14 ways to reinvigorate your adult student recruiting ... · 14 ways to reinvigorate your adult...

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White Paper

14 Ways to Reinvigorate Your Adult Student Recruiting Strategies1

Dr. Robert (Bob) A. Sevier Today’s adult students have an unparalleled number and array of educational options. As a result, many programs that once successfully recruited adult students are facing enrollments that have plateaued, or even fallen. We prepared this white paper to help those colleges that want to reinvigorate their adult recruiting strategies. Of course, many of the recommendations contained herein would help any college that wants to grow enrollment. Here is an outline of what we will cover:

1. Create robust student profiles 2. Refine your academic program mix 3. Assess current marketing and

recruiting practices 4. Gain critical understanding 5. Answer the essential question 6. Segment for maximum impact 7. Streamline your communication flow 8. Be predictive 9. Develop an adult-centric website 10. Generate leads like a pro 11. Refine your social media strategy 12. Refine your SEO strategies 13. Unleash the power of student-to-

student recruiting 14. Don’t forget transfer students

1Originally published at Stamats.com.

SEVIER+STRATEGIC


But first… Before we start, it is important to recognize that reinvigorating an adult student recruiting program often requires rethinking existing approaches and considering new strategies. If your leadership team is wedded to old practices, resistant to acting on marketplace data, or is highly resistant to change, then there is little likelihood that any of the ideas outlined in this paper will prove impactful. There is, of course, another reality that must be acknowledged: many programs are in difficulty because necessary and routine investments in research, marketing, program development, financial aid, and staffing were not made. As a result, programs that were once vibrant have become moribund or increasingly out of touch with how this generation of adult students think of themselves, as well as with their motivations and their use of media. Much like attending to a list of deferred maintenance items, dollars will be required to bring your programs and recruiting strategies up to a competitive level. Remember, hope is not a strategy. Some marketing truths It is interesting to us how many colleges and universities continue to debate issues related to adult student marketing and recruiting that are well settled in the data. For example, we know with certainty that adult students:

Define quality with a strong emphasis on cost

Consider secondary, but also important, definitions of quality to include convenience, flexibility, and time to completion

Are program-driven

Are very outcomes-oriented

Are more interested in shorter terms than longer terms

Are more often interested in commodity buys than brand buys

Seek hybrid educational experiences that include both online and face-to-face experiences

Value opportunities to participate in small group/cohort models

Equate faculty quality and their availability and their real-world experience These truths will help guide the comments below.


1. Create robust student profiles An essential first step in invigorating your recruiting strategies is developing a deep understanding of not only who enrolls, but who persists on to degree or program completion. Developing this deep understanding involves creating a robust student profile with four elements:

Demographic

Psychographic

Program format

Reach The demographic profile answers the question, who are our students? As such, it considers gender, ethnicity, household income, location, distance from college, current educational status, academic preparedness, etc. This information is especially important for identifying potential list sources. The psychographic profile answers the question, why are students interested in returning to school? This profile is interested in student motivations for college, fears and reservations, and expected benefits. This information will help guide your communication strategies. The program format profile answers the question, what kinds of programs are students interested in? It looks at academic interests, desired program formats, preferred delivery options, and program length. This information will influence program design. The reach profile helps you identify the best way to attract or reach these students. This profile addresses such issues as media and channel preferences, optimal recruiting strategies, influencers, and even recruiting windows. This information will help guide the creation of your recruiting communication plan. As noted in strategy 6, below, you should create a robust profile for each major adult student segment. However, if creating profiles is a new strategy to you, we suggest that you begin with one or two profiles. As you become more adept, add profiles of major student groups.

Program Format

We know a great deal about the program formats of most interest to adult students. For example, adult students prefer:

Required courses are offered at times convenient to them

Shorter semesters and quarters—eight weeks is becoming the standard

Hybrid offerings that include a mixture of online and face-to-face courses

The opportunity to join a cohort group


2. Refine your academic program mix An academic portfolio that is differentiated from your competitors and in demand by your students is your most important strategic asset. Creating such a portfolio typically involves two tasks:

Evaluating existing programs

Identifying new programs Evaluating existing programs First, let’s look at evaluating your existing programs. Oddly, this is both easy and difficult. IPEDS and other data sources will easily provide demand trends. Politically, however, the issue becomes more complicated, especially when data clearly shows a drop in demand for a specific program. Some faculty and administrators are highly resistant to the idea that some programs are no longer viable. As such, they prefer to look at enrollment declines not as problems with the program, but as problems with how the program is marketed. While there may well be marketing issues that can be addressed, all the marketing in the world will not build long-term enrollment when demand is falling. When demand drops, careful thought must be given to the program’s long-term efficacy. However, an evaluation of existing programs involves more than demand. In fact, the model we use looks at four dimensions:

Quality

Current and long-term demand

Cost

Revenue This kind of evaluation results in a typology that distributes your programs into quadrants:

Higher demand/higher quality programs

Higher demand/lower quality programs

Lower demand/higher quality programs

Lower demand/lower quality programs The evaluation of each program also includes a comparison of program costs to program revenue generation.


As you can imagine, this analysis offers immediate insights into which programs you might consider eliminating and which programs warrant further investment. Identify new programs Refining your program mix will likely involve identifying new academic programs. When we work with clients on new programs we actually use a template that looks at four key issues:


Strategic fit—does the program make sense institutionally?

Economic fit—do the economic requirements and realities of the program make sense?

Marketplace demand—is there clear data that projects near and long-term demand?

Promotion/marketing requirements—do we understand how to market this program?

In addition to making sure that all key issues are covered, using a consistent template for new programs offers one more benefit: it allows the easy comparison of potential programs so the best possible decision can be made.

3. Assess current marketing and recruiting practices One of the best ways to improve future adult recruiting efforts is to assess current recruiting strategies and methods to make sure you are aligned with best practices. In particular, you want to look at how your adult marketing and recruiting strategies perform in the areas of:

Marketing o Audience segmentation o Brand o Lead generation o Direct marketing o Web strategy including SEM o Social media strategy o Communication flow

Customer service including prospect and inquiry response time

Staffing

Application process

Territory management

Use of technology

Territory management

Use of mROI (measuring return on investment) strategies

Even the most basic recruiting assessment will likely uncover opportunities to improve efficiencies and increase performance.

The Big Four As noted earlier, while there are many variables that adult students consider when choosing a school or a program, the four primary drivers are:

Cost

Convenience

Flexibility

Time to completion If we added a fifth item to the list it would be, for many students, advising. Data suggests that academic and career advising are of increasing interest to adult students. If adult students do not believe that your program offers a better option than those offered by your competitors, they will not enroll.


4. Gain critical understanding Earlier, we outlined how to use research to evaluate existing academic programs. We also know that research will be required to help complete the robust student profile we discussed at the opening of this white paper. At this time we suggest that you routinely undertake four additional research studies to gain critical marketplace insight. The studies include:

A nonmatriculant study

A competitor analysis

A social media buzz analysis

A market demand study A nonmatriculant study will help you identify the reasons some students apply, are accepted, and choose not to enroll. Considering the resources you have invested in these students, understanding what happened at the end of the funnel is of paramount significance. In many cases, adult students are considering other programs in addition to yours. This is why it is always important to undertake periodic competitor assessments2 that include:

Program offerings

Program format

Program cost including financial aid

Enrollment data (longitudinal)

Identification of program distinctives

Time to degree

Marketing and recruiting expenditures

Marketing and recruiting strategies It is also important to secret shop your competitors. Where appropriate, this should include visiting their campus. This is especially important if you have administrators and faculty who do not have firsthand experience with competing institutions. Next, you should undertake a social media buzz analysis. Importantly, this analysis is not a review of how you project yourself on social media. Rather, it is an analysis of what people are 2Some colleges struggle with identifying their true competitors. We suggest that you focus on those schools and programs where you 1) have significant overlap and 2) win as many of these cross apps as you lose.

A Fifth Study While this paper focuses on recruiting adult students, we believe that it is critically important to discover why students withdraw or stop out. For this reason we recommend a withdrawing student survey. While there may be myriad reasons, you may also discover some consistent systemic issues that can be addressed and thereby improve retention and student persistence.


saying about you on such channels as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, SnapChat, LinkedIn, Google+, Vine, and others. Ideally, your research into the social media habits of your adult students will help you identify the platforms of most interest. Finally, undertake a market demand study and examine:

Number of prospective students that fit your profiles that are in your marketplace

College or adult degree-completion going rates

Program interest

Issues related to cost and ability to pay

Job trends and employer needs

5. Answer the essential question Earlier we mentioned that adult students will position your program as either a brand buy or a commodity buy. Understanding the difference between the two is critically important. Equally important is correctly identifying the category in which your programs fit. Brand buy programs are more likely sold on quality and prestige. In most cases, these programs attract students who have greater ability, loftier expectations, and more options. These students want to work with faculty who are well-credentialed and well-regarded. They are very career oriented, and are somewhat less cost sensitive. They are willing to make the commitment to a full-time program. Accreditation is important. Commodity programs are sold on cost and convenience. Students interested in these programs are very price sensitive and are more likely to work while attending school. The faculty who teach these students are more likely to be adjunct and often bring real-world experience to the classroom. Accreditation is less important. A big danger occurs when deans and faculty leaders insist they have a brand program when their program is really perceived as a commodity. In many cases, there is more ego at play than strategy. Remember, students, through their buying behavior, affirm whether you are a brand buy or a commodity buy.


Identifying your program as a brand when it is not will lead to a cascade of mistakes. First, you will likely ignore or downplay enrollment trends and marketplace data. Second, you will establish a price point for your program that is too high. Third, there will be a temptation to believe that all your recruiting challenges can be addressed through better marketing. David Fant, president of Market Mapping Plus,3 reminds us that differentiating between brand and commodity marketing is critical for two other reasons. First, it will influence the kind of prospect list you buy or develop. Second, it will have a dramatic impact on the offer you make when communicating to prospective students. The table below outlines a handful of key issues in which students interested in brand buys differ from students interested in commodity buys.

Brand buys Commodity buys

Students are less price sensitive.

Students are less concerned about time to degree.

Accreditation is valued.

More likely to attend full time

Attend classes during the day

Value full-time, well-credentialed faculty

Research-based

Placement is important.

Students are more price sensitive.

Time to degree is a major issue.

Accreditation plays less of a role.

More likely to attend part time

Attend classes late afternoon, evenings, and weekends

Value faculty with real-world experience

Practical/experiential based

Placement is critical.

Chances are, you are a commodity buy. Recognizing this reality will have a dramatic and positive impact on your ability to recruit students.

6. Segment for maximum impact At a recent conference on recruiting adult students, we asked how many attendees were using a segmentation strategy. Only about a third were. The other two thirds were failing to use a basic and highly effective marketing tool.

3David can be reached at [email protected].


Segmentation involves defining and subdividing a large heterogeneous market into clearly identifiable segments having similar needs, wants, or demand characteristics. From a marketing perspective, the goal is smaller segments that are definable, accessible, actionable, and have potential for growth. For example, a large population of prospective adult students might be subdivided into smaller groups according to:

Student age

Gender

Ethnicity

Academic interests

Postsecondary experience

Program format preferences

Career interests

Employment status

Household income

Michelle Green, director of marketing at the University of Illinois–Springfield, notes that opportunities for segmentation have increased due to the highly targeted nature of digital marketing. In fact, she says, university marketers can answer the question “Can I do an ad campaign for my degree program?” with a qualified yes. The bonus is that it forces departments to identify their various audiences, where they are, and what they want to hear. That’s especially important when recruiting adult students. A couple of reminders about segmentation First, segmentation not only allows, but demands, that you develop customized recruiting/messaging strategies for each major segment. If you don’t have the ability to customize messages, then a segmentation strategy might not be the best use of your time and dollars. Second, begin small. If you are new to segmentation, we suggest that you go with one or two segments to begin. After you have gained some experience, slowly expand the number of segments. Third, as noted earlier, each segment will require customization and that this customization is built on research. Take another look at the robust student profiles presented at the beginning of this paper. In particular, you need to understand not only the media and channel preferences of each segment, but the program and college-choice characteristics these students value most. Segmentation is not marketing theory; it is basic marketing fact. Done well, segmentation always increases marketing effectiveness.

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7. Streamline your communication flow Few strategies will have a more immediate and positive impact on your recruiting efforts than the creation of a communication sequence map. A communication sequence map is a longitudinal look at the entire flow of communication—print, direct mail, email, phone, social, campus visit, and advertising—between your program and a prospective student. By assessing and then refining the entire communication flow en masse, message integration is increased, efficiencies and effectiveness are improved, redundancies are eliminated, and the ability to track ROI is enhanced. 8. Be predictive Predictive models are based on a statistical profile that identifies the combinations of student characteristics and student actions that lead to, or predict, enrollment. As such, a model will help you:

Identify and target students that are a better institutional or program fit

Direct dollars to students more likely to persist and thereby reduce marketing and recruiting expenditures

Build more robust student profiles (segments)

Increase your ability to predict conversion rates and enrollment

Build enrollment

Importantly, predictive models are dynamic. As you learn more about your students and their behaviors, the effectiveness of the model improves. Predictive models also learn.

The Language of Value Value has two dimensions. First, there’s the voice of value. In other words, who should convey the value message? Our recommendation? Current and recent students are highly believable. The second issue is the content of the value message. The answer is in a simple acrostic: F-B-O, or features, benefits, and outcomes. While colleges love to list features, most adult students are thinking benefits and outcomes. From their perspective, they want to know how a feature will benefit them. In the final analysis, they are interested in outcomes. They want to know how that feature will deliver the outcome they envision.


9. Develop an adult-centric website In most cases, adult students look at your site in two ways. First, they want to know that the site contains the information they need and that this information is easy to find. Second, adults wants to get a sense from your site that they are valued. At the very least, this requires that your adult recruiting site feature:

Fast facts about your academic programs

Scheduling information, especially term length and calendar starts

A clear road map to completion with easily understood progress markers

Cost before and after a typical aid package

Information about the amount, composition, and source of financial aid

Transfer information

Graduation requirements

Advising information

Accreditation information

Information for veterans

Information on key faculty

Outcome/career information

Testimonies from other adult students (video is best)

A simple and easy-to-complete application form At the same time, your site must:

Be responsive (run on multiple platforms)

Have content that is current, of high quality, and dynamic (interactive)

Be interactive and emotive

Optimized for SEO

Have a clear call to action at multiple levels

Be tied graphically to the primary, institutional site

Feature a dynamic and intuitive CRM system

Evaluating Your Website

Here are five ways to evaluate or improve the effectiveness of your website: 1. Evaluate your site using

Google or other analytic software.

2. Create an adult student web advisory team to help guide the building of your site.

3. Compare key features of your site against the sites of your top four or five competitors.

4. Search the web for “best practices” for an adult student site.

5. Conduct a comprehensive web audit.


Earlier we mentioned that a site must engage students. One great strategy is incorporating a chat feature. Jeff Felman, executive vice president of JetSpring,4 notes that when chat is added as an additional form of communication, not only is that school providing another method of communication to the student, but it is also collecting information about that student to add to their prospect profile. Our best practice is to collect at least a name and email address of every prospective student that chats so that they can be re-engaged during the recruitment process. Bob Patterson, vice president of student success at Chegg,5 notes that while adult learners are unique in their needs during the application and enrollment process, it's important to realize that they do approach their college search similar to their consumer searches. This means that online channels (particularly your .edu and your social media presence across multiple channels) need to have information that is relevant and easy to find for them. Otherwise you stand to lose your shot at recruitment before they even reach out for more information or apply. One final reminder: Successful adult recruiting websites consistently have content of high value to adult students and at every opportunity seek to build a relationship between the prospective student and the program.

10. Generate leads like a pro Central to enrollment success is your ability to generate a sufficient number of qualified leads and then convert those leads to inquiring and matriculating students. In all cases, we recommend a lead generation strategy that integrates, or blends, both online media and more traditional media. However, keep in mind that your audiences decide what channels are important to them, not you.

4Jeff can be contacted at [email protected]. 5Bob can be reached at [email protected].

Understand the Recruiting Four-Step

While the technology of student recruiting might change, the steps remain inviolate. First, identify the kinds of students you want. Second, determine where they live. Third, build a brand in their hearts and minds. Fourth, recruit.

mailto:[email protected]


To make the idea of lead generation a bit more approachable, we opted to look at lead generation through two lenses:

Online lead-generation strategies

Traditional lead-generation strategies Online lead-generation strategies Nationally, the quality of online leads is going down while the cost of leads is going up. This is due, in large part, to an increasing number of colleges and programs chasing the same adults, using the same two channels (Google and Bing), and placing ads that feature the same keywords. Because of this, it is of paramount importance that you follow best practices in online lead generation so you can achieve the greatest possible gains. To enhance your online lead-generation strategy, we suggest that you:

Evaluate the lead-generation strategies of your competitors. Look at their key words

and associated ads and ad placement. Determine if they are differentiating themselves

in their advertising or using a broader strategy.

Conduct a careful evaluation of your existing lead-generation strategies. In particular,

look at:

o Total budget and daily/weekly/monthly spend rate

o Impressions: The number of times an ad has been displayed based upon either a

user’s search within the search network or based upon the content found on a

page for a site that is part of the GDN (Google display network). This gives you a

sense for the market demand for the keyword, but not necessarily the program

you’ve associated with it—it is your opportunity pool.

o Click-through-rate (CTR): This is the number of clicks divided by the number of

impressions. In regards to what it means within the context of AdWords, CTR can

be a more complicated metric. Determining a good CTR is all relative to the

campaign itself, the competition, budget, ad position, ad copy, value of a lead,

etc. If you are confident in your keyword choices, it can indicate how well your

ad resonates with your audience—A/B testing ads based on CTR performance is

one of the most effective ways to improve campaign performance.


o Average cost per click (CPC): The amount of money spent divided by the number

of clicks. The CPC for an ad is always changing due to several factors that come

into play when Google is determining which ads to display. Some of these factors

can include competition, relevancy, and most importantly, bid max CPC. CPC for

graduate program keywords is very high compared to other markets. Don’t be

shocked by prices from $12 to $65/click on

competitive keywords.

o Average position: This is the average rank position of an ad on the page. Several

factors come into play when it comes to average position, such as the bid

amount for the ad, the relevancy of the ad in regards to the search term and

prior performance, just to name a few. It’s important to be in the top five

positions on the page to gain attention for your ad. Positions one, two, and three

appear above the organic results on desktop computers, and positions four and

five are at the top of the right-hand column of advertising. Sometimes, a

position-four ad offers more exposure than a position-three ad. On mobile

devices the ad exposure drops to two primary ads per search results page.

Because of the competitive nature here, Google has provided segmentation of

your advertising bids for mobile, allowing you to allocate funds differently

between mobile and desktop to ensure visibility.

o Quality score: Each keyword is given a score for quality—quality score factors in

the keyword relevance, ad copy relevance, landing page relevance, historical

CTR, competition, and whatever else they are testing at the moment. Google

rewards relevant, quality advertising with both a higher position on the search

page and lower costs than your competition. Maintaining high-quality scores on

all of your advertising is one of the best strategies to control campaign costs.

To market your specific programs we suggest the following:

Recognize that each campaign will require a separate, mobile-friendly landing page.

And different ad groups within a campaign might also benefit from targeted landing

pages and A/B tests of page content.

Involve your audiences. Show them potential messages, ads, and landing pages and ask

for their input. Create prospective-student and current-student surveys to gain more

qualitative insight.

Recognize that each program and student segment will likely have a different lead-

generation strategy. Develop content that best meets their needs.

Create a set of metrics relevant to your situation and your recruitment funnel so you can consistently gauge performance and monitor lead-generation costs.

Audit your high-level sales-oriented web pages on a monthly or even weekly basis to identify opportunities for improvement.

Pay particular attention to the source and cost of those leads that actually matriculate.


Examine assisted conversion channels along key conversion paths. Adjust marketing investments and content marketing tactics to boost conversions and stay relevant with your audience.

Ensure that the most common conversion goals such as RFI, Visit, and Apply are properly set up within your Analytics accounts. Then, look more in depth at the student journey from start to end, including set up of micro-level tracking events (file downloads, call tracking, video plays, and more) (Switch to Universal Analytics if you’re using Google Analytics now [it will be required soon].), and use that as an opportunity to evaluate goals and event tracking.

Utilize heat mapping tools like CrazyEgg, ClickTale, and Google Analytics (Find it under Behavior > In-Page Analytics.) to help visualize your data and visitor engagement.

Traditional lead-generation strategies There is no shortage of options for using traditional media and channels to generate leads, and many of these options can be and should be carefully integrated into your overall lead-generation strategy. Again, however, we strongly suggest that research into the media habits and channel preferences of your prospective students serve as a guide. Consider, for example:

Traditional direct mail, especially postcards. The key will be the quality of the compiled list and how quickly you can convert it into a response list.

Program-specific rather than institutional advertising

Referral strategies (similar to but not limited to the student-to-student strategy outlined at the close of this article)

Word-of-mouth marketing

Telemarketing, especially when integrated with other types of marketing

Public relations and publicity

Special events

Advertorials

Feature stories in community newspapers and company newsletters

E-newsletters to influencers

Inserts in newspapers and regional magazines

Sponsorships

Co-branding

Exhibiting One final reminder: It is important to build a brand among your student segments before you

undertake lead generation. It is worth noting that this recommendation is important regardless

of whether you are taking the online, traditional, or blended approach to lead generation.


11. Refine your social media strategy An effective social media strategy involves the deliberate and careful use of social media to build engagement and generate interest in your programs. Most often, this means using the same social media channels and platforms assessed as part of the buzz analysis mentioned earlier as one component of your research array. Many practitioners use social media much like they would the hometown news release. In most cases, this is a mistake. Rather than disseminating on social media, you must engage on social media. This means dialogue over time. Instead of one-and-done stories, it is about creating relationships and community. Ideally, this strategy centers around your current and former students. Building program reputation around student success is critical. Another important aspect of a social media strategy is reputation guarding. This involves carefully listening to the marketplace (again, the buzz analysis), engaging where appropriate in the conversation, and learning when and when not to respond to detractors. As part of reputation guarding don’t tell, don’t sell, and don’t yell. Rather, talk with people, engage, and keep the conversation moving forward. With these goals in mind, here are some recommendations for enhancing your social media strategy:

Hire trained professionals to manage your social

media accounts. Throwing current students at it is

not sufficient. There is a big difference between

running a social channel and managing your online

identity. Managing relationships with these portals

should be of the highest priority and should be the

responsibility of a more senior-level member of

your team. Or, if you must use students, identify

students that you are willing to train and trust to

help manage and post to your social channels.

Schedule and plan your social media calendar at

least one month in advance. This includes creating weekly themes and KPI’s or intended

results. Then fill in the gaps with on-the-fly posts.

Include known events in your calendar (such as Homecoming and the events leading up to it) while at the same time leaving room for what crops up in current events, and the unexpected.

Do not spread your resources too thin on social media; focus more on doing one or two

platforms really well than trying to have a presence everywhere. Use Instagram,

Snapchat, Vine, and Pinterest only if you have the manpower.

Create or Curate

In most cases, user-generated content is more engaging and believable than institution-generated content. This means that your marketing efforts will likely involve curating content rather than creating content.


Show restraint. Just because prospective adult students are using various texting platforms to communicate with their peers (such as YikYak, WhatsApp, etc.) doesn’t mean they find it an appropriate means for communicating with a college.

Continually measure the results of your posts to determine what is resonating with your audience and what is not.

Use #hashtags appropriately. ID your school, special events, and relevant trending topics. (A graduate writer’s program could pick up on the popular #amwriting.)

Strategically use hashtags to build your audience sizes. Implementing trending hashtags helps to build your audience of like-minded social media users.

Reach a wider audience with Facebook’s promoted posts paid feature.

Use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn advertising targeting parameters and news feed

retargeting to boost conversions.

Use photos and videos in your posts to increase engagement.

Scan your campus for content to recycle from various departments. Admissions, planning and placement, and alumni affairs are great places to start.

Give students the option to send in their ideas for future posts; this might include

photos or videos they shoot.

Actively listen and respond to comments in a timely manner.

Observe social data to understand your audience and improve your overall content

marketing strategies. For example, use social analytics tools like Topsy to monitor your

social influencers and uncover new opportunities.

Use tools like Google Hangouts and Twitter chat to conduct student interviews, stream

live events, and more.

Jami Hornbuckle, associate vice president for communications and marketing at Morehead State University, notes that some marketers are reluctant to measure the impact of social media. She says that rather than fearing the data, they should embrace it. She goes on to say that data from social media campaigns gives you cost-effective, actionable insights into your adult market. You can find out who they are, where they are, when they are most engaged, and what messages appeal to them most. Using that information, you can strengthen your tactics across more traditional channels.

12. Refine your SEO strategies Many people use the terms SEM (search engine marketing) and SEO (search engine optimization) interchangeably. In doing so, they overlook their potential impact. To help remedy the situation, let’s take a minute to explain the two. Search engine marketing involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPS) through optimization and advertising. SEM includes SEO tactics, as well as several other search marketing tactics.


Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine. Our interest at this point is enhancing your SEO strategies to help you more effectively recruit adult students. Creating relevant and valuable content that answers a user’s needs and/or direct question is an important tactic for high SEO placement today. It is useful to maintain fresh, quality content on your website marketing pages and any page where you want the search engines to find you. This means you need strategic writing and regular review of that content. In other words, invest in the services of a marketing-trained writer rather than the disinterested department admin or another intern. In addition to content development, there are supplemental strategies that help the search engine spiders find and evaluate your website that need your attention. These strategies are changing continually; we learn from hubspot.com that they typically involve:

Incorporating selective keyword naturally into title tags, meta descriptions, heading tags, alt text, etc.

Clean and properly formatted page URLs that do not appear as duplicates due to appended variables

Optimized page load speed and error-free site structure Social sharing integration within your content and promotion of key pages on social

media channels Inbound links from relevant partner and high-authority sites

13. Unleash the power of student-to-student recruiting

Student-to-student recruiting involves using current or recent students to help you identify and recruit new students. This strategy is ideal for smaller programs or programs that are looking for very specific individuals. In most cases, this strategy has three steps. First, identify current or former students who have or are having a great experience with the program. Ideally, these students are at the nexus of a social hub; they have a circle of people they can talk to, and they are influential.

Prior Learning Experience While the research is somewhat unclear about how much adult students value recognition for prior learning and life experience, we do know the following:

Used judiciously, prior learning assessments (PLAs) can positively impact both enrollment and retention.

Your overall strategy for assessing prior learning experience must be closely tied to your transfer and student retention strategies.


This step also involves identifying a reward system for these students. We know that this can be a real gray area. In some cases schools, for a number of reasons, are prohibited from or are wary of using cash. At the same time, gift cards or discounts in the book store might be appropriate. Other students will simply be motivated by the positive experiences they have had. Finally, we know that current students can use this experience as a valuable resume builder. Your best option is to work with your students to identify what motivates them and then develop an appropriate, reasonable, and sustainable reward system. Second, train and motivate these students. Equip them with FAQs, case studies, and program specifics. Ask them to engage with the institution on social media by encouraging them to associate as alumni on LinkedIn and join any alumni groups or pages you manage—give them rights to post or lead discussions if they are so inclined. Also, give them an inside person that they can talk to or refer students to. Third, close the loop. Let them know when a student they refer takes the next step and inquires, applies, or even matriculates.


14. Don’t forget transfer students The transfer market is hot, and there is no evidence that it will decline any time soon. While all adult programs may not be appropriate for transfer students, we suspect that many programs would benefit from and could easily achieve more transfer success. Generally, a successful transfer recruiting program involves:

A top-down commitment to transfer students

A powerful and knowledgeable transfer coordinator

A written transfer recruiting plan that is well-resourced (staff, budget)

A deep understanding of the unique information, social, and educational needs of transfer students

Creating an adult student transfer team including transfer students

Availability of financial aid

A transfer-friendly web page

A meaningful orientation program for transfer students

Strong advising programs

Quick approval of credits and life experience

Mentor programs

Develop “friendly” articulation agreements with feeder schools and programs One important strategy is having current transfer students assess their transfer experience. This insider view will have a positive and almost immediate impact on your transfer strategies.


Wrap

We’ve come a long way in a few pages and chances are there are more ideas here than you can

reasonably adopt. As you consider which strategy or strategies to adopt first, we suggest that

you consider using a pay-off matrix. This will help you identify, given your specific context,

which strategies are easiest to implement and will have the greatest impact.

-30- Dr. Robert (Bob) Sevier can be reached at [email protected] SEVIER+STRATEGIC is a higher education strategic planning and integrated marketing consultancy. Our website is www.sevierstrategic.com. We work in the following areas:

Board and staff workshops and training One-day intensives on specific issues and

problems Strategy development including visioning

and strategic planning Brand development Image and perception studies

Tuition pricing elasticity studies Integrated marketing and brand

communication audits, strategies, and plans Identification of new and assessment of

existing academic programs

Go to www.sevierstrategic.com/writing for other blogs and white papers on topics ranging from visioning, strategic planning, leadership, and integrated marketing.

mailto:[email protected]

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Master Student Profile

Adult Student Segment: _______________________________________

Demographic profile:

Gender

Ethnic

HH income

Employment status

How they will pay for college

Types/amount of financial aid

Avg driving distance/Avg drive time

Geodemographic profile

Psychographic profile:

Primary motivators for returning to/going to college

Anticipated benefits/outcomes

Fears and reservations

Program profile: Majors of most interest

Program length

Program delivery

Reach profile: Who influences them

What social media they follow/participate in

What traditional media they follow/listen to/view

What marketing strategies they respond to most

What lists capture their name/address/interest

14 ways to reinvigorate your adult student recruiting ... · 14 ways to reinvigorate your adult...

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