Category: hemj

  • College Recruitment Strategies and Ideas to Boost Enrollment

    College Recruitment Strategies and Ideas to Boost Enrollment

    Student Recruitment Ideas for Better Enrollment Marketing

    College recruitment strategies have undergone a seismic shift in recent years with the rise of an always-on digital audience and the growing accessibility of online programs. Fewer geographical constraints and heightened competition have fueled this realignment, prompting institutions to craft student recruitment strategies that are as dynamic as the students they aim to enroll. 

    In the modern, digital-first landscape of higher education, recruitment season is no longer confined to the traditional August to December window. Students are applying and enrolling year-round, and your institution must constantly assess which strategies are driving results and which are falling flat. 

    By embracing smarter, data-driven marketing tactics, you can stand out in the crowded landscape of online education, uniting students under the shared mission of your institution. 

    The Importance of Student Recruitment Strategies 

    You’ve been working in higher education for over a decade, but recently, student recruitment seems harder. You’re not alone. Prospective students are going in less traditional directions and finding cheaper, faster ways to become qualified for the workforce through modalities such as online certificates and boot camp programs. Inflation isn’t helping either. 

    But through a realignment of strategy to meet digital native consumers, you can meet students where they are and capitalize on projected enrollment growth. 

    Don’t get scared into sticking with outdated ways of reaching prospective students. Instead, rise to the challenge, get a better understanding of the landscape you’re working with, and refresh your enrollment marketing strategy. 

    3 Student Recruitment Strategies

    We won’t tell you that all traditional marketing strategies are outdated, but we do want to make it crystal clear that students are online. They’re surfing the web on their smartphones and discovering new universities and programs through (mostly mobile) online journeys. If your enrollment strategy isn’t rooted in this reality, you’re at risk of losing more than half of your potential students. 

    1. Meet Them Where They’re At (On Their Phones!)

    With 91% of the U.S. residents owning a smartphone, it’s no surprise prospective students are surfing the web from their mobile devices. In fact, a recent report by Oberlo tells us that over 60% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices. 

    Most of the time, however, our web developers, brand managers, and marketing professionals are viewing and building websites on their desktop computers. While working from a computer is convenient, it’s imperative that every single UX/UI change made to your university/program website is tested on both desktop and mobile. 

    Don’t lose out on prospects just because you didn’t consider both desktop and mobile website views in your design process. It may seem obvious, but plenty of colleges and universities aren’t considering this important strategic detail. 

    2. Consider Utilizing Paid Media

    Now that you’ve cleaned up your mobile site, you’re ready to start pushing students from other platforms to your program pages through a key college recruitment strategy: paid media. While paid media isn’t the cheapest option, it’s often one of the most effective. Google Ads, LinkedIn, and Facebook provide fairly straightforward ways to spend for clicks. 

    We recommend starting with PPC (pay per click) campaigns to attract prospective students to your site. These campaigns help the most with bringing in entirely new audience members whom you may not have been able to reach through organic efforts. The internet is vast, and it’s not always easy to track down potential candidates without some extra help. 

    After bringing in new prospects from platforms like Google and LinkedIn, your job is to create a journey where they’ll sign up for your newsletter or respond to a survey so you can effectively follow up and make their click worthwhile. It may seem pricey at first, but once the leads start coming in and you’re able to connect with them well after that first click, you’ll see the return on investment. 

    PPC campaigns can also help speed up the process if you’re finding yourself behind on your goals this quarter.

    3. Tap Into Popular Platforms and Their Users

    If paid media feels a bit too far out of reach, some high-growth organic options can help your student recruitment strategy. 

    Use Instagram to Engage With Students

    Most institutions now have a presence on LinkedIn and Facebook, but university marketers may be missing a huge opportunity with Instagram. A recent article from RivalIQ cited higher ed’s impressive average engagement rate of 2.43% on Instagram, compared with the median across all industries of 0.43%. 

    Instagram should be used in a completely different way than Facebook and LinkedIn, which can be deterring for content teams, but clearly prospective students are interested in engaging there. Be sure to connect with them and provide tailored content.

    Harness the Power of Testimonials

    When you hear the words “influencer marketing,” you may think of famous teenagers with millions of followers dancing their hearts out to a 15-second song. While plenty of those influencers are out there, so are users who share their educational journeys, financial tips and tricks, and personal stories about their lives and experiences. 

    With the number of graduates, administrators, and staff members your school has on social media, you’re sure to find some influential users who are willing to share their satisfaction with your program on their channels. It doesn’t require millions of followers either. 

    Nano influencers (influencers with a following between 1K and 10K) are “everyday people” who come across as more authentic and with much more enthusiasm than the players in the big leagues (micro/macro influencers). According to a recent study from Matter Communications, 69% of consumers depend on recommendations from influencers, family members, and friends over information provided by brands. That means two of every three consumers want to read reviews from online personalities they see as trustworthy sources — an amplified version of word-of-mouth marketing.

    Use Short-Form Video to Reach New Audiences

    Short-form video is an important college recruitment strategy for engaging with students. Though the style of content may seem daunting and the editing may seem like a lot of work, recent studies have indicated that Gen Z users prefer TikTok for search over Google — making it an indispensable part of your strategy. 

    Although prospective student demographics look different across universities, your target students are likely on TikTok. And more importantly, they’re using it as a source of information. The hashtag #LearnOnTikTok had over 360 billion views as of 2024, according to The Leap. 

    Think of the reasons users visit your website — and the questions they have — and use that insight to inform the kinds of content you can provide to educate prospective students. 

    We Can Help Build Your Online College Recruitment Strategies

    The higher-ed landscape is still undergoing unexpected shifts at a faster rate than most of us are ready for. Some days, you might feel like you’ll be playing catch-up for ages, and evolving marketing tactics might make that race feel even harder. It’s a lot to manage a robust omnichannel college recruitment strategy, but you don’t have to do it all internally. 

    At Archer Education, we partner with colleges and universities to create effective messaging that will illuminate your brand’s strengths and unique values to attract and convert high-quality students. Our experts are always in the know, employing tech-enabled, modern enrollment tactics to attract prospective students’ attention, drive engagement, and facilitate action. Don’t overstretch your team members — let us help. Contact us today for more information.

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  • Student Engagement in Higher Education

    Student Engagement in Higher Education

    How to Deliver a Personalized Experience Throughout the Student Journey

    Imagine this: a prospective student fills out a request for information on your website, sharing personal details like their program of interest, transfer status, and intended start date. What happens next? Too often, the response is a generic email or text urging them to apply. Then, perhaps unsurprisingly, many institutions see declining contact rates and applications. 

    Delivering an engaging, personalized experience — at scale, across programs, and from the very first interaction — is no small feat. But it’s also essential in today’s competitive higher education landscape. While complex communication plans and sophisticated automation tools play a role, sometimes the simplest approach can make the biggest difference: Asking the right questions.

    Focusing on the right questions can strengthen student relationships, increase lead-to-application rates, and even drive application-to-enrollment success, helping institutions connect personally with students and boost engagement at every stage of their journey.

    What Is Student Engagement in Higher Ed? 

    Before we can start asking students questions, we must first ask ourselves an obvious question: What is student engagement? 

    Engagement rates are metrics that show how actively involved your audience is with your content. By tracking specific metrics, your institution can analyze the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. You should track the number of people who interact with your follow-up communications: whether they open, click, respond to, or visit a website.

    Every interaction a prospective student has with your institution’s website, social media posts, texts or emails, and other digital content generates data that you can use to capture information about leads (prospective students) and better understand and optimize future marketing efforts. 

    Tracking and analyzing “clicks” can tell you:

    • If prospects are opening, clicking, responding to emails or texts, answering calls, and otherwise interacting with your institution — leading indicators of intent to apply and even enroll 
    • Which prospects are the most engaged — so you can prioritize communications with them while your brand is top of mind

    At Archer, we’ve seen clients have 44% higher application-to-start rates and 33% higher application rates when prospective students engage with an institution’s post-inquiry communication. This makes for an efficient use of resources, as you’ve already generated the inquiry. A bump in conversion rates can go a long way in stretching a limited budget. 

    One Simple Thing You Can Do to Increase Student Engagement

    Imagine you have the opportunity to meet with every prospective student in person for coffee. What would you do? How would you engage with them? You’d probably begin to build rapport by asking them lots of questions. 

    A digital meetup should be treated no differently than an in-person engagement. “Digital” is simply another method of communication. Granted, you’re not able to sit at your computer and chat online with every prospect, but in terms of how to interact and build student engagement, you should think of it the same way: as a two-way conversation. 

    Simply put, stop talking at prospective students and start communicating with them.

    As much as you’re tempted to begin by telling them how great your school and program are, it’s best to first understand where a student is coming from and what they’re looking for.

    At Archer, our team and our proprietary end-to-end student support solution — called Onward — are available to students 24/7. Built exclusively for the student journey, Onward collects and analyzes data on digital student engagement and optimizes digital student communication with a goal of increasing post-inquiry engagement. It has taught us a lot.  

    We’ve found that one of the most impactful things we can do in our follow-up communication with students to boost engagement rates — at any stage of the student lifecycle — is to ask questions. Indeed, in follow-up exchanges where we ask students specific questions (and provide an option to answer directly in that communication), we see click-through rates 42% higher than average.

    It’s Not Too Late to Start Asking Questions 

    Even if you’ve already missed a key opportunity to ask questions of new prospects, circling back to get to know them better at any point in their student journey can have an impact.

    Working with our partner Peru State College, we started sending a “What’s holding you back?” email to prospective students who weren’t taking the next step forward. The email not only asked “What’s holding you back from enrolling with us?” but also let the recipient click on an answer. For that email, we saw an average open rate of 16% — which doesn’t look too impressive until you consider these prospects had stopped engaging — and, more importantly, an average 33% click-through rate (with a majority of clicks leading to “apply now” pages). Not only did the email help the college reconnect with “lost” students, but we learned how to better connect with unconverted prospects going forward.

    The email allowed us to determine who was stopping out and why.

    • The top reason for not moving forward was related to finances (35%).
    • More than 20% of prospective students had enrolled elsewhere.
    • 5% said they weren’t ready to enroll yet but wanted to attend in the future.

    These insights informed our follow-up digital communication, as well as our one-on-one admissions team follow-up. As a result, we reengaged with a meaningful percentage of stopped-out prospects by understanding some of their challenges and following up with relevant information. Moreover, 20% of this audience took action by clicking to start or finish their application and/or call an admissions rep.

    Student Engagement Strategies for Every Higher Ed Stage 

    We used this same engagement strategy for first-time students enrolled in Peru State College’s online programs. Before we could view information in our partner’s learning management system to see if students were showing up for class or turning in assignments — leading indicators of student success — we wanted to check in with these new students directly to ask how their first week was going. The email asked, “How are you feeling about your first week?”

    This email had an average open rate of 71% and an average click-through rate (CTR) of 31%.

    Using a similar email, Archer helped another partner intervene to help 14 students who had indicated they weren’t having the best first-week experience. By asking follow-up questions to learn what wasn’t working for them, and forwarding that information to our admissions team, we were able to connect those students with a success coach at the university.

    Optimize Student Engagement at Your Higher Education Institution 

    Higher-ed marketers and enrollment professionals know from experience that the success of every student is important to an institution’s long-term success. Providing a more personalized and engaging student experience can have a positive impact on enrollment growth and student retention. 

    It’s time for you to start having meaningful digital conversations that make an impact. 

    While Archer Education uses Onward, our easily scalable end-to-end student support solution, to deliver personalized communication and tailored post-inquiry follow-up 24/7, you don’t need a sophisticated lead nurturing tool to improve your student engagement strategies. Simply start asking questions in your communication with students and provide them with an easy way to respond. 

    Want to learn more about how to modernize your student experience and increase enrollment and retention rates with Archer’s Onward student support solution? Reach out to us and learn more today.

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    Angie Mohr

    Director of Marketing & Communications

    Angie Mohr is the senior vice president of student engagement at Archer Education. With a background in marketing, communications, and CRM and marketing automation, she has over 15 years of strategic communications and higher education experience. In her current role at Archer Education, a full-service marketing and enrollment solutions provider for higher education institutions, Angie focuses on supporting student acquisition and life cycle delivery services, utilizing scalable communications strategies and technologies to help prospective students engage, enroll, and persist in their student journey.

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  • SEO for Higher Education: Strategies in 2024

    SEO for Higher Education: Strategies in 2024

    Boost Your Enrollment Cycle With These Higher Ed SEO Strategies                                          

    Billions of queries occur daily through global search engines on desktop, mobile, and voice devices. These organic searches are the largest drivers of website traffic, particularly for higher education institutions, making SEO an essential ingredient in the recipe for generating student leads. A student’s journey toward enrollment is a roller coaster of considerations. From looking at financial costs and career opportunities to assessing workloads and faculty projects, students turn to search engines to answer their questions. 

    Optimizing your university’s website involves looking at a variety of SEO factors: webpage speed, page titles and headings, URL structure, link building, content, and more. Here at Archer, our higher education SEO team members have expert insight at every step on the path toward optimizing a university’s website, including technical on-page improvements, off-page link building, and, most importantly, content creation and promotion. 

    Let’s explore how your institution can stay relevant and bring new prospective students in with a sophisticated higher education SEO strategy.

    SEO for Higher Education: What You Need to Know 

    Online content saturation is at an all-time high, and competition in higher ed is intensifying. Meanwhile, the audiences that institutions are marketing to have become less traditional. 

    Capturing the attention of prospective students at a critical point in their college enrollment journey takes a deep understanding of all the nuances of search engine optimization, including search intent, click-through rates, and mobile experience. To create content that will engage online audiences, universities must have strong SEO strategies to ensure brand discovery. 

    7 SEO Strategies to Boost Your College Enrollment Cycle

    Our higher ed SEO experts have pulled together a list of seven strategies to help capture students along their path to college enrollment. Their expertise will help guide you in discerning what’s important in an SEO strategy and where to set focus for the rest of the year. 

    1. Determine Your Student Journey               

    Student journey maps are going to be key in helping you guide the focus and intent of your content. How are you making students aware of your programs? At what point are they considering your programs? Where in the journey do they make a decision, and what do they need to get there? 

    Students looking to advance their academic and professional careers are at some point in the sales funnel, but they’re also at some stage in their search engine journey. If you’re doing it right, you’ve constructed this journey carefully and provided several different routes for the different kinds of prospective students you interact with. 

    For example, a student might be only tangentially familiar with the construction industry, so you can gain their interest by crafting a piece about construction careers that graduates can enter after receiving a construction management degree. On the other hand, a student might be further along in their journey and might be at the point of more serious consideration of an engineering degree. For this student, you can craft a post about stress management for engineering students. 

    If you want to get students to your website, finding blog topics is only half the game. Using keywords to optimize your content is how you push those posts to the finish line. Google’s latest algorithms emphasize value, so figure out what value you can provide your reader at every stage of inquiry.

    By walking through the student’s college enrollment experience and differentiating content based on the needs of each stage, you can curate specific content to respond to their search intent, keep them engaged with your brand, and guide them down your content map to a post that encourages them to convert.

    2. Satisfy Student Search Intent              

    Since search intent is Google’s ultimate goal, when it comes to SEO for higher education, keyword research and content creation that match the student’s search intent should be a primary focus.

    The “How to Become a CEO” article above is a great example of a university-created piece of content that matches search intent and provides steps that show how the university program can help the searcher accomplish their goal. Content should discuss a range of topics that align with the university’s mission and program’s course curriculum while still keeping the searcher top of mind. With each piece of content, you’ll be able to attract a variety of students who are in different places in the student discovery process.

    Each of these posts should have a strong call to action (CTA) that intrigues prospective students to learn more about the university’s program and how they can become more involved and apply. This CTA can include an aesthetically pleasing “learn more” button that directs readers to a “request more information” form.

    3. Apply Google’s Helpful Content Update Learnings

    In 2023, Google introduced a new helpful content algorithm intended to help searchers find relevant results. This update is intended to weed out nonhelpful search results, defined as content that lacks experience, expertise, authoritativeness, or trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). 

    What does this mean for universities? Crafting high-quality content that meets student search intent is even more important. Instead of focusing solely on SEO keywords, university website pages and blogs need to meet Google’s quality standards in one or more E-E-A-T fields.

    • Experience: The content is created by someone with firsthand involvement in the subject matter.
    • Expertise: The content creator has formal knowledge of the subject matter.
    • Authoritativeness: The content contains credible information, and the website has a good reputation for providing quality content.
    • Trustworthiness: The content includes clear and transparent sourcing to verify the accuracy and reliability of the information.

    Universities can meet these expectations by providing high-quality information that highlights faculty and student experiences and expertise.

    4. Elevate Your Content Strategy           

    Searchers are no longer satisfied with traditional text-based content or boring images. This is especially true for millennials and Gen Zers, who account for 42% of the U.S. population, according to Statista, and the majority of a university’s target market. 

    To capture the attention of these easily distracted searchers, higher education SEO strategies should branch out beyond traditional articles and infographics to include visually captivating and psychologically intriguing content, such as interactive graphics or videos. This refreshed content strategy should aim to not only catch a searcher’s immediate attention but also leave a lasting brand imprint to intrigue searchers to come back for more.

    Check out the following example of an engaging piece of content from Zippia.com that outlines the different career paths for cost accountants. The piece is interactive, allowing the user to move their mouse along the different career paths to reveal more detailed and relevant information.

    This interactive map is fun and easy to use while still providing the quality and quantity of content the user is looking for. It illustrates the kind of memorable yet useful experience required to capture a student’s attention.

    5. Occupy Google Search Results

    Occupying more real estate on ever-evolving search engine results pages (SERPs) is more crucial than ever. A large number of Google searches do not result in a click. With the advent of more featured snippets, the importance of a technically sound website, structured data, and high-quality content grows.

    While on-page SEO is still crucial for ranking on the SERP, off-page efforts and creating a user experience (UX) that expands past your website are the next wave of occupying internet real estate. Off-page citations, or references to your institution on websites such as U.S. News and Wikipedia, will push hints and signals to Google that validate your brand. Quality higher education SEO strategies should also include a UX that helps your site stand out in today’s saturated marketplace.

    6. Optimize Your Website for Mobile           

    To enhance the college enrollment funnel experience, you need to maintain the health of your website for both desktop and mobile.

    Since a majority of search engine visits come from mobile devices, there’s no question that higher education SEO teams should be focusing on the mobile user experience of their websites. Now that Google has mobile-first indexing best practices, your team has new factors to consider. If your website’s content differs between desktop and mobile, for example, then your site is at risk of having pages not indexed or crawled, which could result in a significant loss of traffic. 

    For starters, ensure that desktop and mobile versions of your website have identical content, as well as identical technical elements, such as structured data and meta tags. Whether you’re developing content or updating your website design, always be sure to consider both platforms in any updates you make.

    7. Understand Your Competition   

    With Google ads for search terms like “online mba” generating a high cost per click (CPC), higher education is one of the most competitive segments of search engine rankings. Why? Simply put, graduate degree programs are expensive and have large marketing budgets. In addition, affiliate marketing is rampant in the higher education space. What’s affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketers in higher education essentially sell student leads to universities.

    These affiliate sites often have large SEO budgets and benefit from degree ranking and badging tactics. Take a look at the density of non-edu sites in the search results by Googling “online mba.” 

    In addition to competing with a number of affiliate websites, traditional schools have to compete with for-profit institutions and institutions with powerful national and regional brands.

    Despite the competitive market, a long-term higher education SEO strategy, with a nuanced understanding of the market, can yield tremendous results around student enrollments and thought leadership.

    SEO for Higher Education: Boost Your Results with Archer 

    Here at Archer Education, we partner with accredited universities to help higher-ed leaders and marketers accelerate online learning growth and enrollment. We offer a variety of tech-enabled marketing, enrollment, and retention services, and our team of SEO experts is always up to date on strategies to help your program gain visibility in prospective students’ search results. 

    Our SEO tactics can help your university:

    • Increase its visibility in student-generating keywords
    • Grow the amount of organic traffic to the site
    • Ensure its site is optimized for organic search

    Contact us or visit our SEO tactics page to learn more about how Archer can help you reach your enrollment goals.

    Sources

    Backlinko, Search Intent and SEO: A Complete Guide 

    Forbes, “Understanding Google’s Mobile-First Indexing To Generate More Traffic To Your Website” 

    National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Current Term Enrollment Estimates

     Statista, U.S. population Share by Generation 2023

    Zippia, How To Become A Cost Accountant: What It Is and Career Path

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  • Tips for the Student Journey- Archer Education

    Tips for the Student Journey- Archer Education

    5 Tips for Keeping Students Engaged Throughout the Admissions Process

    In higher education, the enrollment funnel can feel like a battleground for institutions vying to convert interest into commitment. 

    Traditionally, the enrollment funnel has been viewed simply: attract, engage, and enroll. But the modern student’s journey is anything but straightforward — it’s a complex, winding path influenced by numerous digital touchpoints and personalized interactions.

    The health of the enrollment funnel extends beyond mere numbers; it represents the institution’s ability to connect with prospective students through every phase of their decision-making process. With technology reshaping expectations and behaviors, colleges and universities must not only catch the eye of prospective students but also keep them engaged through multiple channels and strategies. 

    This article unpacks key elements of the enrollment and admissions funnel, offering actionable insights and innovative tips to capture and retain students’ attention from their first inquiry through their enrollment stages. As we explore these strategies, you’ll discover the vital role that continuous, tailored engagement plays in transforming interest into activity, setting the stage for a successful educational journey.

    The Modern Student Journey

    Today’s students embark on their educational journeys equipped with a wealth of information and digital tools at their fingertips, making their paths to enrollment more complex and multifaceted than ever before. 

    Complexities and Challenges

    The student journey is far from linear. It involves numerous interactions across various platforms and touchpoints. Each student’s path is unique and influenced by personal, financial, and academic factors. 

    For instance, a modern student, such as a working professional returning to education or a parent seeking to balance family responsibilities with schooling, may have different priorities and use different resources compared to a younger, first-time college student.

    Technology has diversified the ways students gather information, and also how they engage with institutions. Prospective students might start their journey by conducting a simple Google search, but they will also often visit social media platforms, participate in virtual campus tours, and attend online webinars before starting their application. During this time, they are continuously evaluating their options and being influenced by each interaction they have with a school’s digital presence.

    Impact of Technology

    The proliferation of digital platforms has dramatically altered the student journey, both for students and institutions, in ways such as the following: 

    • Digital Touchpoints: Websites, social media platforms, online forums, and virtual tours provide initial impressions and ongoing engagement. Prospective students can interact with current students and faculty, view online classes, and even participate in community events, all from their devices.  
    • Data-Driven Decisions: Students use data such as graduation rates, employment outcomes, and student and faculty testimonials to inform their choices. They expect personalized interactions and content that addresses their specific concerns and aspirations.
    • Engagement Analytics: Institutions now have the tools to track and analyze how prospective students interact with their digital content. This data is invaluable for refining marketing strategies and improving engagement tactics to ensure they meet the expectations and needs of prospective students.

    Given these technological influences, it is essential for educational institutions to adapt their enrollment strategies to meet the changing behaviors and preferences of modern students. Integrating data analytics, enhancing digital communication channels, and providing personalized experiences are all critical to effectively engaging with prospective students throughout their decision-making journey.

    Understanding the Enrollment Funnel 

    The enrollment and admissions funnel is a foundational concept in higher education marketing that illustrates the progressive stages a student navigates, from awareness through enrollment. The funnel is not just a theoretical model but a practical guide for shaping effective engagement strategies. 

    6 Stages of the Enrollment Funnel

    The enrollment funnel can be divided into several key stages, each requiring specific strategies to move prospective students to the next step:

    1. Awareness: This is the initial point where potential students first learn about an institution. Efforts here include broad-reaching advertising, social media presence, and participation in educational fairs. The goal is to cast a wide, though still strategic, net and garner interest from a diverse pool of students.
    2. Interest: Once awareness is achieved, the focus shifts to nurturing interest and familiarity. This involves providing more detailed information about what the institution offers, such as programs, support services for online students, and financial aid options. Content marketing, informational webinars, and targeted emails play a significant role in this stage.
    3. Consideration: At this juncture, prospective students are comparing their options. They might engage more deeply with admissions counselors, attend virtual or in-person campus tours, and participate in Q&A sessions. Personalized communication and reassurance about academic and social fit are crucial.
    4. Intent: The intent stage is where decision-making becomes serious. Prospective students might discuss their choices with family, friends, colleagues, or advisors, conduct comparative research, and seriously evaluate financial aid details and options. Institutions should focus on direct engagements, such as personal calls, text messages, or engagement-driven content, to solidify their interest.
    5. Application: The application stage is the formal step of submitting necessary documents and fulfilling admission requirements. Support through streamlined application processes, reminders, and help desks is vital to ease this phase for students.
    6. Enrollment: The final stage, where accepted students confirm their attendance and complete registration. At this point, effective communication about orientation, class selection, and enrollment procedures can ease the transition and ensure that students feel welcomed, supported, and valued.

    A deep understanding and effective management of the enrollment and admissions funnel is crucial for any educational institution aiming to increase its student body. Let’s see how it’s done. 

    How to Keep Students’ Attention Through the Enrollment Funnel

    Maintaining the attention of prospective students throughout their educational journey is crucial for successful enrollment. Here are key strategies to keep students engaged from initial inquiry through enrollment:

    1. Consistent Engagement Across Channels

    Leverage multiple channels to engage with students to ensure your institution remains top of mind. Implement a mix of digital and traditional marketing strategies to reach students where they are most active, such as the following:

    • Digital Channels: Targeted social media ads, engaging video content, and informative blog posts
    • Traditional Channels: Direct mail, phone calls, and face-to-face interactions during campus visits

    2. Personalization and Differentiation

    Tailor your communications to meet the specific needs and interests of each prospective student, and utilize data from their interactions with your digital content to personalize messages. Strategies to achieve these goals include the following:

    • Segmented Email Campaigns: Customized emails based on the prospective student’s program of interest, engagement history, and stage in the funnel
    • Custom Content: Relevant information that addresses specific concerns or questions that may arise at different stages of their journey

    3. Incentives and Urgency

    Create a sense of urgency and motivation by offering incentives that encourage prospective students to take the next step:

    • Priority Deadlines: Upcoming application deadlines that can be highlighted to spur action
    • Exclusive Offers: Application fee waivers or access to special events for early applicants

    4. Building Relationships

    Foster a sense of community and belonging from the first interaction through forums such as the following:

    • Virtual Engagements: Live Q&A sessions with current students and faculty
    • Personal Outreach: Admissions counselors who reach out personally to high-interest candidates

    5. Continuous Improvement

    Regularly assess and refine your engagement strategies based on feedback and analytics tools and processes:

    • Feedback Loops: Surveys and feedback channels that gather insights from prospective students
    • Analytics Review: Regular analysis of engagement metrics to adjust strategies and improve outcomes

    It’s Time to Build Out Your Enrollment Funnel 

    The landscape of higher education is competitive, but the enrollment funnel could be your institution’s edge. By engaging prospective students at every stage of their journey with tailored strategies and personalized communications, institutions can significantly enhance their enrollment rates. If you’re ready to elevate your enrollment marketing strategies, Archer Education is here to take you to the next level. Reach out to us, and let us help you create a robust enrollment funnel that not only attracts but also converts prospective students into committed learners.


    John Van Fleet

    John Van Fleet is the Chief Marketing Officer at Archer Education. With more than 20 years of experience in higher ed marketing, John has a continuous track record of successfully supporting institutional growth.

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