BlogDigital Marketing / Inbound Marketing

Way to Increase College Enrolment Online

By Riya Arora
November 14, 2017

According to a study (1), over 50% of the colleges will go out of business by 2030, which is obviously a scary stat. In past few years, with the advent of online education, the traditional education mediums have taken a severe hit. The sheer degree of change that the education sector has observed in recent times is nothing short of revolutionary. Access to information, change in gender ratio, diversity of students, technological advancements and increasing competition are just a few of the many factors that are affecting the industry. With so many changes going around, institutes feel a dire need to revamp their educational marketing strategies, so that they can improve their enrolment ratio. The primary process of higher education marketing is a two-step process: a.) Create awareness to attract students and parents towards an institute b.) Transform the enquires into successful enrolments While many colleges that are adopting these changes, and leveraging the digital platforms to reach out to their TG right where they are supposed to be. However, the conversion rate of enquires to enrolments is still an issue that simply can’t be ignored. Just promoting the college campus and facilities is not going to work, and colleges must consider other factors like demographics and the financial circumstances of students.

Here’s a list of strategies that can help improve the conversion rate:

1. Fix a number

This is the most crucial step in deciding the marketing strategy, budget and other aspects of any campaign. It is highly recommended to set your expectations and goals beforehand, and failing to do so will lead to institutes spending more resources for virtually no rewards. These goals are not just about numbers, it must also include aspects like the sex ratio of students and geographical reach.

2. Analyse and list down the resources to meet your enrolment expectations

Marketers/college authorities need to make a call and decide the limit when it comes to the resources they want to spend on achieving their enrollment targets. You don’t want to spend all your resources just to reach a target and then end up with nothing for other aspects of your business.

3. Develop both short and long-term plans

Yes, it is important to focus on the present and work on achieving your targets, but it also important to set a bigger goal as well. It is important to develop a realistic strategic plan for a set number of years, and plan out a course of development for your institute. Without a bigger picture in your mind, the smaller ones will fizzle out in the long run.

4. Mark your presence everywhere

Having a presence on digital platforms is more than a requirement now; if you’re not on Facebook, then you’re just outdated. Make sure your institute is present on every platform where your TG is visible. A strong interactive website, an informative Twitter account, an up-to-date Facebook page, and blogs to educate the audience is something that you simply can’t miss out on if you want to win the race.

5. Offer early decision benefits

Confirmations, early bird discounts, and getting a desirable accommodation near a particular college are just a few of the reasons why some students focus on getting enrolled early in colleges. Institutions that don't offer such early bird attraction points or activities are losing a lot of potential business.

6. Influence parents

If there is anyone else that an institute must target other than students, it’s definitely the parents. Colleges must market themselves such in a way that parents can resonate with them and understand the potential of the educational institution in question.

7. Encourage communities

The more the students interact, the greater is the buzz generated for the institute. Creating Facebook groups, communities, and alumni networks for students to communicate with each other is a great way to engage students and improve the bonding between them. Especially now, when students are active on social media platforms more than ever, every conversation on a digital platform about your college can be used to market yourself better.

8. Create surprising experiences

The ultimate hack to keep anyone engaged is to make them feel special. When you make an effort to do something special for someone, then they’re bound to appreciate it. If a college works to give something beneficial to students and parents that they never expected, then it creates an affinity towards your brand in their minds, and they’ll undoubtedly spread the word about something like this. And let’s face it – no publicity is greater than word of mouth.

9. Track your marketing and recruiting activities

One mistake that most of the educational institutes make is that they don’t measure the metrics of their marketing campaigns. However, you’ll soon realize that when you start measuring these metrics, then you’ll get a firm grip on what is working in favor of the institute, and what’s nothing more than a waste of resources. If you’re a college that’s just looking to improve the enrolment rate, then we recommend you to consider the strategies mentioned above for a successful turnaround. Of course, these are just some tricks that pretty much any institute can apply, and if you want to improve the reach and visibility of your brand then you can visit here to properly understand how to make your strategies work.