Are you curious as to how students will be admitted without a campus visit or admissions events? What strategies might assist you in obtaining enrollment? The coronavirus has impacted the lives of everyone. Following the outbreak of the pandemic, the concept of daily life has been altered.
To remain in business, everyone is using novel strategies. There are a number of marketing tactics that institutions may use to attract potential students.
Here are a few marketing methods that can assist college enrollment departments in eliciting the greatest reaction from potential students.
When COVID 19 Pandemic Strikes, Here Are 10 Innovative Ways to Keep Students Enrolled in College
1. Text Message
Texting is a great way to keep in touch with students in a casual setting while also giving them the chance to express feedback since it is a two-way conversation.
According to data provided by Admit Hub, the open rate for text messages is 98 percent, while the response rate is 45 percent. Emails, on the other hand, have only a 20% open rate and a 6% response rate.
Through the use of text messages, it is simple to capture the attention of kids.
It is important that the message be concise and go right to the point.
- Send them an e-mail informing them of the registration dates.
If a child refuses to communicate with you over the phone, you can have a one-on-one interaction with them through text messaging instead.
Notification to students when a task is incomplete
Text messages may be used to alert people of tasks that have still to be completed, such as the submission of papers, the completion of an application form, etc.
Students said in one study that text messaging had aided them in finishing an unfinished project.
Students should not be bombarded with unnecessary text messages. If they don’t like it, they may unsubscribe or ban your texts.
3. Call out to the students to get their attention.
Despite the fact that universities and colleges must adhere to all of the requirements of COVID-19 within an hour, they are nevertheless experiencing enrollment-related issues.
You may, however, use your cell phone to resolve enrollment-related issues. Students might be contacted to make deposits and be urged to continue their education.
You may also ask them to provide comments on the school’s curriculum and other activities.
Students will pay attention to registration information if they are contacted more often.
4. Email Marketing
All of our customers in higher education have benefited greatly from our use of relevant emails. COVID-19, on the other hand, has made it mandatory for us to improve our email marketing.
According to the data, email use has risen across all clients in recent weeks. Email open rates have risen from 20% to 41%, click-through rates have remained the same, and unsubscribe rates have dropped to 2%.
People like receiving and reading useful information. Students might be targeted via email marketing.
As a result of the coronavirus’s impact on employment, college students are scrambling to find viable job paths at this time of crisis. Many people in the more conventional professional paths are now willing to reevaluate their plans in order to get a better position. Students’ curiosity might be piqued by sending a placement-related email to universities and colleges. Students who have been successfully placed may even be included in the historical record.
Students are more likely to pay attention to brief information, such as surveys, class times, and topic alternatives. Students will be inspired to take action once they realize they have the power to choose.
You can always narrow down your target audience with communications that are specifically tailored to them. Your email should be tailored to each student’s specific needs (traditional, international, domestic, athlete, scholar, etc.). Each student should get information tailored to their interests, such as activities, clubs, and intramurals.
You’ll see an increase in the open rates of your communications.
5. Social Media
Students are spending more time on social media because they have more time on their hands. These students do more than simply like and share content on social media; they go to the websites of the universities and colleges they want to attend. Teenagers are more glued to their electronic devices as a result of their confinement at home. In addition, they’re eager to go further into the material that is often shared on social networking platforms.
- In order to achieve greater involvement, educational institutions should publish often and the material should be original and relevant to the institution.
- It’s important to keep your audience engaged by posting fresh material and responding to their comments and other forms of interaction.
Students submit images of their campuses and tag them with the names of their colleges and professors they’ve missed. Responding to students’ postings is a great way to get to know them. This sort of information may be used to motivate pupils to show their school spirit and pride.
6. Use of Digital Media and Audit Messages
Universities and colleges are increasingly becoming more interested in and engaged with digital media. As a result, students are taking advantage of the current epidemic to sharpen their abilities and seek out new experiences. They’re submitting scholarship applications and delivering the transcripts you requested a few months ago.
By conducting an audit, you may learn whether your advertising and marketing strategies are on target. Keep an eye on your landing pages to see whether they provide enough content for your intended audience.
In order to direct students to the next stage, your landing pages should have accurate and informative information.
- Plan Online Events
An important part of any effective marketing strategy is organizing campus events and symposiums. During the yield session, even the Corona was disseminated. Even if all of the activities were canceled due to the pandemic, the organizers of these events should not give up. Students and parents are more likely to participate in online activities.
- Quiz-You may set up quizzes on a variety of topics, including academics, social concerns, music, and films. An appealing prize or gift package is often a good incentive for pupils.
Schools may urge students to share pictures of themselves in school uniforms on social media as part of a contest. As a result of students tagging their schools, more people will participate.
It is acceptable for schools to request that their students submit videos or recordings of their musical or dance performances. Students’ competitive spirits will soar if contests are held. Giving them presents or prize money is one way to show your appreciation.
Create a Parenting Professionals Facebook Group.
According to the experts, parents have a major role in determining a student’s college choice. For example, students who provide their parents’ phone numbers to schools and universities are allowing them to be contacted directly by the institutions. As a result, 53% of students say they are more likely to submit their names for college enrolment.
Students’ parents should be contacted when schools receive their application forms.
In order to keep parents informed, universities might launch a Facebook group. The questions they have may be answered by you. The university’s quality of education may also be learned about by talking to other parents.
In order to keep parents informed of their children’s progress, you may set up a WhatsApp group for instructors and kids.
- Ensure the Students’ Confidence
Universities need to strike a delicate balance between COVID-19 and the availability of admissions to students. This issue should not be broached until they discuss it. The autumn semester should be an exciting time for them.
Consider the safety of the pupils while preparing your squad. Give parents reassurance that no matter what happens, their children’s education will not suffer.
As a parent, your children’s safety and fundamental needs come first. Parents are concerned about the well-being of their children when they are away at school. Inform the parents of their children about the safety precautions you are taking and the resources you are making available to them.
1. Customize the Acceptance Process
This will make it apparent to the potential student that the acceptance letter was not created mechanically. Using their program, you may add further information or customized content.
2. Create a website as well as a mobile app.
We all know that pupils are more dependent on technology than they are on their own abilities. Before enrolling, prospective students prefer to learn as much as possible about the universities they’re considering. To fill out the application, people rely more on their mobile devices than they do on desktop computers.
As a result, institutions should create a mobile phone app to go along with their website. It’s important that the mobile app is easy to use and can be changed to fit each user’s needs.
Student interaction is made simple via the use of a mobile app. It’s also possible for someone to view all of your messages at once.
3.The Influence of Others
In order to get students interested in college, you need to employ social evidence.
How to get others to endorse you on social media.
Adding student profiles to your website can give potential students a better idea of what it’s like to be a student at your institution.
Alumnae may provide videos of their college experiences if you ask.
The smartest students in your school may also have one-on-one interaction with you.
10. Launch Student Website
During yield season, the easiest approach to contact with students is via the website of admitted students.
- Conduct a content assessment on the website first.
- Your website should provide vital information about your institutions.
- Provide links that can address all of the potential students’ inquiries.
- The information has to be categorized and mobile-accessible.
Numerous viable strategies for institutions to increase student enrollment
| Method | Usage |
| Use text messages and phone calls | To get input from pupils. |
| Social Media platform | Universities may utilize social media to sell themselves. They have the ability to publish innovative stuff. |
| Online Competitions | Online competitions such as quizzes, dance fights, fashion shows, and so on boost students’ competitive spirit. |
| Email Marketing | Universities may provide material through email. It may also be utilized as a marketing tactic. |
| Parents Group | You may create a group on numerous social media sites to attract the attention of parents. |
| Website and Android/iPhone – Phone Application | You may also answer their questions about the new semester, fees, enrollment, and so forth. |
How might internet marketing help increase student enrollment during COVID-19?
Search Engine Marketing
SEO is the most important component of a successful marketing plan. SEO is all about enhancing your website’s exposure in search engines via its growth. As students look for material on search engines using specific keywords and phrases.
For instance, – Your university is situated in Texas. Use relevant keywords and phrases on your homepage, such as “college in Texas,” “Texas College,” etc., to boost your website’s exposure on search engines.
SEO increases the website’s authority in order to get a better search engine rating. To increase your rating, you may gain a high-quality connection from partners and other firms. This method has a tremendous impact and draws visitors passively.
Pay-Per-Click
Pay-per-click advertising is the most effective strategy for increasing website traffic. You may target certain keywords and phrases to activate ads. Your advertising will display above organic search results if you use PPC. PPC results in immediate audience reach.
When consumers click on your PPC adverts, you must pay a fee. If no one is clicking, you will not be charged a dime. It makes the PPC advertising technique economical.
Content Marketing
You may utilize content marketing to educate college-seeking individuals. Content marketing comprises the use of articles, blogs, photographs, and other media to tell website visitors about your institution.
Material marketing enables you to attract more website visitors by producing interesting and relevant content that appeals to a large audience. It might expose a new audience to your institution.
As soon as your advertising goes up, it will generate website visitors. For instance, you may make a blog post on the “Top 7 colleges in Texas.” When students and parents do a search for this term, your blog will appear as the result. After reading this response, people may explore the other blogs and the rest of your website’s material. It may encourage them to complete the enrollment paperwork for their child.
Conclusion
Coronavirus has altered our way of life and taken a toll on our existence. Educational institutions have been using novel admissions strategies. The greatest approach to reach the most parents and students is via social media. I think this essay will give institutions with innovative approaches to combat this epidemic and increase admissions.