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When it comes to recruiting students, we suggest you borrow tactics from the dating scene. Intrigued? Read on!
As we anticipate the end of the Coronavirus pandemic, the push for securing accepted Seniors and attracting current Juniors will be in full force. To make these efforts more effective, we suggest a perspective that mirrors courtship, i.e. winning someone’s heart.
Imagine a freshman guy eager to find himself a girlfriend when he arrives to campus (I’m sure this isn’t hard to do!).
How does he get his first phone number? Does he hand out a dozen roses, or even a single rose, for EVERY girl on campus? Of course not! Long before he finds that “special lady” he’ll be broke. He starts by getting to know people and then focuses on girls whose interests and goals match his.
So, in recruitment, don’t blow your budget in the ‘getting to know you phase.’ As a student’s interests, goals and dreams match up with your university’s culture, academics and vision you obviously take the next steps of recruitment.
In courtship, after a relationship has been started and mutual interest is building, when are the most critical touchpoints?
Those are times you communicate how much you care. Groundhogs Day, however, would probably not make that list. A gift for Groundhogs day will probably do little to ‘win the girl over’! (especially if you used your Valentine’s budget!).
Prioritize Touchpoints:
As we reviewed the critical touchpoints in courtship, what are the critical touchpoints in recruitment?
Don’t worry- I’m not saying all of these events require promo! But all points need evaluated and prioritized as touchpoints. Summer melt in recruitment can be devastating. It bears some resemblance to time spent apart while dating, time where “she may wonder if you’ve forgotten about her.” In the same way, summer time creates a gap in the recruitment relationship.
Courtship can solve this by:
So developing important touchpoints from acceptance to enrollment is critical.
History has also clearly shown that saving as much of your promo dollars as possible for the bottom of the recruitment funnel typically results in increased matriculation rates.
In addition, as was mentioned in our recent blog series, schools that use the campus visit as a key time for a building ties with students, making it a “Disney-like event,” and using promo to help reinforce those ties have seen enrollment rates of 80%+ and even 90%+ of those who visited their campus.
In Summary:
Take time to list all of your touchpoints in detail. Which ones matter most? Which ones can 'capture the heart'? Prioritize - list them in order of importance.
And then, and ONLY then are we ready to go through the budging process. We'll cover that next week!
In Coming Weeks – Best Tips for Budgeting, Best Tips in Selecting Promo, and finally Top Tips for Best Courtship Promo.
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