BY Anthony Campisi | September 30th, 2024

Crisis Communication: Managing Admissions During Uncertain Times

Whether facing a global pandemic, economic downturn, or institutional challenges, the ability to adapt and communicate clearly can make all the difference in maintaining a strong applicant pool. Here are some practical strategies to managing admissions during uncertain times while keeping your institution top-of-mind for prospective students.

Survey Shifting Attitudes and Perceptions

During a crisis, the motivations, constraints, and decision-making processes of prospective students can shift dramatically. Recognizing these changes is essential for developing effective enrollment strategies that resonate with applicants in challenging times.

• Put It into Practice: Conduct surveys or focus groups with your recent applicants to gain insights into their concerns. Use this information to personalize their messaging.

Communicate Transparently and Frequently

In times of uncertainty, clear and consistent communication is key. Prospective students and their families will have many questions about how your institution is handling the crisis and what it means for their education.

• Put It into Practice: Develop a crisis communication plan that includes regularly scheduled updates on your website, social media channels, and newsletters. Address common concerns proactively and provide clear information about any changes to the enrollment process, academic programs, or campus operations.

Flexibility in Admissions Processes

Crises often disrupt normal routines and may impact a prospective student’s ability to complete some application requirements. Offering flexibility in your admissions process can help reduce barriers for applicants during tough times.

• Put It into Practice: Consider waiving or modifying certain application requirements, such as standardized tests or in-person interviews. Offer virtual alternatives for campus visits and events. Extend deadlines to accommodate applicants facing unusual circumstances.

Emphasizing Value and Support

During tough times, prospective students may be more concerned about the return on investment of their education. It’s crucial to continue to communicate the value of your programs.

• Put It into Practice: Highlight success stories of alumni who have thrived despite previous catastrophic events. Showcase the career services, mental health resources, and other support systems available to students.

Financial Aid and Affordability

Economic uncertainty often accompanies crises, which can make financial considerations even more critical for prospective students and their families. Being transparent about costs and available aid can help alleviate concerns.

• Put It into Practice: Communicate additional financial aid or scholarship opportunities available in response to the crisis. Consider creating flexible payment plans for students facing financial hardships.

Adapting Program Delivery

Crises may necessitate changes in how education is delivered. Communicating your institution’s ability to adapt and provide quality education in various formats can reassure prospective students.

• Put It into Practice: If transitioning to online or hybrid learning models, highlight your institution’s capabilities in these areas. Showcase any investments in technology or faculty training that enhance the remote learning experience.

Personal Outreach and Support

During tough times, personal connections become even more valuable. Providing individualized support can make a significant difference in a prospective student’s decision-making process.

• Put It into Practice: Counselors should check in regularly with prospects. Offer one-on-one virtual counseling sessions to address individual concerns. Create online communities or forums where prospective students can connect.

By implementing these simple strategies, your admissions team can effectively manage a campus crisis and support prospects through uncertain times. Remember, how you communicate and respond during tough times can leave a lasting impression on applicants and your brand, potentially turning a crisis into an opportunity to demonstrate your institution’s values and commitment to student success.

We’re here to help you manage admissions during uncertain times. Let’s chat about how we can help make your enrollment strategy even stronger.

BY Anthony Campisi | August 15th, 2024

Adapting Enrollment Strategies for Non-Traditional Students

Non-traditional students make up a significant portion of the applicant pool. These students – often older or working professionals with family responsibilities – bring unique perspectives and challenges to the enrollment process. Here are some practical ways to adapt your enrollment strategies for non-traditional students while making your institution stay top-of-mind in a sea of options.

Understanding the Non-Traditional Student Journey

Non-traditional students typically have different motivations, constraints, and decision-making processes compared to their traditional counterparts. Recognizing these unique drivers is crucial for developing effective enrollment strategies that make them feel included and understood.

• Put It into Practice: Conduct surveys or focus groups with your most outstanding current non-traditional students to gain insights into their enrollment decision-making process and challenges. Use this information to refine your marketing materials and counselor conversations.

Flexible Program Structures

One of the most critical factors for non-traditional students is the ability to balance their education with existing work or family commitments. Offering flexible program structures can be a game-changer in attracting these applicants.

• Put It into Practice: Highlight any hybrid or online learning options, part-time tracks, evening or weekend classes, and accelerated programs. Share a variety of non-traditional success stories early in your lifecycle marketing materials and emphasize how they were able to integrate the program into their already full lives.

Personalized Support Services

Non-traditional students often require additional support to navigate the admissions process and transition back into academic life. Providing personalized guidance and letting them know they’ll be supported during the enrollment process can significantly impact their decision to choose your institution.

• Put It into Practice: Implement a dedicated admissions counselor or mentor program specifically for non-traditional applicants, offering tailored support throughout the application process and ways to connect with successful non-traditional graduates. You can also simplify your admissions process by providing clear, step-by-step guidance, offering multiple start dates, or waiving test requirements in favor of work experience.

Emphasizing ROI and Career Outcomes

For many non-traditional students, the decision to pursue graduate education is closely tied to achieving promotions in a current job or progressing toward their larger career goals. Demonstrating the tangible benefits of your programs is crucial for attracting these pragmatic learners.

• Put It into Practice: Showcase success stories of non-traditional alumni who have successfully advanced their careers or transitioned to new fields. Provide clear data on employment outcomes, salary increases, and better career opportunities. Consider establishing networking events, online forums, or mentorship programs specifically for non-traditional students.

Financial Aid and Scholarship Opportunities

When taking on grad school while raising a young family or working full-time, finances can be a significant concern for non-traditional students. Many are hesitant to take on additional debt or may not be aware of available financial aid options or payment plans.

• Put It into Practice. Display your financial aid, scholarship, or fellowship opportunities prominently on your marketing materials and website. Develop scholarship programs specifically for non-traditional students. Offer clear, easy-to-find information about financial aid options, including employer tuition reimbursement programs and flexible payment plans.

Adapting your enrollment strategies for non-traditional students not only expands your applicant pool but also enriches your program with diverse perspectives and experiences. Let’s work together to create a strategy that welcomes and supports non-traditional learners and ensures the growth and diversity of your programs.

BY Anthony Campisi | July 16th, 2024

Get Dynamic: 3 Top Tech Tools and Trends in Enrollment Marketing

As digital natives continue to make up a growing proportion of the prospective student pool, staying ahead of emerging technology tools and trends is crucial to hitting your enrollment goals and retaining students. With the right cutting-edge technology, your team can stand out in the crowd, increase excitement and engagement, and create a more dynamic and personalized enrollment process. Let’s explore some of the top tech tools and trends in enrollment marketing revolutionizing the higher education market.

Nano Influencer Content Marketing

Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn are mainstays in enrollment marketing, but younger audiences are increasingly demanding a more transparent approach to the way student experiences are shared online. This often translates to less curated and more organic student experience-forward content. Non-professional social media users with a small but engaged following, also known as “nano” or “micro” influencers, can be a highly effective way to reach prospects who are looking for an authentic day-to-day look at classroom experiences, campus life, and program or career outcomes. New tools like HypeAuditor can help you identify nano influencers who are currently in or have graduated from your program and guide you to relatable, personal, and free content that can build trust and sustained interest with prospects.

Gamification

Gamifying your enrollment process can create unprecedented levels of engagement with prospects, encourage information retention about any program, boost your institutional brand, and make the college search process memorable and exciting. Tools like Kahoot can create interactive quizzes and challenges that help push learners through the enrollment funnel and allow them to engage with program features within a virtual environment on their own time. Marketers can also use BadgeOS to create digital rewards for completing almost any required task like tours, orientations, open houses, or webinars. Today’s technology allows almost endless ways to build game-based strategies into your enrollment process. All of them are sure to incentivize participation and capture your prospective students’ attention while elevating your admissions process above the competition.

Voice Search Optimization

As voice-activated tools like Siri, Alexa, and Google Home infiltrate our daily lives, it’s critical to adjust your web presence accordingly. Shifting your SEO strategies to accommodate more conversational voice queries can make sure your content will be easily discovered. AnswerThePublic is an invaluable tool that helps you understand prospective students’ questions about your programs. This enables you to create content aligned with specific voice search behaviors that directly addresses their needs and questions. Prospective students mostly voice search institutions on mobile devices, so it’s important to evaluate and edit any online content according to mobile-friendly best practices.

Embracing these top tech tools and trends in enrollment marketing can help build excitement through your enrollment process, help prospects engage with your program and brand, and reinforce your position in the market.

Interested in optimizing your content or creating a more dynamic and engaging enrollment experience? GPRS can help you integrate the top tech tools and trends in enrollment marketing into your strategy.

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.

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.