Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | July 28th, 2022

Why a competitive analysis matters

A competitive analysis takes time. Here’s why it’s time well spent for not only your marketing department, but also for your admissions and program teams.

In general, it’s a good practice to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing year-round. But a full competitive analysis every 2-3 years can help you dig deep to compare marketing tactics and program adjustments and enhancements so you don’t miss something major and accidentally lose prospects to competitors that are innovating and changing the game.

Competitors to examine:

You can often begin by breaking down your competitive landscape into three areas:

Aspirational competitors: Schools that don’t draw from the same prospect pool as you, but are seen as best in class and that your prospects will compare you to when gathering data.
Regional competitors: Schools that may not seem like direct competitors due to program type, quality, or cost, but can end up pulling students away from you due to proximity.
Real competitors: This is the set of competitors that your prospects are currently considering and may select over your program.

For marketing and admissions

For marketing and admissions, a competitive analysis can help examine:

Best practices: How are your competitors advertising? What does their website convey and how does their user experience compare to yours?
Event types: What do recruiting events look like now — are they in-person, virtual, short meet and greets, luncheons, etc.
New marketing platforms and tactics: Are your competitors trying new social platforms, employing advertising on higher ed sites, or partnering to sponsor local events?
Admissions requirements: Who’s requiring admissions tests, employment history, GPA, etc.

For program directors

Examining how programs are changing and shifting to meet the demands of the market is invaluable. Although it is not likely that your program will make an immediate shift based on something a competitor is doing, it’s important to keep tabs on them so you can answer your prospects’ questions and position your school uniquely in the market.

You’ll want to examine metrics such as:

What specializations are being added
Student experiences like international trips, clubs
Professional development
Career counseling
Faculty shifts

If you need help in defining your competitors, what areas to examine, and what metrics to track, GPRS can help. We have worked with over 60 schools and have insights into program enhancements, program branding, and how competitive schools are using digital advertising to position themselves in the market. Contact us today to start the conversation.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | July 19th, 2022

Doing more with less

As marketing and admissions professionals have adapted over the past few years, it has become evident that we are all being asked to do more with less. This means being held to the same (or even higher) admissions standards, being responsible for filling the funnel with more qualified leads and reporting on all budgetary spending with an eye toward ROI. All the while, many departments are often operating with less staff and lower or flat budgets.

So how can schools do more with less while attracting high-caliber students to fill classes? Below we offer a few opportunities to streamline and maximize your time and budget.

Paid media, ads, and social

There are many forms of digital advertising that can be efficient ways to place your school’s message in front of your target. As you are considering the digital marketing campaign that will perform best for your school, it’s important to choose the right platform. This starts with identifying your audience – often through personas and then exploring the type of media they are consuming.

It can seem overwhelming if you haven’t launched or planned a campaign in a while so choosing to work with a seasoned digital agency can help you put an optimized plan in place. When you have experts working with you to create a solid digital strategy, it takes the guesswork out of the process and allows you to make decisions about where and when to spend your money.

At GPRS, our team of professionals can recommend a marketing campaign that can be optimized before and during your campaign so you can be sure that your funds are being allocated properly. If something isn’t working, we can adjust. And we can do this by tracking all of your media through our proprietary system GP Insights™. This ROI tracker can determine who saw your ad, the copy, and mediums that are most effective, and who became seated students after interacting with your ads.

Unpaid content creation and enhancement

When you are thinking about ways to do more with less, you may want to do some things within your department or internally at your school. Below are a few options for creating new or enhancing existing content — with the only cost being your time.

Blogs: Blogs are great tools to boost your website’s organic SEO and increase traffic based on key terms your students are searching for. Try enlisting an admissions director at your school, an eager faculty member, or even a student. Be sure they are trained on how to write optimized content and set them loose to post a cadence of blogs throughout the year.
Podcasts: Using any of the experts listed above and some basic recording software, you can create and publish podcasts on searchable topics that your prospects will engage with.
Website audit and optimization: While it is ideal to clean up your website before launching a digital campaign that drives prospects there, this is actually something your team can be doing year-round. You may also identify some ways to write keyword-rich content and optimize the user experience to make it easier to navigate.
Social media: If your school doesn’t have a set of institutional social accounts, it may be worth the time to set them up. They are free to activate and simple to create. The goal then is to develop a posting cadence and strategy for how you will communicate about your school. Be sure to coordinate with internal stakeholders who are already posting so you’re not duplicating efforts.

Need help?

If you need more tips on how to optimize your marketing spend, GPRS can help. Contact us today to start the conversation.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | June 30th, 2022

New and unique ways to market your program

As you are beginning to plan for your next recruiting year, it’s likely that you’ll be evaluating data surrounding the tactics that worked — and those that didn’t. While it may be tempting to put your marketing plan on autopilot and use past strategies to bring in leads, it may be worth it to try new and unique ways to market your program — especially these days!

Below is a roundup of a few unique ways higher ed institutions can market their programs. You might even notice a few of your competitors using these to stand out in the market. Don’t hesitate to take the first step to innovate and test new ideas — you may even see a big payoff!

Adding podcasts to your digital asset mix — and how to leverage them

You don’t have the be intimidated by podcasts. In fact, creating them and leveraging them may be easier than you think. Giving your students multiple ways to connect with your brand can benefit your school. Podcasts can be crucial to your media mix because they are personal and emotional, easy and inexpensive to produce, evergreen, accessible and convenient, and unique and engaging. Once you’re ready to brave the waters and try something new with a podcast, here’s how to get started.

Embracing the digital video advertising trend for your school

Although video advertising can work for any company in any industry, it’s becoming imperative in the higher ed world because of the personal scale connection required for large buying decisions like a degree. Video ads are shorter and more succinct than the traditional 3-5 minute video you have on your website or YouTube channel about your program, the benefits of your school, or a testimonial from a professor or student. If your school is considering embracing the video ad trend, here are a few secrets to help you succeed.

Leveraging alumni stories to boost your digital strategy

Every graduate program claims to have rigorous academics, highly regarded faculty, and fantastic employment or advancement opportunities. How do you prove that your institution is worth the investment and that students can anticipate the success they’re seeking? This is where alumni stories come in. Your school’s brand identity is shaped by how you tell your story. Profiling alumni can be one of the most powerful forms of storytelling. Learn how you can use these stories and their content to boost your digital strategy.

Are the latest social platforms a fit for your school?

When you are using social media to complement your marketing and communications plan, a high viewership is almost always guaranteed. However, with any marketing tactic, the key is to make sure that your content is reaching the target demographic with the right message at the right time. You may have heard your peers in higher ed or your digital agency talking about advertising on Spotify, Pandora, Reddit, Pinterest or even TikTok. But how do you know which platforms are right for your school, and whether or not they will help you achieve your recruiting and enrollment goals? Read on for some tips about selecting the best social media for your goals.

Need help?

If you’re interested in learning more about how these and other tactics and strategies can fit into your school’s marketing and recruiting strategy, GPRS can help. Contact us today to start the conversation.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Techteam | June 21st, 2022

Discover How TCU Leveraged Persona Development for Success

Challenge

Despite rising global and national rankings, high alumni engagement, and a strong faculty presence, TCU Neeley faced a dip in enrollment due to fierce competition and resource limitations. A cost-effective solution was needed to sustain its personalized recruiting approach.

Solution

GPRS conducted a comprehensive audit, including interviews with alumni and students, to develop five distinct personas representing the ideal EMBA candidates through our Persona Development services. This allowed TCU to implement a segmented remarketing strategy and targeted email campaigns. Additionally, these personas were integrated into the curriculum to ensure the program met each student’s expected ROI, with specialized executive coaches and tailored learning tracks.

Results

With GPRS’ Persona Development services, as well as lead generation solution, the TCU Neeley Executive MBA Program increased the number of leads by 300% after just three months. In the second year, the program surpassed its diversity goals by enrolling a cohort with 31% female students and 50% from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, the EMBA program ascended to #13 in The Economist global rankings and was rated #5 in program quality.

increase in leads generated

of the Class of 2022 was ethnically diverse

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Techteam | June 20th, 2022

The Harbert College of Business at Auburn University scratched its way to steady enrollment during the pandemic

Challenge

Like many graduate business programs. the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University was faced with the daunting task of maintaining enrollment during the pandemic. To make the task even more challenging, Auburn had 3 graduate business programs — Real Estate Development, Executive MBA, and Physicians Executive MBA — that needed to sustain enrollment.

Solution

We have enjoyed a strong and long-standing partnership with the Harbert College of Business. Our history together positioned us well to tackle the challenge presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. We leveraged the following advantages:

We leveraged data collected over the first 5 years of our partnership to determine how we could adapt our marketing strategy in response to the changing marketplace
We understood the program and student needs well and thus empowered us to market the program as if we are part of the team
We helped Auburn improve the recruitment experience for prospective students and staff

Results

With these advantages and our experience in lead generation, we increased the number of leads for the three programs by 8%. These leads resulted in enrolled students that yielded $5.3M in revenue for the Harbert College of Business.

To maintain these outstanding results, Auburn has decided to use our curated library of Nurture Campaigns to engage leads generated by our digital marketing campaigns. The objective is to maintain contact with prospective students throughout the application process. In doing so, the prospective students are more informed and encouraged to continue the application process. Furthermore, the admissions team increases their reach and connections with prospective students without investing more time and resources.

Number of years in partnership

$0.0M

Tuition revenue generated from GPRS leads

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Techteam | June 19th, 2022

The Zicklin School of Business Restores its Confidence in the Path Forward

Challenge

The Baruch College Zicklin School of Business needed to address shrinking enrollment for its Executive Programs, partially due to the market starting to view such programs as a “luxury”, and also based on the hyper-competitive New York City market.

The truth for Zicklin: Enrollment levels were insufficient for profitability, putting the sustainability of some of their programs at risk.

“We needed a firm to help us navigate that reality and work in tandem with us to make sure we were doing the best we could,” said Tricillia Jacob, Sr. Director of Administration & Operations of Executive Programs at Baruch Zicklin.

Solution

GPRS partnered with Zicklin, performing an in-depth Enrollment Growth Assessment designed to “diagnose” the cause of a school’s specific challenges.

The assessment began with an extensive questionnaire, and later included in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and a number of working sessions to prioritize goals and ideal outcomes.

“With the diagnostic, GPRS outlined recommended next steps – each action item regarding marketing and recruiting made sense to us,” said Gwen Webb, Associate Dean of Executive Programs at Baruch Zicklin.

Baruch needed to better track initial inquiries through to application, get a solid understanding of sources for leads, and track leads through the process.

In addition to long-term recommendations, the comprehensive report “identified some key areas that we could tackle right away,” said Jacob.

The assessment identified stalled leads as a key area to address immediately. GPRS stepped in with an immediate and impactful solution.

GPRS used the knowledge gathered from the assessment to implement its Call Center solutions to help Zicklin connect with interested prospects who were “stuck” in the funnel. The call center augmented Zicklin’s staff and gave prospects the personal touch needed to convert an inquiry into an enrolled student.

Results

In just a four-week period, the GPRS call center initiative re-engaged stalled prospects and set 162 appointments for Zicklin’s admissions teams.

GPRS’s assessment and calling solution not only increased short-term enrollment but also positioned Baruch on a path toward sustained growth and profitability, forging a lasting partnership.

“I want to keep GPRS to myself so they make me look better!” said Jacob. “I’m looking forward to working with them long-term.”

Weeks in the Campaign

Appointments Set for the Admissions Team

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | June 16th, 2022

Making the case for specializations to prospective students

Specializations can make your program more attractive to prospective students, especially if they are positioned and explained well. The key is to not only focus on the features of your specializations but also the benefits for the students. In other words — your marketing needs to spell out the “why” for them because adding a specialization takes extra time and focus. Beyond a generalized MBA that will certainly give them a leg up on the competition and a springboard to career advancement, what can a specialization add to their toolkit?

Here we have a few ideas on positioning specializations to prospects to convey the value.

Focus on their career path

The value of an MBA is clear – students will emerge stronger business leaders with a broader business perspective and able to tackle complex issues. Where a specialization becomes valuable depends on the student’s intended career path. If a student has a defined focus in a certain industry (like tech), a specific functional area (like marketing), or has the desire to pursue a unique path (like international business), a specialization can enhance their marketability. It’s important to frame your specializations to match up with your prospects’ career desires. For those that are extremely driven and focused, specialization can be a huge selling point as it will allow them to dive deeper into their intended area of interest and position themselves amongst their peers.

Focus on what employers want

A commitment to a certain skillset or industry may be seen as invaluable to employers and may make job candidates even more desirable. In today’s economy, anything candidates can do to upskill shows ambition and commitment to go the extra mile. When you are marketing specializations to prospects, make sure you focus on why future employers will find their specialized skillsets valuable:

In some industries and roles, specialists are seen as more desirable than generalists
Employees with specializations are often seen as loyal and dedicated to their craft
A specialization may increase your propensity for being an innovative leader, especially if the professors who teach the courses are leaders in their fields
Some jobs require extra certifications for candidacy

Focus on the value of added certifications

If your specialization offers an additional certification, be sure to tie in the value prospects will gain with the additional credential. For example, some specializations offer training for and/or the ability to earn an additional certification in a selected career path:

Finance: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
Accounting: Certified Public Accountant (CPA); Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
Technology: Statistical Analysis System Certified (SAS)
Human Resources: Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI)
Marketing or Operations: Project Management Professional (PMP)

Additionally, if your healthcare specialization is taught by a policy leader or a top-ranked physician, or it includes in-person immersions, highlight those. If your HR specialization includes a certification from an organization that would otherwise cost an additional fee, be sure to include that in your messaging. If your strategy specialization includes working with a real client company to solve a business challenge, find ways to tell that story.

Many of these certifications are nationally and internationally recognized so adding them to a resume proves candidates have received in-depth training from top instructors in a certain field. In fact, some employers require specific certifications for certain roles — and having them can even boost salary.

Need help?

If you need help crafting a campaign around MBA specializations, GPRS can help. With over 20 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 Anthony Campisi | May 31st, 2022

Reflecting on your prospects’ decision criteria

The process your team uses to make decisions about marketing and recruiting involves some of the same steps your prospects use when considering a program. Thorough decision-making includes establishing goals and priorities, obtaining the information, and determining a return on your investment. Here we’ll examine decision criteria from your prospects’ perspective.

Goals and priorities

It’s important to reflect on your prospects’ objectives so you can determine what program attributes to prioritize in your messaging. One way of categorizing your messaging involves starting with the end goal in mind.

Goal: Quick career progression
Attributes: Expedited admission and enrollment decisions, speed to degree completion and immediate start dates

Goal: Expanding knowledge base
Attributes: Well-rounded curriculum, electives and specializations

Goal: Movement into leadership
Attributes: Leadership development program and faculty mentorship

Goal: Developing a network
Attributes: Diverse class profiles and distinguished alumni

Goal: Maintaining career momentum without disruption
Attributes: Program flexibility, course delivery options, waiving courses, and fewer credit hours

Return on investment

While many programs and schools focus on the value of the degree, it’s important to consider that cost does matter. Taking on a student loan or financing, regardless of what career stage your prospects are in can present a barrier. It’s important that your messaging not only focus on the ROI they will receive from the program — i.e. how soon they will recoup the cost through promotions and salary increases — but also on how you can help them shoulder the cost burden. Be sure to clearly state your tuition while outlining all of the financing and scholarship opportunities. Some schools also choose to provide guidance on obtaining employer sponsorship and how to convince your boss to invest in your education and future at the company.

Obtaining the information

Have you ever tried to make a decision with limited information? In business, this is often defined as “dealing with ambiguity.” While this is a skill your students will learn in the program, it’s not something you want them to encounter when selecting your program. As marketers and recruiters, it’s your job to deliver the whole picture so prospects can easily make decisions. You can do this with clear messaging on your website, detailed materials that outline and address their decision-making criteria, and open conversations with the recruiting team.

As you consider how to translate your prospects’ decision criteria into informative and helpful marketing communications, GPRS can help. With years of experience working in the higher education industry, we are skilled at customizing messages for your unique audience to increase enrollment. Contact us today to start the conversation.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Techteam | May 29th, 2022

Salus University Delivers Healthy Enrollment Results

Challenge

Salus University is a private university in the Philadelphia metropolitan area that specializes in degree programs for health care professions. Salus was seeking solutions to attract professionals interested in pursuing careers in health care and needed the training provided their degree programs. They are also seeking candidates that wanted to attend a small institution that focuses solely on health care.

Solution

Salus engaged us to develop and implement an enrollment marketing strategy. We started by performing an Enrollment Growth Assessment to determine how to improve Salus’ marketing and recruiting processes. Thereafter, we identified 4 personas of prospective candidates that would be a fit for Salus’ programs. Each persona differed by the key driver of their interest in pursuing a career in health care. Creating campaigns and marketing messages focused on these drivers of interest were integral to the success of our campaigns.

As a result of the Enrollment Growth Assessment and Persona Development work, we changed the program positioning and modified the advertising to focus on the key drivers of interest among aspiring health care professionals.

Results

This approach had an immediate impact and delivered 871 qualified leads in the first five months of running the new campaigns. From a financial perspective, Salus realized a cost per click of 90 cents and a cost per lead of $163.47 — well below the higher education industry benchmark of $200.

Qualified leads in 5 months

$0.0%

Cost per Lead

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | May 17th, 2022

Do you really know why students pick your program? Ask them.

Your school’s marketing materials are made up of a carefully curated and balanced mix of messages that highlight your brand promise and program attributes. When your recruiting and marketing teams work together, they can create powerful messaging that connects with prospects on their journey and helps them make the decision to enroll in your program.

Once you’ve seated your class, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that your admissions process worked its magic. But before quickly moving on to recruiting for the next class, you may want to take one additional step with your brand new class. Ask why students pick your program.

Here’s why.

You might learn something new

Over the past couple of years, the higher ed industry has shifted dramatically. What prospects are seeking in a program has changed, along with their career aspirations and work and family situations. What used to be considered strengths of your program may not be anymore, and innovations you made to quickly adapt may now be the norm. It’s important to find out if your messages are still resonating with your prospect pool and if the perception of your school has changed. Start by going directly to the source — your current students!

You can use their insights in future marketing materials

When you are marketing your program, one of the most impactful strategies you can employ is helping prospects see themselves at your school. You can do this by presenting real stories of real students who chose your program. When prospects see their culture, background, aspirations, and even challenges represented in your materials, they are much more likely to feel included.

Regardless of how you collect the information — survey, email, informal interview, podcast, video, etc. — be sure to integrate as many real quotes from students in their own words for authenticity. You can use these insights on your website, in print materials, on social media, in videos, and in blogs to show diversity, inclusion, and a variety of stories.

You can build connections

The next time you’re talking with an undecided prospect, wouldn’t it be great to be able to connect them with a current student that faced the same struggles? The more you learn about your current students’ unique backgrounds and what factors went into making their decision to attend your program, the better you can match them up with prospects who need an extra boost of confidence. For example:

Is one of your prospects switching careers and wondering how your program can help in the transition? Connect them to a student that had those same questions and is currently making a shift.

Is another prospect a new mom who is wondering if this is the right time to start the program? Connect her to other parents who are navigating similar challenges.

Gleaning insights from your current students can help you shape (and reshape) your brand narrative, improve your marketing and recruiting strategy, and connect prospects to your program in an authentic way.

As you consider how to collect and utilize this invaluable information, 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.