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    • 2019
      • 01
        • Market Opportunity Assessment: Why You Need One & 5 Key Steps
        • Enrollment Management: Navigating Disruption to Achieve Success
      • 02
      • 03
        • 49% of retailers name in-store mobile experience a top priority
        • 2019 Digital Marketing Trends & Gen Z
      • 04
        • Enrollment Management: Shifting Demographics & Shrinking Population
        • Smart College Recruitment Targets Wisely Using Segmentation
      • 05
        • Email Marketing Tips
    • 2018
      • 01
        • The hidden cost of selling direct – the returns game
        • 2018 Lead Generation & Recruitment Predictions & Tips
        • How's your marketing?
        • The Offer - How To Make One They Can't Refuse
        • Successful Product Development
        • How Direct Makes Digital Better
        • Questions That You Need To Answer
        • Do You Know What Your Competition Is Doing?
      • 02
        • The Marketing Planning Process...Doing It Right!
        • Managing The Sales Pipeline
      • 03
        • Being Prepared for Change (Why You Need Market Intelligence to Drive Revenue Growth)
        • Competitor Update: Coursera Coming to Eat Your Lunch
        • Discussion: Why Should Your Institution Exist in the 21st Century?
        • Discussion: Should Your College Exist in the 21st Century?
        • Welcome Back: Former Students, Graduates
        • Adult Students: Thoughts on the Chronicle's Report
      • 04
        • Avalanche of Dreck...Are you part of the problem?
        • Profile of the Average Online Student
        • You Can't Make It Up In Volume
      • 05
        • Simple Guide to Creating Profitable Personas
        • Amazon Losing Billions - You Should Be Scared
        • Comment: Why Most CMOs are Failing
        • Marketing Personalization...Most of It Isn't
        • Amazon's "Try Before You Buy"
        • Are Shoppers Really That Resistant to Self-Checkout?
        • B.A.N.T. May Be Old, But It Still Works
        • All The Martech In The World Won't Make You a Marketer
        • 9 Tips For Writing Effective PPC Ads
        • Blogging: 5 Reasons Why & 5 Tips for Success
        • The 4 Step Welcome Email Series
      • 06
        • The Lead Management Game - Winning Or Losing?
        • Part 1: Podcasts Should You Start Your Own Podcast?
        • Part 1: Blogs: Should You Start A Blog?
        • 8 Simple Ways to Increase Enrollments
      • 07
        • PART 2: Podcasts: Develop Your Plan
        • Should You Buy or Generate Your Own Leads?
        • How to Overcome the 3 Reasons Most Miss Their Enrollment Goals
      • 08
        • Contact Strategy: People Buy From People
        • 2 Commonly Overlooked Causes for Enrollment Shortfalls - And How to Fix Them
        • Designing and Writing Effective Direct Mail Packages
      • 09
      • 10
      • 11
        • Developing Your Content Marketing Strategy
        • How Content Marketing Can Increase Enrollments, Retention
    • 2017
      • 01
        • Influencer Marketing: More Confusion Over Simple Concept
        • 10+ Reasons Why Most College Marketing/Enrollment Plans Fail & How to Avoid Them
        • Marketing Planning 101 - Are You?
        • Are CMOs' Jobs in Jeopardy?
        • Lead Flow Planning - Getting It Right
        • Omni Channel or Not? Retail Survival or Not?
      • 02
        • Announcing Our New Enhanced On-Demand Services for Adult, Graduate and Continuing Education Programs
        • Tips for Great Direct Response Radio
        • Email Design Tips
        • Data-Driven Marketing...It's As Old As Index Cards, And Then Some...
        • Why They ain’t buying what you’re sellin’
      • 03
        • New Degree Programs: What You Must Learn from Google, Amazon and Apple
        • Student Recruitment & Retention Goes to the Movies
        • Just Outsource It!
      • 04
        • Why You’re Not Answering Their Questions
        • Adult Students: Are You Serious or Just Screwing Around?
        • Is Your Brand Safe?
        • Ask Questions
        • Event Marketing for Adult Enrollments
        • Retail is Not Dead!
        • Pros & Cons of In House Agency
        • Is Affiliate Marketing for Your Business?
        • Webinar: 7 Proven Techniques for Increasing Adult Student Enrollments
        • False Victories
      • 05
        • Bring Programmatic Adv In House? Yes? No?
        • Call Attribution Tech - Do you need it?
        • Are you losing sales people?
        • Webinar: Adult Student Retention
        • Is ‘eMail Blindness’ Killing Your Business?
      • 06
        • Direct Mail Tips for More Effective Student Recruitment
        • Marketers Wake Up...Get Those Phone #s
        • The Secret to Successfully Providing Life-long Learning
        • Higher Ed Marketing Podcast 3: Web Forms
        • Higher Ed Marketing Podcast 4: Thank you page
      • 07
        • 2 Secrets to Achieving Adult Enrollment Goals
        • Social Worship
        • The Amazon Effect...Are You Ready?
        • Old Ways Don't Open New Doors
      • 08
        • Early Results: Adult Student Recruitment Effectiveness Part I of II
        • Early Results: Adult Student Recruitment Effectiveness Part II of II
        • Webinar: Competitive Intelligence 101
        • How to Say the Right Thing so More Adults Enroll
        • Clear Communications, not Content Marketing, is Key to Achieving Adult Enrollment Goals
      • 09
        • Are You Listening Carefully? Asking the Right Questions?
        • Missing Unrealistic Goals
      • 10
        • What Are You Putting Into Your Sales Pipeline
        • Competitive Intelligence - What is it? Why do you need it?
      • 11
        • Yes, You Do Have the Budget
      • 12
        • Enrollment Opportunity: Under-served Segments
        • Why Colleges Are Failing to Achieve Adult Enrollment Goals
    • 2016
      • 01
        • Direct Marketing Planning
        • How Many Leads Do Our Sales Executives Need?
        • The Drones Are Coming!
        • New Study Identifies Opportunities to Improve Student Recruitment
        • Outbound Telemarketing Missing Opportunities As Part of College Student Recruitment
        • Student Retention Tips for 2016
        • Advantages of Direct Marketing
        • 6 Tips to Improve Your College's Content Marketing Performance
      • 02
        • Lead Flow Planning - Getting It Right
        • Are You Sitting Around Waiting for Business?
        • Get More Our of Your CRM Investment
        • Tips for Building Affordable, Effective Marketing Research Program
        • Smart College Recruitment Targets Wisely Using Segmentation
      • 03
        • Marketer's Toolkit Goes Mobile
        • A/B Testing: Some Important Rules to Follow
        • Targeting is Not Rocket Science
        • Snap Chat for Student Recruitment
        • Colleges Must Lead the Way in Marketing to Millennials
        • How Many Leads Do You Need?
        • Do You Know What a "Lead" Is?
        • Do You Know How Many Sales Leads You Need? Find Out With...
        • Content Marketing: It's a Mess
      • 04
        • What Is The Best Marketing Channel?
        • Do You Need a Marketing Plan?
        • Data Analytics Improve Enrollment Performance
        • Why Facilitated Strategic Planning Workshops are Most Effective for Your College...
        • Common Social Media Challenges and Solutions
        • 8 1/2 Common Errors in the Student Recruitment Process
      • 05
        • Differentiation - Colleges Need to Be Uniquely Valuable
        • Non-Traditional Students: Tips to Attract & Retain
        • Market Planning Process
        • Market Analysis - Identify Your Target Markets
        • Catalog Business Plan
        • 10 Common Digital Marketing Mistakes & Solutions
        • Tips for Recruiting Millennials to Your College
        • How to Lower New Student Acquisition Costs
      • 06
        • Your Website Needs Help
        • Better Adwords Performance ASAP
        • Higher Education Marketing Assessment Tool: A Demo
        • Join Marketing Connection Today
        • Marketers Are Focused On the Wrong Things
        • Marketing...It's About the Numbers
        • Colleges Without Market Research: Penny-Wise, Pound Foolish
        • Top Benefits You Enjoy From a Mystery Shopper Audit
      • 07
        • The Future of Content Marketing
        • Pokemon Go: Student Recruitment & Retention?
        • Whatever the Channel: Marketing Success Depends on 5 Factors
        • When Your Customers Aren't Your Customers - Social Media Pitfalls
        • Content Marketing Success
        • Why You Can't Afford to Pass on a Retention Audit
      • 08
        • Your Trouble With Adwords
        • You Can't Recruit & Retain if You Don't Know Your Audience
        • Facebook Live for Student Recruitment
        • How to Make Significant Improvements to Student Recruitment Results
      • 09
        • Why Facilitated Strategic Planning Workshops are Most Effective for Your College...
        • Video Marketing: Tips for Greater Success
        • The Details Are in the Plans
        • Digital Metrics: How Much is Real & How Much is Bullshit?
        • Video Content Marketing: Tips for Greater Success
      • 10
        • How You Can Enroll More Non-Traditional Students
        • Your Email Metrics Are Wrong
        • Too Much Content Too Much Waste
        • How Asking the Right Questions Can Increase Enrollments
        • Content Marketing for Higher Education Recruitment and Retention
      • 11
        • 5 Ways to Increase Graduate School Enrollments by Leveraging Data
        • Big Data, Predictive Analytics & Marketing Research Strike Out in Election 2016
      • 12
    • 2015
      • 11
        • Black Friday - Cyber Monday - Trends
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Why You’re Not Answering Their Questions

Apr 09, 2017

man finger in ear.jpg

 

When we are effectively delivering the right information with the right offer to the right person at the right time via the right channel, we’re going to see enrollments increase.

Why?

Because that prospective adult student has questions they need answered, and when we answer them quickly, clearly, concisely...good things tend to happen.

The challenge is we don’t know what those questions are – we assume we know and we all know what happens when we assume, right?!

Most web forms aren’t designed to help us. 

Sure they get the name, email, phone number and mailing address along with the program of interest and desired start date – but how many of you are asking “What is your motivation for enrolling in this program at our institution? What do you want that you feel this degree will help you acquire?

Unfortunately, the same thing goes for phone calls and in-person conversations.  All too often, little to no thought has gone into these opportunities to learn and, at the end of the day, most will ask for the same information that the web form gathers.  

But few are asking “What exactly do we need to know in order to hold a productive conversation with a prospective adult student that helps us both make an informed decision?”

And even if they do ask that question, fewer put the answer to use.

Remember, this impacts retention rates!

A great many institutions are focused on new student enrollments – and they ignore the fact that these encounters during the recruitment phase offer a valuable opportunity to impact retention.

Instead, it’s all prospects are equal and they will all experience the same things, in the same manner.

The institution pushes out messages that focus on the “…friendly, helpful staff committed to your success” and the “…challenging curriculum that provides you with skills you can put to use at work tomorrow…”

And the offer is “Apply Now!”

We’re ignoring a valuable opportunity to ask questions, gather key data points and helping ourselves get a better understanding of what each student is going to need in order to succeed.

So how can you get the right information at the right time from the right person so that you can, in turn, provide them with the right information at the right time?

Observation and Conversation with a Process

Start off with your current “successful student” – what qualities and experiences do they possess?  What makes them “successful”?

Strong organizational skills?  Incredible time management skills?  Superior communication skills? Incredible reading and comprehension skills? An incredibly supportive employer? Spouse? Family?

Is there an absence of “life events” such as major illnesses, births, deaths in the family during their enrollment?

These, and other questions, can play a significant role in your ability to on-board a new student in a way that increases their chances to succeed.

More work?  Maybe.

Different approach that requires different processes? Yes!

But as we work with colleges and universities across the country, we’re amazed to see about 20-25% of them ignoring the prospective new student until the start the application form – and then they limit their relationship to what they learn about the prospective student to what’s in the application.

Many of these same institutions are struggling with adult student retention because they are treating everyone the same when, in reality, they have some that need help in one area and others than need help in another area.  And these institutions offer students assistance in these areas but because of a variety of reasons, the students aren’t benefitting from them.

The 30-Minute Interview

During a recent Mystery Shopper Audit for a client, we received an email that thanked us for our interest in the program and informed us that the next step was a 20 to 30-minute phone conversation that would provide us with the correct information for decision making and it would provide them with a better understanding of whether or not we were right for their program and institution!

Based on observation, research and analysis, they had identified key data points and attributes that they felt helped them become more effective at student recruitment – and retention!

And they felt it best for them to gather that information as early in the process as possible so they could best leverage their resources and generate a positive return.

What if a prospective student doesn’t want to commit to the interview?  They received emails that provided information about the program and asked them to schedule the interview or answer a short survey or register to attend an open house so they could meet a member of the admission team.

What if a prospective student commits to the interview and provides information that the institution identified as “poor fit” for the program?  They told the prospective student that, based on experience, they might want to pursue other options.

What were the questions?

Some were about organizational skills.  Others about communication skills.  Some were about professional experience in terms of leadership, strategy, operations.  Others were about the level of support they expected to receive from their employer and their family.

All of them addressed issues they had identified from interviewing, surveying and observing successful and unsuccessful students of the program. 

What about your own institution?

The above might be a little extreme for some.  That’s fine.  But you can still have a process where you are asking for and gathering key information about the student so you can determine whether or not the prospective student is likely to succeed.  And that can help you leverage your resources for greater efficiency – meaning you can schedule more personal outreach (phone calls, meetings) with those you feel offer the greatest potential for success.

Remember, your goal is more than enrollments.  And if you want to reach, if not surpass that goal, you are going to have to focus on how you can serve a certain segment of the adult/post-traditional segment – you can’t be all things to all people in that segment. 

And that’s why asking these questions and using the answers to drive your next move is critical.

Sure, it’s going to seem a little strange at first.  We’re talking about how you are going to ask for a lot more information from prospective adult students in order to make sure you have a better understanding of what they need to succeed.

And maybe in some cases to learn that you don’t have what they need at all – and you are going to be better off recommending they go elsewhere.  (Or that you need to develop a new service to address this need!)

But at the end of the day, what we’re recommending is a dialogue where both parties are asking questions in order to make sure the match is there and both parties will benefit from the relationship.

So figure out what you need to know and develop a process for asking those questions, collecting that information and using it to improve recruitment, retention and graduation.

 



Tags: Higher Education Marketing
Category: Higher Education Marketing

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Patrick McGraw is VP of Higher Educaton Marketing Services and has more than 25 years experience in market research, competitive intelligence, business intelligence including database marketing and CRM, strategic planning, brand development and management as well as operations/campaign management. His work has consistently helped his clients and employers develop and implement more efficient ways to attract and retain profitable customers, enter new markets and launch new products. His areas of focus include the education, hospitality, travel and tourism, hi-tech, telecommunications, financial services, and retail industries on both the agency and customer sides.


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Posted by wrbullard on Apr 11th, 2017
Valuable points from Pat about the importance of asking the right question - and how understanding long-term fit is critical for both parties.
Posted by PatrickMcGraw on Apr 11th, 2017
William, thanks for the comments...always happy to see you that you have found value in something we've produced.

Pat
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