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Engaged students aresuccessful students. Hereare seven ways CRM toolscan help you connect withyour students.

Seven ways CRM tools cantransform higher educationThe future of your institution hinges on finding and thenretaining your students, but enrollment has been steadilydeclining since 2011, according to US Census data. Thatmeans, keeping your students engaged is a process thatcontinues throughout the entire student lifecycle—fromrecruitment to graduation, and on through alumni relations.With customer relationship management (CRM) tools, youcan gain new insights into engaging with your students.

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Target the recruitment effortA prospective student can have hundreds of schoolsto choose from, which is why you need to grab theirattention during the recruitment process. Sendingpersonalized content their way, via email campaigns,is one step towards making the recruitment effortmore effective, notes Campus Technology. A CRMsystem can be used to target your campaigns forfull-time students, adult education, part-time andweekend students, and international students soyou’re always reaching the right person with the rightcontent.

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Create touch-pointsthroughout every part of theapplication processThe college application process can be daunting tonew students. To help students along, your recruiterscan use prospective student data from your CRMsystem to help guide them through the applicationprocess. With this CRM data, you can notify studentswhen financial aid application deadlines are comingup as well as to let them know about schedulingcampus tours, for example. With these CRM tools, youcan keep potential students engaged with you asthey’re finishing up their applications—so they file theirapplications.

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Connect with students onsocial mediaMany of today’s students stay connected with eachother through social media. You can connect withthem on social media, too. In addition to email and textalerts, you can use Twitter®, Instagram®, Facebook®,and LinkedIn® to keep students up-to-date on campusevents—from sports to lectures and concerts. You canalso highlight student and faculty news andaccomplishments. When you know what your studentsare interested in, you can guide them towards thesocial media channels and pages that will enrich theircollege experiences.

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Track financial data andgrant applicationsThe data you collect with your CRM system can beused to let your students know about potential grantsand financial aid, so they know to set up a time tospeak to a counselor. Your CRM system can also beused to track the progress of a grant application, sothe student always knows the status of their fundingas well as when to reapply. At the same time, a grantmanager can use your CRM system to contactapplicants, set up appointments, and assist them withapplications.

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Study trends in grades andenrollment dataAlong with using a CRM system to track a student’sfinancial data, you can also track their grades to makesure they’re on the right path to success. By looking atcertain metrics that are collected and saved in yourCRM system, you can take action when a student’sgrades are declining or they’re becoming disengagedfrom their path to graduation. In the beginning, yourrecruiters will be managing your students’ applicationprocess, but as students enroll and sign up forclasses, that information gets passed on to counselorswho can know when to provide outreach, should apotential problem arise.

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Analyze job placements andloan repaymentsJob placement and loan repayment data can beuseful in measuring student success. As you analyzeCRM data on your students’ grades, graduation dates,course feedback, credit hours, and more, you cancreate models to identify successful patterns in jobplacement and loan repayments. And, gathering thisdata can help you to maintain good studentrelationships after graduation—which also helps youto improve your curriculum for new students. Whenyou know how your alumni have succeeded, you cancreate better experiences for your newly enrolledstudents. Additionally, you can use your CRM systemto share news and alerts about career fairs, jobopenings, and loan repayment opportunities throughemail alerts and targeted web portals.

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Stay connected with alumniCharitable donations from alumni reached an all-timehigh in 2014, reports Inside Higher Ed. That meansyour job doesn’t end when your students graduateand find jobs. In the same way you used your CRMsystem to target messages to potential applicants, youcan also target your messaging to your alumni anddonors. That way the right people will know aboutmeet-ups, reunions, or other events that fit theirinterests, as well as sporting events. Your alumni canalso be helpful when it comes to recruiting, mentoring,and engaging new students—should the rightopportunity arise. Lastly, you can stay in touch so youralumni know how and when to donate to fundraisersor make annual contributions.

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