Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | June 27th, 2024

Harnessing AI to Maximize Content Strategy

Standing out in the wildly competitive enrollment marketing sphere requires embracing innovative strategies. One of the most efficient – but sometimes intimidating – cutting-edge tools you can use to attract and retain prospective students through personalized content strategy is artificial intelligence (AI). Harnessing AI to maximize content strategy can be an invaluable asset.

AI tools can analyze astounding amounts of data, identify patterns, optimize online visibility, streamline repetitive tasks, and improve your institution’s brand reputation. If used ethically and creatively, these new technologies can help you craft compelling content, stretch your budget, and reshape your enrollment strategies.

Harnessing AI to Maximize Content Strategy can help your team:

Personalize the Admissions Journey

Personalization plays a crucial role in building trust and engagement during the prospective student journey and increases their likelihood of enrollment. Using AI tools to analyze prospective students’ buying behaviors, preferences, interests, and demographics can help you tailor individual communication strategies, build personalized content experiences, highlight relevant programs and student outcomes, and help guide them through the admissions process from inquiry to enrollment. AI tools can help your team with everything from delivering highly personalized emails and direct mail to building more interactive virtual campus tours tailored to specific student interests. AI-powered content strategy ensures each prospective student’s interaction leaves a lasting impression.

Streamline Content Production

As in-house staff and budgets shrink, the volume of personalized marketing content required to meet and exceed enrollment goals can seem entirely overwhelming. One of the best ways to streamline content production workloads is by using AI to automate repetitive tasks like content ideation and distribution. Many automated content management tools can keep your tasks on track across the team, schedule your content, and track its performance, which can help you analyze your strategy for future efficiency. When these tools take on automated tasks, it allows your team to focus its time and resources on strategic initiatives. When used under strict human oversight, AI can even generate on-brand web copy, social media posts, ads, and promotional materials without sacrificing quality.

Optimize Content for Search Engines

One of the most important parts of any successful enrollment strategy is making sure prospective students find your institution and relevant program information at the top of their internet search results. AI tools offer invaluable assistance in optimizing your materials for search engines through keyword-rich content. It can also analyze search trends and map user behaviors that can help you write content that rises to the top of the search ranks through organic traffic. Automation tools can help you seamlessly integrate search engine optimization best practices into your workflows and ensure your prospective students find what they need to stay engaged. Plus, better search traffic automatically improves the brand reputation of your institution or program.

While AI can drastically enhance efficiency, increase personalization, and decrease your team’s workloads, maintaining human oversight throughout the content creation process is paramount. AI algorithms are only as effective as the data they’re trained on, and the authenticity and sincerity of enrollment marketing content are crucial to your institution’s reputation. Using AI tools, combined with the human touch from your team’s experts, can support a content strategy that resonates with prospective students on a deeper, more personal level, while helping you achieve and exceed your enrollment goals.

As you’re looking for ways to streamline your workflow and maximize your content strategy, GPRS can help you identify the tools and strategies to harness AI to maximize content strategy and stand out in the crowd.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | June 13th, 2024

Grad School Paid Social Media Strategies and Best Practices

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X:  Stand out in those competitive online spaces using our grad school paid social media strategies and best practices.

Social media platforms have become household names themselves in recent years – and that’s good news for graduate schools looking to reach their target audiences effectively. By leveraging paid ads on various social media channels, graduate schools can build brand awareness and expand their audience in an efficient and cost-effective way.

So, let’s explore some of the top paid social media strategies and best practices for graduate schools like yours so you can leverage social media marketing better.

Know which social media channels to use and when

Not all social media platforms are created equal.

It’s important to know which ones to use and when. For example, Facebook skews towards a slightly older audience compared to newer channels like TikTok, meaning it may be more of an appropriate platform for reaching prospective graduate school students. However, channels like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram can be great for certain types of video content like alumni testimonials and student success story videos, which is something grad schools need to keep in mind too.

Ultimately, it’s very important for grad schools to understand their specific audience, goals, and content strategy first before deciding which channel to advertise on. By having a better grasp of these details, you’ll be able to target your ad budget and content more effectively.

Leverage video content

Social media platforms lend themselves well to video content, including paid and promoted ads.

Video testimonials, success stories, campus tours, staff interviews, and admissions guides are just a few ideas to consider for paid video content on social media. Using them can go a long way towards achieving your goals and hitting your KPIs efficiently.

Use the “three-second rule” for videos

When employing video ads, however, it’s important to keep in mind the “three-second rule” for them. That is, the first three seconds are the most important for capturing and keeping your audience’s attention. Bear this in mind when creating any type of video ads, as they’ll need to be engaging, interesting, and relevant to your target audience within the opening few seconds to be as effective as possible.

Match your ads to marketing funnel stages

One of the many advantages of paid ads on social media is that they can easily be tailored to a specific stage of your marketing funnel.

For example, if your institution is focused on building brand awareness, ads can easily be created to catch users’ attention and promote relevant content to grow your audience. On the other hand, if you’re focused more on conversions, content like admissions guides and video testimonials can also be advertised and promoted. By crafting your content and messaging for specific funnel stages, you can cover all of your bases and employ a number of flexible strategies that can build your brand awareness, incentivize consideration, or boost conversions cost-effectively.

Test and optimize constantly

Finally, always remember to test and optimize.

If an ad campaign fails to deliver, look at the data carefully and adjust your messaging, content, budget, and target audience rather than just thinking that channel doesn’t work for you. Gleaning insights from your data and optimizing your ad campaigns as you go along is a great way to both get the best bang for your buck when it comes to your budget and hit your marketing goals successfully.

Use paid social ads today for success

Paid social media advertising can be a powerful marketing tool for graduate schools – if done correctly. By using these actionable strategies and best practices, your institution can better reach its target audience and achieve its goals in a cost-effective manner. Contact GPRS today to learn more.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | May 30th, 2024

Virtual College Tours: Reimagine Student Engagement

In a post-Covid world, prospective students are no longer limited by their physical proximity to campus. Virtual college tours have become the norm, offering prospective students an opportunity to “visit” an institution and imagine themselves on campus from the comfort of their homes. Even though this modern phenomenon opens a world of opportunities for busy prospects, the demand for engaging virtual campus tours has created an increasingly tricky challenge for admissions offices to navigate.

Consider these innovative approaches to virtual events to help you create authentic, memorable, and engaging virtual experiences that ensure your institution will stay top-of-mind for your most desirable prospects.

Highlight Student Experiences and User-Generated Content

Campus virtual tours present a unique opportunity to harness the power of user-generated content (UGC) to highlight authentic student outcomes, create a memorable experience for the visitor, and help prospective students see themselves joining your program. Student and graduate testimonials, social media posts and reviews, and live Q and A sessions with admissions counselors, faculty members, and alumni provide an unfiltered glimpse into campus life, program experiences, and graduate outcomes. This candid approach adds a layer of authenticity and relatability that prospects may not find during other institution’s virtual events.

Embedding curated social media feeds into virtual tour platforms can show real-time updates and organic experiences from campus events and hands-on classroom experiences. Student-led video testimonials and live streaming Q and A sessions allow prospective students to hear directly from outstanding students and alumnae about their academic journeys and success stories while encouraging engagement and participation from both parties. Programs can even host photo or video challenges to encourage students to share their experiences with a specific audience. Leveraging these types of UGC fosters a sense of community, cultivates an authentic and immersive online event experience for prospects, and highlights the diversity and spirit of your institution.

Embrace Virtual Reality Experiences

Virtual reality (VR) experiences have emerged as a powerful tool in creating an immersive virtual event experience. Through VR headsets and interactive online platforms, prospects can visit classrooms, labs, and campus landmarks on their own time and according to their unique interests. VR experiences can also be tailored to the specific interests of individual prospects while allowing them to visualize themselves as a part of the community.

VR also provides increased accessibility to those who may be unable to visit campus because of physical limitations or socioeconomic barriers. By leveraging VR technology, institutions can ensure that everyone, despite their background or circumstances, has access to an immersive college virtual tour.

Stand Out with 360-Degree Virtual College Tours

Virtual tours and events of all kinds have become commonplace. For your institution to stand out in the crowd, the experience must move beyond simple static images or pre-recorded videos. Utilizing 360-degree virtual campus tours allows you to incorporate interactive elements like clickable hotspots, videos, virtual guides, live chatbots, and “raise your hand” features that foster a sense of curiosity, increase engagement, and allow prospects to build their own visit experience. Immersing visitors in a VR experience that simulates realistic scenarios like being in a classroom or working in a lab creates a memorable experience and showcases campus facilities.

Embracing UGC, VR, and 360 virtual college tours prioritizes a wide variety of prospect experiences and allows them to engage with your brand on a deeper, more authentic level. By harnessing the power of technology, institutions can forge meaningful connections with prospects, share student stories that encompass the campus experience, and get closer to reaching their enrollment goals.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | May 16th, 2024

Enrollment Marketing Personalization: Tailoring Experiences for Success

Having real, candid conversations with prospective students keeps them engaged and puts your program top-of-mind. With an increasingly online enrollment experience, thousands of candidates, and only so many hours in the day for personal conversations with your staff, it is almost impossible to foster individual relationships with prospects that yield the desired results for both parties. That’s why a range of enrollment marketing personalization techniques should become the next tried-and-true tool in your marketing strategy toolbelt.

As digital natives, your prospective students almost always know when any “personalized” email or postcard is mass-produced with only a few “Dear First Name” touchpoints. When it comes to truly tailoring both your digital and print channels to meet individual student needs, interests, and goals in a way that fosters a feeling of belonging and inclusivity, you must employ a more strategic, tech-powered approach.

Leverage surveys and data analytics

To tailor your messaging to the personal preferences of your audience, you must understand their buying behaviors, where they “shop” for other programs, and what your competition provides that you might not. Investing in market surveys and data analytics tools can help you create more personalized content that nurtures meaningful relationships throughout the buying journey.

Invest in technology

Using CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems and automation platforms intentionally and strategically can help you streamline your enrollment marketing personalization efforts, deliver targeted communications efficiently, engage your prospects more consistently, and save your budget in the long run.

Segment your audience

Identifying key segments within your prospect pool and tailoring your content to their specific needs and interests can help you reach your enrollment goals consistently and efficiently. Segmenting your prospects into stages of the enrollment cycle – whether they haven’t yet applied or have been accepted and have selected your program as a top choice – can help you create impactful lifecycle and content marketing materials that hit home and drive them to the next stage of their buying journey. The more you can divide your pool into specific segments, the more you can create personalized messaging that truly engages people and produces results.

Create a responsive web experience

Prospects visit your website for a wide variety of reasons, from exploring academic offerings to career development support to financial aid inquiries. Ensuring you have a user-friendly, inclusive, and responsive website that reduces frustration maximizes engagement, increases the likelihood that they’ll revisit your site, and helps them navigate the complexities of admissions and financial aid. Using tools like PURLs, AI, and chatbots to field prospect questions and connect them directly to your staff builds trust, differentiates your level of customer service from your competition, and supports your prospects throughout their enrollment journey.

Tech-powered personalization throughout your communications, content, and online or in-person services captures the attention of prospective students far more effectively than generic messaging and demonstrates your commitment to the diverse needs of your prospect pool. Whether it’s through tailored emails, virtual campus tours, or direct mail, personalized interactions build trust with your candidates, simplify their decision-making process, and help you achieve higher conversion and enrollment yields.

Let us help you with enrollment marketing personalization

Ready to talk about the personalization tools that can help you reach your goals in 2024 and beyond? Contact GPRS today so we can discuss your individual needs and walk you through a plan.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | April 30th, 2024

How to Differentiate Your MBA Program

In a post-pandemic world, MBA program enrollment competition is fierce. To stand out among your competitors and meet your enrollment goals, you must have a bulletproof value proposition that is fully integrated into your content marketing strategies. Your institution’s value proposition, however, may not always fit the bill for adult learners who have busy schedules, prioritize flexibility, and value clear, tangible career outcomes. A combination of storytelling and data-driven strategy can help you differentiate your MBA program and institution, address the specific challenges of your prospective students, and exceed your enrollment goals.

Share your student success stories to differentiate your MBA program

Graduate success stories can help prospective students visualize themselves achieving the same or similar accomplishments by completing your program. This approach leaves prospects with a positive impression of the student experience, helps them justify the cost-to-benefit ratio, and can make your program stand out among your competitors’ generic marketing materials. You can help connect prospects with graduate outcomes through:

Website, direct mail, and social media testimonials that celebrate graduate success stories, new titles or roles, and other professional achievements.
Recruitment event Q&A sessions where prospects can ask graduates candid questions about their program experiences, their employability after graduation, and why they chose this specific program among a sea of competitors.

Graduates who have been asked to share their positive program experiences are also more likely to re-share their feature stories through their social media channels, are more willing to connect with prospects organically, and often feel honored to be asked to participate. It’s a win-win for everyone and can differentiate your MBA program!

Make sure your strategy is data informed

While student success stories foster emotional connections with your prospects, it’s equally as important that your strategy and brand story are also driven by data – especially in a hyper-competitive market with rising costs and waning budgets. It’s crucial to elevate your program’s specific skills, knowledge, and outcomes, of course, but applying sophisticated data analysis to your enrollment strategy can take your brand value a level above the competition. A data-informed marketing strategy can:

Highlight your program’s ROI through data points that directly address an adult learner’s unique needs, wants, and concerns.
Elevate your engagement and conversion rates while tailoring your efforts to prospects’ individual needs through personalization and timing.
Give you a competitive advantage over programs that aren’t as familiar with the specific needs of your prospective students.
Help your marketing efforts remain nimble throughout the cycle by providing real-time feedback about your current results compared to historical data.
Enable you to measure the effectiveness of your current marketing strategies and set realistic goals for the enrollment year and beyond.

Aligning your enrollment strategy with current market trends and data-informed goals drives engagement, produces results, keeps your budget in check, and helps your program’s unique value stand out.

Are you ready to differentiate your MBA program and optimize your enrollment strategy? Contact GPRS today and we can help you leverage our resources and experience.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | April 17th, 2024

Top Graduate School Myths in 2024

Higher education, including graduate schools, sometimes gets a bad rap. All too often, prospective students assume graduate school isn’t for them because of some persistent myths and skepticism about higher education. However, higher education institutions can dispel these graduate school myths by communicating their value to prospects clearly and effectively.

Here are three common myths that grad schools should address with their marketing content to put prospects’ minds at ease.

1. Grad schools aren’t worth the investment

One of the biggest misconceptions about grad schools (and higher education in general) nowadays is that it isn’t worth the investment.

On the contrary, obtaining a Master’s Degree translates into $3.2 million in lifetime earnings compared to $2.8 million in lifetime earnings for a Bachelor’s Degree holder. MBA graduates from the top 50 business schools in the United States, more specifically, will see a staggering $5.7 million in lifetime earnings.

Clearly, obtaining a graduate-level degree is worth the investment. To counter the myth that grad schools aren’t worth students’ time and money, higher education institutions should focus their marketing messaging and content around the value that an advanced degree brings to help prospects see that their hard work and financial investment in grad school is worth it.

2. Grad school is unaffordable

While it’s true that graduate school isn’t cheap, many financial aid resources exist to help students pay for the cost.

Loans, grants, scholarships, and academic fellowships are readily available to help students lower their tuition and overall grad school costs. In some cases, grad programs at certain institutions are fully funded, meaning that students graduate essentially debt-free. Plus, it’s important to remember that graduate degree recipients enjoy higher lifetime earnings compared to those without them, meaning that even though their initial upfront investment may be higher, the long-term financial payoff is worth it.

For graduate schools like yours, it’s important to communicate these financial resources in your marketing materials as a way to entice prospective students and convey that, even though the upfront costs may seem intimidating, financial help is available in many forms.

3. A full-time job makes it impossible to attend graduate school

Finally, another graduate school myth worth dispelling is that having a full-time job makes it virtually impossible to attend school at the same time.

This myth lies in the common misconception that graduate school is the same as college when it comes to time investment. However, the truth is that the vast majority of graduate schools tailor their programs with working professionals already in mind. That means that classes are more sporadic, often meeting just once or twice a week, and typically in the evening hours or on weekends to accommodate working professionals. In addition, many grad schools have increasingly adopted hybrid and remote options in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering even more flexibility for grad school students.

To boost enrollment, it’s important for grad schools to bust this myth in particular. Marketing content in the form of blog posts, landing pages, social media posts, email communications, infographics, videos, and more are all ways to convey the flexibility and student-friendly options that current grad school programs offer.

Convey value to prospects to debunk graduate school myths

While it’s no secret that higher education, including grad schools, has faced strong headwinds due to factors like rising costs and alternative career options for prospects, their future is still bright. By working to dispel these common graduate school myths, schools can position their marketing campaigns for success and stand a better chance of converting prospects into students.

Looking to boost your conversions and optimize your marketing efforts? Contact GPRS today to find out how we can help.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | March 26th, 2024

How to Grow Enrollment in Your Specialized MBA Program

Specialized MBA programs remain a popular option for graduate school students, but growing enrollment can be difficult. It’s no secret that competition for prospects is fierce and finding the right recruits can be tricky, so higher education institutions need to implement the right strategies and best practices to grow enrollment in your specialized MBA program.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at some of them to help you boost your enrollment. With these strategies, your institution can leverage tried-and-true ways to help attract and retain the right graduate school prospects for years to come.

Take a digital-first approach to marketing

When it comes to marketing, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve.

Many higher education institutions still don’t utilize digital marketing and advertising to their full potential. Make sure that your institution fully embraces digital marketing, including various social media channels to attract and engage with prospects, personalized email communications, a frequently-updated blog, and paid search and social ads targeted specifically to your audience.

Emphasize all of your flexible learning options that are available

These days, specialized MBA prospects value flexibility and choice. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic made online and hybrid learning the norm in many ways for students nowadays. Embrace this change by highlighting any flexible and remote learning options your program offers in your marketing content, as it can pay dividends over the long-term.

Create detailed personas

Data-driven, detailed personas can play a key role in your marketing efforts too.

As specialized MBA prospects differ from traditional graduate students in a number of ways, understanding their specific demographics, pain points, and goals is crucial. To that end, creating personas can help you craft the right marketing materials for your audience. This can be done by carefully analyzing your current student database and conducting surveys and focus groups to obtain the data you need before creating in-depth personas tailored to your specialized MBA audience for your marketing campaigns.

Stress the value of a specialized MBA

It’s also a good idea to emphasize the value of a specialized MBA from your institution.

Stress that a specialized MBA is worth a prospect’s time and money as an investment in their future. This can be done by leveraging data available on statistics like lifetime earnings, job prospects after graduation, career satisfaction, and the like in your marketing content.

Data-driven infographics and short-form videos work especially well in this regard since they convey large amounts of data in a visual and engaging way, though longer, more in-depth content like blog posts can also work. Whatever marketing channel you choose, be sure to demonstrate the value of your program to prospects clearly, concisely, and effectively for maximum impact.

Humanize your marketing with student testimonials and alumni success stories

Finally, humanizing your marketing with testimonials and success stories can help create better engagement and personalization with your prospects, boosting conversions.

This is a great way to tell a story and communicate the value of your specialized MBA programs in a unique way that helps connect prospects with their peers in your programs. Blog posts are a good marketing channel for these, but the most effective way is generally through video marketing. Videos can easily be distributed via social media, email newsletters, your website, and even paid ads, greatly amplifying their reach to your target audience.

Grow enrollment in your Specialized MBA today for success tomorrow

Specialized MBA programs face tough competition for students, but with these tested strategies, you can successfully grow enrollment. When implemented, they can help supercharge your marketing funnel and bring in a steady stream of prospects over the long run.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | March 19th, 2024

Customer Experience strategies for higher education institutions

Customer experience (CX) is a sometimes overlooked but crucial strategy for higher education institutions. In many ways, customer Experience strategies for higher education can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to the recruitment and retention of graduate students.

To ensure the best customer experience possible for students, higher education institutions need to understand exactly who their audience is, embrace the latest technology, and focus on creating a personalized, seamless experience for its students (customers). Here’s a closer look at how to do just that.

Know your audience

First and foremost, it’s crucial to understand your core audience.

Look at the data for your prospects, new students, and the existing graduate student body very closely. What are their demographics? What are they currently studying or looking to study? Are they local or from across the country or even the world? By having a strong grasp of your audience, you can better hone your CX strategy specifically to them.

Create a seamless experience

Creating a seamless, intuitive, and simplified customer experience is also very important.

This is especially critical when it comes to technology. All too often, schools design their online services with themselves in mind, as opposed to their prospects and students. Instead, embrace digital transformation and a customer-centric approach by creating user-friendly, seamless customer portals where students can find all of the information they need in a single, unified location and conduct a website audit to ensure your site is intuitive, easy to navigate, and has all of the key information that students and prospects need clearly stated.

Leverage the latest technology

Technology can also go a long way towards improving your CX.

Embrace it as a way to boost your customer service and provide a more seamless, user-friendly experience for your students and prospects. This can be done by leveraging chatbots to resolve simple questions and issues quickly and successfully, customer relationship management (CRM) tools to track every conversation and keep important data in a single location, and various social media channels to convey critical information and boost engagement.

Focus on personalization

Personalization is also key.

Today’s graduate students are increasingly diverse. Rather than treating them as a whole, personalize your communications and interactions with them to better suit who they are, which can lead to improved metrics like conversions and retention. To accomplish this, use personalized emails, custom videos, and tailored social media communications.

Create a guided experience

Finally, focus on creating a tailored, curated experience for your students and prospects.

Navigating the graduate school process can be very stressful and intimidating for both prospects and students. However, by creating a guided, personalized experience, you can reduce this stress and improve your customer satisfaction. Embracing technology and tools like screen sharing, video chat, co-browsing, and tailored email communications can help create a guided experience that will improve your overall CX greatly.

Improve your customer experience strategies for higher education institutions

CX should be a top priority for any higher education institution looking to boost student recruitment and retention. By implementing these strategies and best practices, you can ensure you are delivering world-class customer service to your audience, increasing recruitment and boosting retention all at once.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | February 27th, 2024

What Do Grad Students Want in 2024?

As 2024 dawns, higher education institutions all across the country are hard at work preparing for the next wave of graduate school students with marketing and recruitment efforts. But what do grad students really want in 2024?

In order to recruit and retain the next class of students in 2024 and beyond, it’s important to have a strong grasp of their pain points, needs, concerns, values, and goals to successfully produce the marketing materials needed to connect with them. Here, we’ll take a more detailed look at what prospective graduate school students really want so you can better craft content and messaging that connects with them.

Flexible courses

The COVID-19 pandemic made virtual and hybrid learning commonplace for students. Even though the pandemic has receded and virtual learning largely with it, today’s graduate school prospects still value flexibility. To that end, make sure that your programs offer online and hybrid class options and that this is effectively communicated via your marketing to show you know what grad students want in 2024.

A commitment to inclusion

Prospective students today value diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) more than ever. To attract them in 2024 and beyond, recommit to DEI initiatives at your institution, build diversity into your marketing efforts, and make sure that your prospects know about them through social media, email, blogging, and other marketing channels.

An eye on the future economy

Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders.

That means your institution needs to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to offering courses and classes relevant to the emerging economy. Make sure that you’re incorporating new trends like AI, robotics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, digital media, green energy, and the like into your curriculum, and communicate this to your prospects in your marketing materials.

Mental health support

Prospective students take mental health seriously. Don’t discount this – invest in mental health professionals at your institution and ensure that your students know that you value mental health as well.

Career readiness

Finally, emphasize career readiness at your institution too, not just gaining an advanced degree in and of itself.

All too often, graduate school students feel unprepared for the job market after graduating. However, your institution can make a difference for them through networking opportunities, job interview advice, internships, hands-on training, and other activities to maximize their employability after graduating.

Know what grad students want in 2024 to attract and retain students

The nature of prospective graduate school students is changing – will your institution change along with it?

By having a stronger grasp of how to connect with prospective students, you can tailor your content, marketing channels, and messaging to them more effectively. In turn, this can lead to improved recruitment and retention in 2024 and beyond despite a more challenging and complex educational landscape.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | February 15th, 2024

Strategies to Increase Enrollment Amid Rising Higher Education Skepticism

It’s no secret that higher education institutions face growing skepticism from the public for many reasons these days. High tuition costs, questions about return on investment, demographic shifts, and the rising popularity of trade schools, certificates, and other alternatives are just some of the reasons why higher education institutions are seeing shifts in enrollment. So, how do you increase enrollment amid rising higher education skepticism?

The good news is this enrollment trend isn’t necessarily set in stone. By prioritizing certain changes and honing your messaging and marketing the right way, your institution can boost enrollment. Here are some ideas on how to do just that.

Focus on value to address skepticism

When crafting your messaging and marketing materials, focus on the value your school brings to your students to address rising higher education skepticism and boost enrollment.

Yes, it may seem like a costly investment upfront, but the lifetime earnings and educational value of a degree are well worth it, making it well worth their time and money. By stressing this, you can help students overcome the “sticker shock” that tuition often brings and shift their thinking to their long-term success.

Change with the times to increase enrollment

Things are changing quickly in the world of higher education – and institutions need to adapt or be left behind.

While the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is the root cause for many of the changes today, some were in motion before that time and were accelerated by the pandemic. Nowadays, schools need to change with the times and embrace the new world of higher education. How so? That means investing more in online and hybrid learning, focusing on your unique selling points and mission, reaching out to new segments of the student population, and prioritizing digital marketing and advertising.

With these changes, you can better position your institution to increase enrollment amid rising higher education skepticism.

Prioritize digital transformation

Similarly, schools need to prioritize digital transformation to stay competitive and attract new students.

By investing in priorities like online classes, social media marketing, video marketing, and mobile-friendly websites optimized for search engines like Google, schools can stay ahead of the technology curve. This, in turn, can help them reach new enrollees more easily and expand their pool of potential students.

Personalize your marketing

Personalized marketing is crucial for reaching target audiences nowadays.

Long gone are the days when sending out mass emails and direct mail without any rhyme or reason worked. Instead, higher education institutions need to focus on taking a more personal and humanized approach to their marketing. This can be as simple as addressing emails and newsletters to individual prospects specifically, while it also means creating engaging content about student and alumni success stories that can be shared on social media, blogs, and the like. By focusing on personalization, students can better imagine themselves at your institution – boosting enrollment over the long term.

Take another look at underserved student populations

Finally, don’t forget to tap into some of the overlooked and underserved student populations.

Focusing your marketing and outreach efforts on these populations can pay dividends. A few segments to keep in mind include students from rural areas, non-native English speakers, and people who graduated from college years back but are looking for a career change or upskilling. By focusing on populations like these, you can expand your pool of prospective students and potentially boost enrollment.

Implement an enrollment turnaround today

Times are tough for higher education institutions, but embracing change and adapting to new challenges can ease or even reverse the ongoing “enrollment cliff” that many schools will ultimately feel the pinch of. With some changes to your thinking, you can better position your institution for long-term success – even in these challenging times.