,000 Standard slot from £3,000 The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com *July-August 2022, Listicle Clearing campaigns. Open-to-deliver rate (more accurate).
Key Dates August Results Week SMS - Clearing database Text students your Clearing places during Results Week Students are never far from their mobile phones. Get instant exposure to Clearing applicants by sending an SMS in Results Week. Our Year 13 audience has opted in to receive Clearing updates from universities, so they are primed and waiting to hear from you. SMS sends are available between 10th and 24th August (inclusive). August* £12,000 Results Day £15,000 4.8% Average click to deliver rate I wish [universities] would reach out via text…that’s something that I would check. That’s something that I would see. Year 13 student (Student Voice webinar panelist - July ‘22) Subject or location targeting starts from £750 (contact us for band breakdown) The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com
Key Dates June - August Display Be seen and remembered on the UK’s largest online student platform Targeting Impressions Clearing Button (only 10 available) Your Clearing button will display in strategic locations across The Student Room from mid-July to August. Clearing buttons are simple to set up and our insight-led creative direction will maximise your impact. Place your digital ads in the ideal locations for Clearing applicant traffic. We continually optimise your live campaign towards the best performing ad formats. Average CTR% Billboard 0.09% Other 0.08% Mixed format £15 CPM Clearing button £8,000 Billboards £20 CPM 1 million impressions guaranteed (during the peak Clearing window) The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com
Clearing
Position your brand on articles that help Clearing applicants make decisions about where to study. Students come to our Clearing Hub looking for guidance and support during what is often a confusing and stressful time. Why not associate your brand with the positive experience of finding answers and feeling reassured? Our Customer Success team can advise you on the best topics and contextual locations for your campaign.
* Pageviews from the Clearing hub during July/August 2022
sponsored content
28,573 pageviews from prospective Clearing applicants* Starting from £7,500 Key Dates Late July - mid August* *depends on context The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com Confused about Clearing? Here are 10 top tips Help! I’m having second thoughts about my uni choice Here’s what actually happens on A Level Results Day How to get the best out of your Clearing call Some great examples of sponsored articles from 2022 include:
Clearing TSR Talks
Start a lively discussion thread which supports your Clearing strategy and showcases what your university has to offer.
Take a look at a TSR Talks here.
Our team will offer free training and continued support for your Guest Speaker to help them connect with our student audience.
We’ll also run up to two weeks of promotion and roadblocked ads on your TSR Talks page to maximise your brand exposure.
We only host one TSR Talk per week, so book early to secure your spot in Clearing.
*Education
in
2022
campaigns
August
Use your experts to attract applicants
Benchmark 1,000 pageviews 3 minutes average dwell time on page Very limited availability Key
The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com Starting from £8,500
Dates Late July - mid August*
Ada - off-site retargeting
Are your digital ads being seen in Clearing?
By combining our powerful audience insights with industry-leading retargeting technology and precise conversion-tracking, we drive exceptional results for your Clearing campaign.
Our programmatic solution retargets The Student Room’s audience with your digital ads in brand-safe locations off-site. This allows you to target Clearing applicants throughout their decision-making journey by creating multiple marketing touchpoints across the web.
*July-August 2022, Ada clearing campaigns
80% average viewability 10,000+ tracked conversions* User visits TSR User leaves and browses other websites While browsing other sites your ad appears Key Dates July - August The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com Starting from £10 CPM
Highly-qualified applicant leads on a cost-per-action basis
The Uni Guide attracts traffic from applicants in the final decision-making stages. Users are shown your profile when it matches their course, location or university search criteria, so your audience is always highly-qualified when they click your lead buttons.
During August 2022, we saw a 89% year-on-year increase in total leads generated and a 67% increase in average clickthrough rate on the lead buttons.
Try our similar universities feature - it signposts applicants to your profile and away from your competitors. This signposts applicant traffic directly to your university profile (and away from any competitors who do not have this feature enabled).
To maximise your reach and leads, you can also add search boosts to your package. This promotes your listing to one of the top three positions for two weeks.
lead pack and search boost
The Uni Guide -
Key Dates Always on* Search boost: £4,000 (two weeks) Starting from Lead pack: £5,000 Maximum 24 search boost slots available Search boost increases weekly leads by 160% and CTR by 94% on average Add lead buttons to your profile
The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com
UPP Unlimited Key Dates Always on
This package includes Engage Clearing applicants at every stage in their decision-making journey
UPP Unlimited is your always-on approach to brand awareness and drives engagement with Clearing applicants.
An impactful mix of media and engagement tools enable you to attract, engage, convert and understand your target audience. You’ll receive your exclusive University Guide and Forum, and support this with Official Reps so you can provide the reassurance and answers students need.
Amplify awareness about your Clearing places with targeted display advertising both on and offsite. Then maximise applicant conversions with unlimited lead credits on The Uni Guide.
On-site targeted impressions
University Guide (ad-blocked)
Impressions from off-site remarketing Three Official Rep accounts
University Forum (ad-blocked) Keyword alerts Lead generation on The Uni Guide
Course listing promotion on The Uni Guide
Unlimited
+44 (0) 800 999 3222
hello@thestudentroom.com
The Student Room
Two questions in our monthly omnibus survey to a Year 12 & 13 audience UPP
Exclusive access to new student research £30,000
TSR Insight is our in-house full service market research agency and has exclusive access to The Student Room community for market research.
The team specialises in higher education and is reliable, flexible and easy to brief. They can project manage all aspects of your research from initial conversation and recruitment to final debrief.
“We worked with The Student Room on a bespoke research project with prospective undergraduate applicants.
By using an asynchronous bulletin board approach to our research, we were able to develop our questions on an agile basis which led to more detailed and practical insight. And we were able to put these themes and findings directly into action through our new undergraduate creative campaign and messaging.”
Varley, Marketing Officer at Teesside University
Youth research Set yourself up for a successful Clearing cycle
Dates Always
Pricing
The Student Room +44
3222
Strategic market research to drive your Clearing campaign TSR Insight is an MRS Company Partner
Key
on
varies by product and scale of research
(0) 800 999
hello@thestudentroom.com
Gill
Research offerings Other products and services Online survey (bespoke and omnibus) Depth interviews (online and telephone) Online focus groups (text chat or video) UX testing (accompanied and self moderated surfs) Bulletin boards (5 days of qualitative questions with 20 participants) TSR Asks Feb-July Test Clearing messages once the application window has closed Vote and Tell Nov-June Test your Clearing creatives Key Dates TSR Asks from £400 Vote and Tell £6,000 The Student Room +44 (0) 800 999 3222 hello@thestudentroom.com Vote and Tell Get feedback on your designs from your target applicant audience. Show your Clearing creatives to our audience and find out which they prefer. By carrying out this research in the planning stages, you will gain reassurance that your communications will resonate with applicants. TSR Asks Our monthly omnibus survey enables you to put your questions to our audience of Year 12 and 13 students. This can inform your campaigns and will give you powerful insights into what applicants are feeling, as well as how they are making decisions.
Get in touch
Raise the profile of your university and attract more Clearing applicants. The Student Room has a proven track record of delivering high-impact, targeted media solutions that exceed our clients’ student recruitment goals and deliver great results. We can’t wait to work on your Clearing campaign.
hello@thestudentroom.com 0800 999 3222