College student creates company that bridges the gap between college students and businesses 


Campus Essentials, which exclusively targets the country’s 25+ million college students, offers local, regional and national businesses a range of advertising options

Businesses of all sizes – from solopreneurs, to small firms, to large organizations – that want to affordably reach the growing 18-28 demographic, can now advertise on Campus Essentials, a the new classifieds marketplace that exclusively targets the country’s more than 20 million college students.

Created by recent college student and entrepreneur, Matt Spanburg, 23, Campus Essentials offers a range of advertising options starting as low as $5 per month. This includes a range of options such as service, fixed side, and custom trigger advertisements.

Service advertisements give businesses the opportunity to target students by listing jobs, internships, rentals, events, bar specials, and even pet adoptions. Service and fixed side advertisements are targeted to specific college(s), while triggered advertisements are triggered by keywords that are set by the business. When clicked, prospective customers are routed to the advertiser’s website or any other online destination (e.g. landing page). Individuals can also easily post “help wanted” ads for dog walking, house painting, babysitting, tutoring, or anything else.

In addition, all ads are contextually integrated with Campus Essentials’ architecture. For example, a real estate company that offers student housing will have their ad show up in the “Rentals” category, a night club promoting a concert will have their ad show up in the “Events” category, and so on. This feature enhances ad relevance, and increases the likelihood of capturing the attention – and ultimately the click – of a customer.

In addition, businesses and individuals (e.g. tutors, babysitters, dog walkers, etc.) that advertise on Campus Essentials can log into a dashboard and access powerful, yet easy-to-use tools giving them access to:
Create, modify or remove ads
Edit ad settings (e.g. target colleges, keywords, ad type, destination URL)
Track how many clicks their ads are generating

“For businesses, the 18-28 demographic is highly coveted, but very hard and expensive to reach – especially through traditional advertising methods,” commented Spanburg, who is wrapping up his degree in Business Administration at Florida-based Flagler College. “But that’s where Campus Essentials is a true game-changer, because the platform is designed exclusively for college students. So rather than chasing them down across social media and other channels, businesses simply purchase an ad and position themselves to be found. And with ad rates starting at just $5 a month and the ability to target a college or colleges in a specific region, Campus Essentials is perfect for small local businesses, as well those with a multi-state or national footprint.”

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter: Innovations in K12 Education
By submitting your information, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Laura Ascione

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter: Innovations in K12 Education
By submitting your information, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.