Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | April 29th, 2022

Cultivating personal connection in the recruiter outreach process

Your recruiting and admissions process is a complex machine made up of several touchpoints. It’s designed to give you a full picture of your prospect — qualifications, culture fit, and potential for success. But it’s important to keep in mind that while you are gathering data on them — test scores, GPA, and references — your prospects are forming their opinions on your school throughout the recruiting process as well. Here we’ll examine how staff can use personal relationship building in different ways to pull prospects through the funnel.

It starts with a conversation

In a digital age where everyone is flooded with emails, texts, and a 24/7 news feed, your prospects are overloaded. While you may not think a phone call would be welcome, it’s possible that it’s just what you need to break through the clutter. You can begin by setting the expectations low and leading with a short script asking them something personal about themselves and seeing what questions they have. This takes the pressure off of them to have a carefully curated list of career goals and just opens the door to a personal connection in graduate recruiting. In your initial conversation, be sure to focus more on them — what they like and where they are in their journey versus what your program can do for them — that will come later.

Continue the momentum by following up

Although we just mentioned above that prospects are often digitally overloaded, it’s important to note that there is space for meaningful, authentic follow-up communications. Start with a personal email letting them know that you heard them and that they’ll be receiving some information from your program. This opens the door to engaging them in your automated CRM, but it also reassures them that they can reach out to you if they have any questions along the way.

Offer meaningful information

When your recruiting process involves active listening, you will be able to determine the barriers your prospects have — what motivates them, what’s holding them back, and what things they are curious about. When you have collected this valuable data, you can use it to customize your messaging and offer meaningful information that will help them make decisions.

Are they worried about the time commitment? Offer a conversation with an alum.
Are they concerned about the cost? Send them your latest ROI report.
Do they live out of state? Provide a video series about campus.
Do they want to experience the program and learn more about the curriculum? Invite them to an event.

Guide the process and answer their questions

Perhaps the most common mistake made by recruiting teams is to rely too heavily on a CRM to pull prospects through the funnel. Building multiple opportunities for human connection, remaining accessible, and following up with guidance can make all the difference. Sometimes even being available to answer a brief question over an online chat can help a prospect advance to the next step. Make sure to develop a personal connection in graduate recruiting.

If you’re looking for ways to integrate new recruitment strategies into your enrollment plan, GPRS can help. With years of experience working in the higher education industry, we are skilled at customizing your message for your unique audience to increase enrollment. Contact us today to start the conversation.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Techteam | April 15th, 2022

The University of Arizona Eller College of Management enjoys rapid enrollment growth without breaking the bank

Challenge

The University of Arizona needed to increase awareness for its three existing MBA programs, while also launching a new online MBA program. Eller College leaders were concerned with the investment required to accomplish both objectives simultaneously. Moreover, there was also concern about how quickly a return on investment could be attained.

Solution

To generate awareness for the Eller MBA programs, GPRS utilized its proprietary Conversion Optimization Management (COM) process to create demand among interested professionals in the Arizona market. GPRS selected the appropriate media channels and types of advertisements (i.e., display ads or paid search) to connect with the target audience. We also designed the display advertisements to include content and images focused on motivating and engaging the desired prospective students. Using GPRS to do content development and lead generation ensured alignment and consistency in the messaging and execution of the campaigns.

To refine the campaigns and continue to improve the lead quality, GP Insights™ was deployed to determine the highest performing ads and media channels throughout the campaign. In doing so, we were able to optimize the Eller MBA media spend by investing in media channels and placing ads that were achieving the highest results.

Results

Using the combination of COM and GP Insights, we delivered a very healthy volume of pre-qualified leads to the Eller admissions team at a cost per lead (CPL) of $125 — well below the higher ed industry benchmark of $200. This cost savings accomplishment was surpassed by the success the admissions team had in converting these leads into enrolled students. 35% of enrolled students were identified through a GPRS campaign over two years resulting in $3.9M in tuition revenue and a 2,200% return on investment.

Percentage of enrolled students generated by GPRS

Return on investment

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | April 13th, 2022

The secret to successful graduate program marketing

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” — Albert Einstein

As marketers of the higher ed industry, success is often what we focus on. Salaries, promotions, and title changes are king — and we often use them as the reported end goal to show what our students will “become” to entice them to attend our programs. But in marketing our programs, we must remember to strike a balance when composing our messaging and lead with how success is obtained — by adding value and contributing to important conversations in meaningful ways.

Why a degree?

There is an overwhelming amount of data showing that an advanced degree can advance your career. To understand what’s important to your prospective student though, it’s imperative to go beyond what title they are striving for and learn what’s behind their desire to pursue higher education. After all, it is a large investment of both time and money. Maybe they are in an industry that doesn’t suit them or come naturally to them. Maybe they have hit a ceiling with their current career path and need to expand their knowledge base. Or perhaps, they even have aspirations to be in the boardroom, but they need help articulating their points to add to the conversation.

To meet your prospects where they are in their journey, it’s important to dig into what they need to make it to the next step — and usually this can start with finding a way to add value in their current situation, or be seen in a different light. A degree program can set them on a path to achieving these goals. In addition, your prospects may be seeking professional fulfillment that adds value to their lives and makes them feel like they are making a difference. Therefore encouraging self-exploration in the context of business is key.

Here are some questions you can aim to address in your marketing messages based on your prospects’ personas:

Where are you on your career journey?
What does success look like in data: salary, title, promotion?
What does success look like in working relationships?
What do you want to gain from your career?
How do you want to be seen by your peers, team, and management?

Why a degree from your institution?

Once you’ve honed in on the motivations behind why your prospects are pursuing a degree, it will be easier to connect your program features to what they are seeking. You can start this process by defining your school’s unique selling points, showcasing the tools you’re offering, and then connecting them to a direct benefit for the student. For example:

How is your program unique from the competition?

How does the curriculum focus on both the quantitative and soft skills needed to be influential?
How can your program prepare your prospects to add value in a professional setting?
How can your program add value to your prospects’ lives and career paths?
What will your prospects gain beyond extra letters behind their name?

Connecting the dots

In a market saturated with competition, it is key to connect with your prospects on multiple levels that show you understand them, their goals, and motivations — and that you can help them enhance both their personal and professional lives. These steps are often the secret to successful graduate program marketing.

If you need ideas for uncovering industry insights, developing a competitive analysis, or creating meaningful marketing strategies, contact GPRS today. We can help you develop a plan to fit within your strategy and budget.