TOP WINNING STRATEGIES - Blackboard.com · WINNING STRATEGIES 10 Enrollment Marketing for . Sea...
Transcript of TOP WINNING STRATEGIES - Blackboard.com · WINNING STRATEGIES 10 Enrollment Marketing for . Sea...
TOP WINNING STRATEGIES
10Enrollment Marketing
for
Seaof SAMENESS
There is a lot of repetition in higher ed marketing and schools
really struggle to stand out.
So, what makes your school unique?
When we ask, we find a lot of schools don’t know.
Our market research (competitive insights, program viability, audience segmentation) is included for almost every marketing project.
PRO TIPNot only do we help them figure out what makes them unique, we bring it to life in the creative and ads included in ourmarketing campaigns.
TOP WINNING STRATEGIES
10Enrollment Marketing
for
7-10 timesSTUDENTS NEED
TO SEE AN AD
over 3+ months BEFORE THEY ACT
andPlan AheadtoDRIVE
ENROLLMENT
SO BUILD YOUR MARKETING PLAN ACCORDINGLY
Turning off your marketing will result in a decline in enrollment later on.
First, students are making theirdecision to enroll throughout the year (not just before your application deadline):Why?
Also, will penalize you
7%
2%4%
6%8% 9% 10%
15%
24%
11%
1% 2% 2%
2017
2016
BeforeSEP 2016
SEP OCT NOV DEC
I still have not made a final
decision.
Don’t know
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
Best Practices for
7
% SPENDING ofREVENUE
COMPETING
15-25% 25-35%ACCELERATINGSUSTAINING
10-15%
Budgeting
Your website can directly increase (or decrease) enrollments and revenue.
LOWER PERFORMING HIGHER PERFORMING
INCREASE IN REVENUE
3% Increasein WEBSITE
PERFORMANCEresults in
Site VisitorsLeads
Visitor to Lead ConversionLead to Enroll Rate
EnrollsAverage RPS
100,000 5000 5% 4% 200$35K
TOTAL REVENUE = $7M
WEBSITE Version A WEBSITE Version B
Site VisitorsLeads
Visitor to Lead ConversionLead to Enroll Rate
EnrollsAverage RPS
100,000 8000 5% 4% 320 $35K
TOTAL REVENUE = $11M
60%
LOST REVENUE = $4M
Good vs. Bad Creative
Not everyone is ready to apply yet
More than one way for students to contact you
Strong call-to-action appropriate for those in the research phase
Motivational headline targeted towards a
specific audience
Prominent placement of chat and phone number for those
ready to inquire
Readily available form for the exact moment when users
are ready to take action
No Request for Information form
available on the site
Use of stock imagery
Sometimes the prettiest creative isn’t the most effective.PRO TIP
No easy way for students to contact you
Give students several ways to get in touch with you
Phone calls are 2-3x more likely to convert to enrollment (and 15% of your traffic comes from phone). Chat is a great way to engage users who have quick questions to help qualify your institution.
PRO TIP
Give students several ways to get ahold of you (at a minimum: Form, Phone, Text).
Marketing performance will vary by the programs and audiences you’re recruiting for
11
Undergrad
• Generally less expensive to generate leads, but the conversion from app to enroll is lower because students are applying to a lot of different schools.
• Students are making their decision around the experience, student life, does the community reflect me?. Also, addressing the parents of prospective students is important.
• (average CPE $2,500-5000; 12-24 months to enroll)
Graduate
• Typically more expensive than undergrad to generate leads, but tend to convert to enrollment at a higher rate because students do more research upfront.
• Program-specific advertising and transparency into cost and the application process is critical because this audience wants to get the information upfront.
• (average CPE $3,000-12,000; 9-18 months to enroll)
Professional
• Leads are not difficult to acquire but conversion is challenging because there isn’t financial aid and the degree has to be aligned to helping achieve an outcome (getting promoted, getting a new job).
• Advertising is similar to the approach for graduate but we have to make payment as easy as possible (shopping cart like Amazon).
• (average CPE $1,500-5,000; 6-12 months to enroll)
Be sure you’re tracking
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Results all the way to enroll
Display Ad
Paid Search Text Ad
Social Media
SEO / Organic Search Traffic
Microsite
Website
Request for information
form onevery page
CRM
Leads
Application
Enrollments
Inquiry
Enro
llmen
t tea
m e
mai
ls
Enro
llmen
t tea
m p
hone
calls
W O R K I N G P R O F E S S I O N A L S
T R A D I T I O N A L L E A R N E R
R E T U R N I N G A D U LT
Answer the top questions on Students’ minds
Have someone who hasn’t been to your site before try to find these answers in 30 seconds or less.
PRO TIP
How Much? How Long? What do I get for it? When can I start?
Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May June July
MEDIA LAUNCH4
7
20
28
36
60
+3
+8
+13
+24
+8
+4
PaidDEPOSITS
Give it time. Demand typically peaks in January, with apps to follow
PRO TIP
It takes time for leads to mature to enrollment
44%WITHIN 24 HOURS
31%WITHIN 2 DAYS
15%WITHIN A WEEK 7%
WITHIN 4 HOURS
2%OVER A
WEEK LATER
75%EXPECT A RESPONSE TO A VOICEMAIL OR E-MAIL
WITHIN 24-48 HOURS
Students judge you by how quickly you answer the phone or how easy you make it to apply. And because they are applying to more than one school so you could be loosing students to competitors simply because you aren’t more proactive
*Source: Blackboard research study completed in collaboration with UPCEA, March 2017. SURVEY QUESTION FIELDED TO 1,000 PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS ACROSS ALL AGES*: If you left a voicemail for or sent an email to a college or university, how quickly would you expect to receive a response?
Following up with leads is REALLY important
Accountability & Tracking
Growing Enrollment in Higher Ed isn’t just about good marketing
Flexible formatsfor busy adults
Clear & unique value proposition
Ease of startingand applying
Industry partners & job outcomes
Programsstudents are seeking
Competitive pricing with clear ROI
Competitive, measureable marketing
Aggressive enrollment management
Investment in marketing that is competitive
Thank youLearn more:
https://www.blackboard.com/services/recruitment-services
Marketing
Performance Marketing
Reaching More Prospective Students
Enrollment
EnrollmentCoaching
Enroll More Students
One Stop
Removing Barriers to Graduation
Help Desk
Cost Savings
Growing Enrollment Improving Retention
Student Support
Technology Support
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Retention
RetentionCoaching
Retain More Students
Results That We Are
(Truly) Proud of
+11% application conversion
5X return on investment
+140% Increase in prospects
+159% Increase in applications
+110% Increase in enrollments
9x Estimated return on investment
+17% Increase in applications
+25% Increase in enrollment
+12,000 students in just one year
19
5.6x Increase in organic leads
58% App to enroll rate on paid media
35% growth for online, YoY
20x Estimated return on investment
+311% Increase in external registrations
+49% increase in revenue
Growing executive education revenue and registrations in new markets