Now You're Speaking Their Language!

Today’s Presenter

Will PatchSenior Enrollment Insights Leader, Higher Ed

Sources

> Feedback from over 30,000 students> 2021 Niche Senior Survey> Niche Enrollment Funnel Analyses> Niche and National Student

Clearinghouse data> Previews:

> Class of 2022 Fall Senior Survey> 2021 College Searching Parent Survey

Framework for today:

Relevance

Provide Relevance Over Personalization

Personalization:“The act or process of making a general statement, work, etc., into one that is particular to an individual”

Relevance:“The condition of being relevant, or connected with the matter at hand”

dictionary.com

Why relevance?

Personalized, but not relevant

Hi Will,

Pumpco bike pumps are ideal to fix your flat and get you back on the road fast in Indiana!

Relevant, but not personalized

Get your bike on the road fast with a Pumpco pump!

Personalized and relevant

Hey Will,

Winter is coming. Did you know that we also have indoor bike trainers for those Indiana winters? Let me know if Pumpco can help you stay fit this winter!

7%The share of Class of 2022 students who said that communications from colleges felt very personalized and relevant.

It was 17% for the class of 2021.

Source: Class of 2022 Fall Senior Survey

Amplify Awareness

Say what?!

> They haven’t requested information and might not even know who you are

> Opt-in and qualify them, don’t annoy them> Earn trust and attention> Don’t propose on the first date

Prospects

Referrals

Lookalikes and Cross-Interest Prospects

Prospect Full Funnel Conversion Rates

Source: Niche Enrollment Funnel Analyses

0.3%of prospects overall

1.1%of Niche Cross-Interest Prospects

#Goals

> Build awareness and qualify interest> CTA should be inquiring/engaging> Customize introduction to sourcing> Teach and excite, don’t rush to take high value actions

> Don’t propose on the first date

Entice Engagement

Say what?!

> Consider how they engaged> Inquiry form (Where?)

> New inquiries vs engaged prospects> Segment> Build relationships> Be smart about pushing conversions> Bring in parents

Inquiries

Inquiry Full Funnel Conversion Rates

Source: Niche Enrollment Funnel Analyses

1.6%of inquiries overall

2.3%of recruiting activity inquiries

4.1%of inbound marketing inquiries

11.0%of Niche Qualified Inquiries

Visit Trends2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

0 28% 15% 7% 6% 5% 5%1 21% 18% 15% 15% 14% 15%2 19% 20% 20% 20% 19% 19%3 13% 16% 19% 20% 20% 18%4 6% 9% 11% 12% 12% 12%5+ 12% 22% 27% 27% 30% 32%

Rethink Snap Back to In-Person

> Class of 2022 say they are very likely to…> Visit a campus (45%)> Meet with colleges that visit their school (35%)> Attend a college fair (27%)

Parent Preference Preview

Avg Rank Ranking #1 Ranking top 2

Graduation rate 2.08 28% 70%

Job placement rate 2.16 33% 62%

Acceptance rate 2.77 27% 38%

Retention 2.99 12% 31%

#Goals

> Respond to their entry engagement> Don’t just tell them you’re safe and diverse, show it> Adjust visit expectations> Address costs head-on> Don’t tell them to apply, make them want to

Advance Applicants

Say what?!

> Incomplete comm flow> What’s next?> Stealth apps are high intent inquiries

> Catch them up!> This is the final entry point

Application Trends

2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 20161 11% 15% 14% 14% 14% 12%2 10% 12% 12% 13% 12% 12%3 11% 12% 12% 13% 13% 12%4 9% 10% 11% 12% 11% 11%5+ 59% 51% 52% 48% 50% 53%

Applicants are a layover

> Self-serve hub for materials if possible> Provide timeline for decisions> If they are waitlisted or denied, provide pathways

Two Fronts

> Relational and digital> Leverage remarketing to stay top-of-mind

#Goals

> Treat stealth apps differently> Softer apps need more relational recruiting> Be sticky - Be a connector

> Students> Faculty> Arts and athletics

Ascend Acceptances

Say what?!

> They’re in, but there’s a lot to do> They have options, don’t take it for granted> Address any final fears

Acceptance Trends

2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 20161 16% 20% 19% 21% 19% 17%2 14% 16% 16% 18% 18% 17%3 14% 15% 15% 16% 16% 17%4 12% 12% 12% 12% 13% 12%5+ 44% 37% 36% 31% 32% 35%

#Goals

> Create community> Know how they want contacted> Address must-haves and pain points> Have honest conversations about next steps and how to say

yes or no

Excite Enrollments

Say what?!

> Keep in touch> Connect and build community> Excite them about the coming semester and years

#Goals

> Build a robust plan for preventing melt> Address concerns without forcing them to ask> Very little automation

Submit Questions in Your Chat Window

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By supporting over 27 million students and families, Niche is changing how colleges and universities connect with students and build their future classes.

We enable our more than 2,000 partners to build genuine connections that nurture interest into visits, applications, and enrollment.

About Niche...

Verified Enrollment Report: 4-Year Colleges

HS Class of 2020

Enrolled students were active on Niche.

Enrolled students expressed interest in

their school on Niche.

563k 414k

(in partnership with National Student Clearinghouse)

(Data above reflects the total of 1,603 schools in segment)

Market Segment Overview

1,603Total 4-Year Colleges on Niche

65MNiche Profile Views (2020)

2.4MConnections (Clicks to .edu)

The Verified Enrollment Report reflects the enrollment outcomes

across 4-Year Colleges.

Implied 1st Year Net Rate Revenue from Niche Inquiries

$7.5B

Market Where the Students Are

> Help students discover your school on the #1 college search platform

> Highlight what makes your school unique

Partnering with Niche

Additional Resources & ResearchEnrollment Insights Blog niche.bz/insights

Modern Enrollment Marketing

> Niche Audience Remarketing> Reach students who are actively searching on

the platforms they use most> Drive traffic from your Niche Profile back to

your website

> Niche Inquiry & Prospect Solutions> Connect with Niche for an initial analysis of

your inquiries & prospectsClaim Your Profile

Submitted Questions

Would love to hear your thoughts on text communication with students and how to achieve the right tone. Once a student "opts in" to recieve texts,

how can we make sure we are not being annoying? Do parents want to receive texts from college admissions

offices?

We have a fairly good sense of what our prospects and inquiries want to hear more about through survey

responses that tie directly to their Slate records. I'd love to hear more about effective calls to action that address those topical areas. We often provide blog posts, videos, and/or events as our main CTAs -- what are we missing?

What are other schools offering that area generating strong engagement metrics?

What is the best way to use Niche to help recruit high school students for Pre-College Summer Programs?

Q&AWill PatchSenior Enrollment Insights Leader, Higher Ed

EI Twitter: @Niche_Insights

LinkedIn: Niche

will.patch@niche.com

Twitter: @will_patch