Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | May 13th, 2020

Maximizing resources in the new normal

As you are settling into the “new normal” that many graduate schools are facing, you are most likely still dealing with the shockwaves that COVID-19 and its impact have created for your institution, the economy and even the mental state of your team, your current students and your prospects.

While you are navigating possible budget cuts, rethinking your enrollment plans and completely altering the objectives you had just a few short months ago, it may seem like there is no end in sight to managing inevitable change within your programs. It’s important to remember the resources you had before the pandemic may still be salvageable. You can leverage them during this time to prepare for what lies ahead. Even if it means your priorities and strategies need to shift.

Here are some tips for making the most of your current resources to weather the storm.

Marketing

Although your marketing spend might be in danger of budget cuts, it’s actually your most valued asset at the moment. Think of your ads, your website and your emails as the frontline communicators to your current and prospective students. As you are assessing current marketing resources and communication plans already put in place, consider:

Reallocating budget planned for events (and the travel most likely associated with them) to a new advertising strategy. Emphasize how you are pivoting your programs and admissions process.
Adapting your tone in all communications to appeal to your target’s mindset; they may be worried, so focus on the positive aspects of education that can help them look toward the future with hope. This also includes being mindful of the imagery you use and potentially incorporating the concept of social distancing.
Testing different channels, with an eye toward social media, as usage is trending upward with everyone at home.

Enrollment & Yield

By now, many graduate schools are coming to terms with the fact that the yield and enrollment goals they set before the pandemic may not be realistic for the fall or even the following year. Whatever your new goals are, here are a few things to keep in mind for utilizing your existing resources to meet them:

Tasking your recruiting team with finding unique ways to connect with prospects at all levels of the funnel – especially the often overlooked top of the funnel.
Maintaining strong relationships with applicants through personal communications that show your commitment to them.
Using your current recruiting event strategy, but pivoting it online to host webinars, chats and even happy hours (where applicable).

Although change can be stressful, leverage your team’s expertise and resources to help you move forward with confidence.

Are you searching for expert guidance on ways to manage the change in your marketing, recruiting and online program management? Do not hesitate to reach out to GPRS. We are here to help.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | April 23rd, 2020

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

You don’t have to be intimidated by podcasts. In fact, creating them and leveraging them may be easier than you think. Read on for some tips on developing this unique and sustainable form of content to add to your school’s marketing strategy.

It may seem that everyone (including your competition) is jumping on the podcast bandwagon. And to some degree, that is true. 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
Unique and engaging

So, you’ve decided that you’d like to brave the waters and try something new with a podcast. But where do you start, what tools will you need and how can you add it appropriately to your school’s digital library?

The tools you need

To create a podcast, here is what you’ll need to get started:

A good microphone kit: Try one that is portable with easy set-up and dependable audio quality so you can record in a noisy setting like a classroom, on the phone with an alum or in a quiet office with an admissions director.
A program for editing audio content: There are several free versions available or you can purchase one for podcasters of all levels online. This type of software will allow you to edit your voice and clean/organize content the way you want it.
A way to post it online: Your school may already have a cloud-based hosting site, but if not, you can usually set up a basic account to post and archive content.

Content ideas

Higher education is ripe with ideas for podcast content. Since pursuing a degree is such a personal decision, your prospects will appreciate your efforts. Give them information they can use to evaluate whether your program is right for them. Here are some ideas:

Interviews with current students on immersions, clubs, projects, coursework, internships and plans after graduation.
Discussions with alumni on ROI, meaningful moments from the program, how their network has helped them in their career path and leadership lessons.
Q+A sessions with faculty giving a deep dive into topics from a specific course, i.e. finance, marketing, leadership, international business, etc.
A counseling session with recruiting staff that debunks admissions myths, gives advice on the application process or offers insight on choosing the right program for you.
A catch-up conversation with your dean.

How to leverage podcasts in your school’s marketing

Once you’ve created your podcasts, it’s important to post them on your website in a central repository. Whether it’s your newsroom or a dedicated podcast page, having them in one spot will help with search value. You can also weave them into different pages throughout your site — especially the admissions sections — to create more engagement.

Here are some additional ways you can use podcasts:

Share on social media with a teaser and link to the podcast.
Summarize the podcast content in a blog and the link to it for reference (this helps with SEO).
Send them out in admissions emails as they are relevant to the topic.
Post them on your YouTube channel with an accompanying slideshow.

As you are searching for ways to strengthen your higher ed digital advertising and marketing content, podcasts can improve your searchability, reach and access to prospective students. Find more ways to leverage this content by contacting GPRS. We can help you weave this content into your existing marketing strategy and grow your prospects with meaningful content that tells your school’s story.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | April 8th, 2020

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. But how do you prove that your institution is worth the investment and that students can anticipate the success they’re seeking? This is where the stories of the students who have benefited from your program and have gone on to do great things can help your digital strategy. Prospects want to see real people that they can relate to and stats that predict desirable future outcomes.

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.

How alumni stories shape your brand

When alumni have shaped the world around them, you want people to know about it. Successful alumni profiles can:

Give credibility to your program
Showcase the broad and impressive network prospects can connect with
Allow prospects to see themselves as part of your program
Give current students and alumni a sense of pride
Continue alumni engagement, especially if you use a reward system when you feature their accomplishments
Add authenticity and a unique perspective that prospects trust
Highlight academic excellence with awards and achievements

There are many ways you can use this content to boost your digital strategy. In creating personal content, you can showcase diversity, highlight different programs, and give your marketing a unique look and feel. Take it a step further and make content interactive using podcasts, video or an audio interview tied with a slideshow.

Try these tips for a varied format that will appeal to different demographics:

Switch up the format, i.e. use an interview Q+A style, record a video, create a podcast with a member of your recruiting team interacting with a former student.
Use photos, but keep them within a consistent brand look and feel
Use the alumni as brand ambassadors who agree to interact with students

Find ways to weave alumni stories into your marketing mix

To strengthen your digital presence, you can write about alumni in a blog. Optimize the blog with key search terms and phrases that would usually be hard to work into web content. Since blogs are more conversational, you may find that optimized phrases and questions like “Why is an MBA right for me?” or “My Executive MBA return on investment,” are easier to weave in. Be sure to include accomplishments and awards in social media as messages of congratulations which can not only increase engagement, but also give prospects something to aspire to. And as you’re developing content for your website, digital (and printed brochures) and email marketing, find ways to drive click-throughs with compelling tidbits from success stories.

Choose your alumni wisely

Using alumni at large, recognizable corporations with notable titles are great. People who have won awards, contributed to significant industry innovations or are in the news are always great choices. However, you do not have to have superstar or famous alumni to make an impact in your messaging. And in fact, having the right mix of alumni stories is important so that you don’t intimidate some of your prospects. Try profiling those who have inspiring stories, have switched careers, have made significant gains in leadership skills or who have contributed to their communities and the school.

One caveat

Be sure to monitor the alumni you are using to represent your brand. Try to avoid the political landscape and negative news coverage. Keep them on your radar for when they switch jobs, and be aware of any abrupt exits from companies that could signal issues. Remember the goal is to highlight a desirable path and showcase alumni that are in alignment with your values as an institution.

As you are looking for ways to develop and utilize alumni stories to strengthen your school’s higher education brand, communication and digital advertising, GPRS can help.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | March 26th, 2020

The importance of future work even in a time of unprecedented change

Thinking to the future can be overwhelming at the moment, especially when everything is a big question mark. Although you can’t predict what’s coming next for our country during the COVID-19 health crisis, it’s important to continue work on your recruiting and enrollment plans so you will be positioned for success when everything normalizes. Here are some ways to keep an eye on recruiting and enrollment even though your plans are currently being altered.

Recruiting and enrollment events

Although we are just at the beginning of what the CDC calls “social distancing,” and small gatherings have been restricted, there will come a time where people can come back out of quarantine for in-person events. In the meantime, here are a few ideas to consider for hosting events to fill your upcoming class:

Plan a couple of months out and determine whether it’s feasible for you to host in-person events in the summer.
Consider hosting online recruiting events using zoom, skype or another online forum.
Have an admissions member record a video or podcast from a home office.
Host a Q&A conference call.

Students want to hear from you on how you will handle admissions and the start of the next academic year. Although you may not have all the answers, be prepared to address their questions. You need to validate their concerns and instill confidence that you’ll work with them every step of the way.

Be sure to track how these new event types perform and lessons learned on hosting them. Some may be sustainable for the upcoming recruiting year.

Marketing strategy and digital advertising

During these unprecedented times, it’s important to remember planning still needs to be done for the coming year. You still need to fill your class and don’t want to lose the momentum you’ve gained with your marketing strategy. Here are a few tips marketers can follow to plan ahead:

Track your paid search and paid social data in terms of cost-per-click and impressions in Google Analytics. Information consumption habits are changing right now, and it may just be a temporary change, but your media strategy and messaging strategy should reflect the current environment.
Test and re-test. Now is the right time to try new things and measure the impact. Tough times provide new ways to connect with people.
Seek to build trust with current students and prospects through proactive communication and consider the long-term relationship at all costs.

Consider pulling out all the stops to give much needed relief to those who need it.

Email marketing and social media

Email and social continue to be key ways of getting in touch with your prospects so you’ll want to be sure you’re sending relevant, up to date information. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to review all of your automated emails and planned social posts and re-visit your immediate communications plan. Don’t go radio silent by any means, but do be thoughtful about what you send, and what your audience needs to hear from you right now.

Looking ahead to the next recruiting year, you may be able to find time to audit your email communications plan and brainstorm new ways of delivering social content. Have you always wanted to learn how to create simple animations for social or have you been interested in learning how to leverage a new tracking feature in your CRM? Now’s the time to learn so when you scale your communications up again, you can apply new skills and abilities.

Extending deadlines, waiving tests and being flexible

Now is the time for ultimate flexibility. As you are making exceptions to ease the burden on your prospects, think about what you’re willing to sacrifice now and long-term.

Deadlines – Extending deadlines to give your prospects assistance is a necessity in the current uncertain times. But also think about how you’ll structure your deadlines for the following year and the impact of these temporary changes.
Waiving tests – If your program requires an admissions test for entry, consider admitting students now and letting them take the test later. This will allow you to be flexible but not sacrifice your standard.

Although these changes can be stressful, the best thing you can do is look forward and calm the nerves of your prospects as best as you can by having clear, consistent and accurate messaging.

If you’re searching for other ways to manage the change within your marketing and recruiting organization, reach out to GPRS. We are here to help.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | March 17th, 2020

Lessons learned during a time of forced change

In the wake of the recent global pandemic COVID-19, or coronavirus, colleges and universities everywhere are being forced into change. It’s uncomfortable, unprecedented and seemingly without end as things are developing rapidly. Although no one can predict how the next few weeks or months will unfold and it’s uncertain how this will impact the higher ed industry specifically, here are a few lessons we’ve learned from working with graduate programs during this evolving time.

Keep calm, and carry on – it’s the new mantra

This is more than a phrase that you see on t-shirts and screensavers. It’s a mantra that many across the higher ed industry are adopting right now. With the advent of fully remote teams, classes going online and campuses closing across the globe, it can be easy to slip into the mindset of worry about closing out the semester, recruiting for the next class and losing valuable momentum with your marketing efforts. So how do you ensure you’re prepared for this rapidly changing environment? Take things one day at a time. Although your team may be held accountable for a lot, remember that everyone else is in the same boat.

You are more nimble than you previously thought

If there is anything that can force you into change, it’s an international pandemic that threatens the health of your team, your neighbors and your country. As the CDC is urging people to create social distance because of the coronavirus, many teams have gone fully remote and students have been ushered off campus in an attempt to “flatten the curve” of new cases.

Universities were some of the first organizations to go remote for many reasons. Although social responsibility tops the list, many schools were confident in their ability to go remote because of the technology they already have in place. Students can take advantage of online learning, tools and remote classrooms. And although staff is traditionally in the office to assist students and keep things running smoothly, it may be surprising how efficient people are at working from home, responding to issues and coming up with contingency plans. You may have realized that you’re more nimble than you thought when forced into change and it’s impressive. And for schools who didn’t have as many online resources in place, it’s a great time to learn from your peer schools to prepare for the future of online learning.

Online classes that you’ve pushed for are happening

For the marketers, admissions staff or program managers who have been pushing for online course offerings to position your school more competitively in the market, the day is finally here. Whether you’ve planned for this for two years, or you’re planning for it right now out of necessity, realize great change can often come out of great adversity. Professors and instructors across the globe are being jolted into action by placing their content online, finding ways to connect remotely using technology and thinking differently about course delivery. Although there may be glitches and everyone is figuring it out together, you’ll look back soon and realize that you made great strides that you can continue into the future.

Your students (and prospective students) want to know your plan

At the moment, your personal inbox is being flooded with emails from various companies, letting you know what their plans are for slowing the spread of the coronavirus and ways they’ll modify their business to keep you safe. These emails may be somewhat comforting to you. Your current students and prospects need to hear from you as well. They want to know how they will continue coursework, graduate on time and meet with their teams. Prospects want to know if you’re still planning on starting a new year, how this downtime will affect their application, if preview days will be rescheduled and how to take admissions tests when they’re being cancelled. The most important thing you can do right now during the coronavirus pandemic, even if you don’t have all the answers, is to instill confidence and set expectations.

Let students know you are working on a plan and will follow up with them soon.
Establish one or two key communicators and consolidate emails and messages.
Send updates as you have them with clear direction and action for them to take.
Pause existing automated email communication flows so you’re not sending inconsistent messaging.

If you are searching for other ways to manage the change within your marketing, recruiting or online program management, do not hesitate to reach out to GPRS. We are here to help.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | March 11th, 2020

Create a cohesive experience for your prospects – align your online and offline messages

In education, you are not just selling a degree – you’re offering an experience, a network, a path to advancement and a sense of accomplishment. So, when connecting with prospective students, it’s key your online and offline messages are consistent.

If you’re like many schools, your marketing (both digital and traditional) is the first experience your prospective students have with you, giving them a reason to do more research. If they like what they see, they may engage with admissions, attend an event and visit campus.

Some may see it as a page right out of Branding 101, but making sure that all of these touch points align can make a huge difference in how you are perceived by your prospective students and can either encourage or discourage a future enrollment.

Make your online experience match up to other forms of advertising

By using your website as the primary means of communication, you are ensuring information about your school is always accessible (24/7 and in any location). But it can be tempting to neglect other forms of traditional advertising if you focus all of your efforts on optimizing your digital assets.

Any media you use (radio, newspaper), out-of-home advertising you develop, direct mail you send or brochures you distribute need to consistently align with your online image and messaging. If you find this is too much of an investment, consider dropping one or more items. The truth is that your students are paying attention, and if they are using your marketing as intended, all roads lead to your website. And if the ads they see look completely different than your site, it could raise a red flag. While considering such a large investment, students want to be confident in what they’re buying. The bottom line is: inconsistent branding can send mixed messages.

Here are some tips to align your traditional and digital advertising for a cohesive message to your students:

Use your brand standards manual (or develop one if you don’t have one)
Update your website and materials at the same time for version control
Route all creative through an agency or internal design staff for consistency – don’t allow outside media companies to develop creative for you
Develop a strategy document with key messaging points to use for all marketing

Make your marketing match up to the in-person experience

If you marketing is doing its job, it is generating leads who are genuinely interested in what your school has to offer. But prospective students are not only looking for a degree, they’re looking for an experience. They may be wondering:

What will my peers look like?
How will I spend my weekends, nights or time online?
Who are my professors?
What kind of network will I have?
How will I be treated?
Will I fit in?

The best way to help your prospects overcome these obstacles and answer their questions is to address them in-person, and in a way that is consistent with the image you’ve portrayed online and in your marketing. Simply put: make sure what they see when they attend an info session, preview day or campus visit matches up to what you’re advertising. This also goes for phone calls with admissions staff.

Tips to maintain a cohesive brand both online and in-person:

If you promise a personal scale program, do your best to greet prospects by name.
If you market a robust network, use an impressive alumni panel at your events.
Use pictures of real students and alumni, actual classrooms and campus photography.
If you tout world-class faculty, arrange a meet and greet with your professors.

Making sure that your prospects see you consistently online, in-person and in advertising can create a solid image of your school during a time when they are making big decisions.

As you are looking for ways to streamline your messaging? GPRS can give you the insights you need to align your communication, digital advertising and in-person events through branding.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | February 21st, 2020

Writing keyword rich content that increases search results — and sounds great too

Constant updates to Google’s search algorithm are being made. But it doesn’t do you any good to obsess over them – just know that the goal is to improve the user experience, not stress you out. If your school is working with a skilled digital agency, you can rely on them to optimize your campaigns and content. If you are looking to DIY, the simplest way you can take advantage of all of what Google and other search platforms have to offer is to set your website up for success with keyword-rich content.

When keywords are done right, you can boost the quantity and quality of organic (non-paid) traffic to your site:

Your position on the first search page (top 5) will get 70% more clicks than the second page.
51% of traffic to most sites comes from organic search.

Why does keyword-rich content matter?

It sounds simple, but the more keywords you have on your site that correspond to what people are searching for, and that you’re relevant for, the more traffic you will receive. Although a cornerstone to any good digital strategy is paid search, there’s no way to know exactly how much your competitor schools are spending. The best way to boost your search volume organically is to update your site with the words that matter most.

How do I find out what the best keywords are?

When it comes down to it, you know your prospective students the best. Think like they think, interview current students, scour your competitors’ sites, do countless google searches and use related searches to brainstorm. Think like a student considering a degree:

Is an MBA worth it?
EMBA in California
Executive MBA ROI
Is an online degree right for me?
When is the best time for an MBA?
How much does an MBA cost?
Global EMBA program

Although you may have highly attractive program benefits you want people to know about, these may not always translate to popular search terms. This doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t want to include features like “Canadian immersion” or “Doing business in Asia” on your site – it just means that you will benefit more from the real questions students are asking. Keep in mind that although you’ll want plenty of broad words like your degree name, it is unlikely that you will rank for them so finding your niche and including 3 word phrases will help.

Tips on finding relevant keywords:

You can use tools like SEMRush and Google Keyword Planner to find out what people are searching for.
You can hire an agency to do an audit and make recommendations for you.
Know that keywords are not always just words – they can be phrases or questions too.

How do I write keyword-rich content?

As a general rule of thumb, Google looks for keywords in your opening and closing paragraphs and no more than 5 times per page. This goes for blogs as well. But weaving them in can be difficult – be careful not to just write sentences that stack word after word. Here are some tips:

Start with your homepage – this is the most visited site on your page and you want the most important keywords to appear here. This is a great place to include phrases and questions.
Write your content first, thinking more about your message and prospective student’s mindset than keywords.
Once you’re happy with your message, go back in and identify places where you can insert keywords that make sense and don’t distract.

As you are looking for ways to increase traffic to your site using SEO, take a look at your keyword strategy. GPRS can give you access to successful methods and copywriting tips to make your site stand out to search engines.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | February 7th, 2020

Ramp up for recruiting season. Try new event types, go local and keep the lines of communication open.

A room full of prospects at your upcoming admissions events is your objective. Start with an event strategy that will register with your future students and help you stand out from the competition during recruiting season.

As you finalize your plans and budget for the upcoming recruiting season, here are some tips to customize your communications and maximize your event attendance with the right leads.

Make your event unique – and market it that way

Yes, your prospects, regardless of their age or career stage, want to know the benefits of earning an advanced degree. But more importantly, they are looking to experience your school. That includes everything from professor interaction to meals during class days and what your building looks like. Giving your prospects a glimpse of “a day in the life” can go a long way in helping them make their decision. It also ensures they are a good fit for the program.

When you’re planning your events, try thinking outside the classroom. Plan a short walk around the building or grounds, cater snacks or lunch from a local restaurant or include a faculty meet and greet. If your program is online, try showing a video of a virtual class or including a student panel. Although you may be tempted to spend your limited valuable time promoting your degree (which is also important), try adding a unique element that will entice your prospects. Give them a feel for your school’s culture and help you stand out from the competition.

Try feeder events

Your prospects are busy. Whether they’re completing undergrad, shifting careers or climbing the corporate ladder, their time is limited. And as they’re deciding their next steps, they may not have the availability to attend lengthy events at multiple schools. Giving your prospects options for how they experience your school can make a huge difference. You want them to attend a ½ day admissions event or weekend workshop – but often that’s not the first entry point.

If you give your prospective students the opportunity to preview your school by attending a webinar, an informal lunch or a cocktail hour, you are more likely to push them further down the funnel. Talk to them about their career goals, determine what their ambitions are and then invite them to take the next step.

Go local

Based on your geography, and brand strength, your school may draw students from up to 300 miles away. Show them that attending your school is attainable by connecting with them in their area. Host informational lunches or dinners in different cities where you believe your prospects live. Use geotargeted digital advertising to drive event registrations. Follow up with prospects via email and texts based on filters in your CRM. Do what you can to show up and meet them on their turf.

Encourage attendance after registration

Event registrations do not guarantee attendance. In fact, it’s possible that 20-50% of your attendees may not show up. To stay connected with them, show them you care. Call or text them to encourage them to come. Email them using personal subject lines and even use your personal email to touch base. If you don’t have the resources to follow up with everyone individually, use an outbound call center or automated texting. And don’t forget the power of your CRM to send timely messages.

As you finalize plans for recruiting season, consider partnering with a firm with a proven track record in higher ed. GPRS can give you access to successful formulas, methods and media choices to build a solid campaign aimed at your target student. Using our proven Digital Blueprint, we can hone in on qualified candidates and deliver the right communication and messaging that will encourage them to take action.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | January 29th, 2020

Using CRM to support nurture and re-engagement strategies

The beauty of most CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platforms is that they give your school the ability to automatically connect with your prospects, over a set period of time via email, with limited manual labor involved. Using these tools can help you nurture your leads so they feel cared for, and give them the information they need to take action. Here are some creative ways on how to use CRM data to keep engagement high and re-energize prospects that may have fallen off the radar.

Nurturing leads

In a recent blog, we talked about managing your relationships with prospective students using different email communications tracks, content and frequency. When you have a communications roadmap, you can set your CRM to send filtered emails to certain prospects based on their demographics and stage of application. This takes the manual work out of sending emails and saves you time. Once you’ve completed the upfront work, it’s important to not just “set it and forget it.” The true value of using a CRM to nurture leads really comes in the next critical step after the emails are sent. Tracking, measuring and analyzing your data is key so you can act on your findings for better results.

A CRM gives you all of the data you need to make decisions on how to nurture your leads:

Engagement level – How often are prospects opening your emails? If you see a drop with 2X a week, but a surge with 1X a month, you can adjust your frequency to find a happy medium.
Best (and worst) performing subject lines – Which lines or themes are the most popular? If subject lines with questions and calls to action have high open rates, consider using these more often.
Clicks within the email – What are the most popular links and CTAs? If you notice videos and buttons with CTAs have higher click rates, be sure to use these consistently and creatively.
Filters – What filters are working the best? Based on certain segments that respond the best, try to adjust your strategy to maximize the engaged prospects.

Re-engaging leads

Even with the most sophisticated marketing strategy, it is possible for some leads to go radio silent. In a recent blog, we talked about how to re-energize stagnant leads by customizing content, auditing your communications mix and varying your calls to action. The key with stagnant leads is that you can only re-engage them if you know why they stopped interacting in the first place. And a CRM gives you all of the data you need to find out why your leads stopped engaging so you can develop a plan to get them back on board:

If certain groups aren’t opening emails about application deadlines, they may need more information before they’re ready to take the next step. Try addressing their barriers.
If your leads are opening your emails but not clicking, try varying your calls to action and including different ways for them to interact like viewing a video, or linking up with you on social.
With inactive leads that haven’t interacted in six months to a year, you can create a re-engagement campaign using an enticing offer to spur action. Some examples include access to a value-added webinar or exclusive event, or even a personal invitation.

If you need more ideas on how to use your CRM, nurture your business schools leads through your system or re-engage leads that have stopped interacting, contact GPRS today. We can help you choose a CRM, help you learn how you use your existing data and set up a plan for capturing actionable information that you can use to turn your leads into seated students.

Insights from the Higher Ed Experts

BY Anthony Campisi | January 23rd, 2020

Get 2020 vision for your January planning sessions

As you enter into your inevitable January planning sessions determined to find ways to innovate and prepare for the upcoming recruiting push, consider these top marketing trends and opportunities for your school.

Video

As you scroll through your feed, you may notice more and more videos. Whether they are animated, organic videos shot with a GoPro or professionally done snippets, video is now king in social media marketing. And many websites are even using video as a way to replace longer content narratives. Video is becoming imperative in higher ed because of the personal scale connection required for large buying decisions like a degree.

The opportunity: Find ways to integrate video into your marketing strategy, vary your content and don’t sacrifice production quality.

Influencer Marketing

In the past, you may have thought of an influencer as a celebrity or a high-profile executive. But on Facebook and Instagram, anyone can be an influencer. And social feeds are cluttered with people telling you what to buy, do and even think. Sometimes it can be hard to determine if what you are seeing is an ad, an endorsement or simply someone giving a recommendation for a product they like. Influencer marketing can be extremely lucrative, but also risky because of the personal implications. It is less controlled because it is tied to someone’s personal opinions. On the other hand, if an influencer has sway with your target, it could be a solid strategy. Just be sure to select well.

The opportunity: Think of influencers in a non-traditional way. Could an alum or professor be an influencer?

Blogs

The evolution of the blog in recent years has rendered it one of the single most important ways to boost your organic website viewership. When written well, with abundant and well-placed keywords and search terms, blogs can create well-qualified traffic to your website. Their value also extends into thought leadership and general education. Adding a blog or re-imagining your current blog can pay dividends.

The opportunity: Research trends in education each month and write about them using the top keywords. Recency is key so be sure to capitalize on what’s trending while also relating it to your school and website content.

SEO

Writing keyword-rich content is no longer an option. SEO can give your website higher rankings on search engines that can translate directly into more traffic. If you are unsure about how to get started, a qualified firm can help you conduct an audit of your current site and give you recommendations for improvement.

The opportunity: Research keywords to find out what is trending in competitive searches. Incorporate those words into your website content and increase your organic traffic.

If you’re looking for ways to innovate in your upcoming strategy sessions, GPRS can help you keep up on the digital marketing trends and customize your communication for your prospects.