By Maliha Safiullah
Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-and-girl-standing-in-front-of-computer-screen-7742832/
Most schools rely on tuition fees and state support to run their business and pin their hope on getting a high number of enrollments all year round. In order to sustain fast-growing student enrollments, it is essential to retain previous pupils while inviting new students on board. Improved student enrollment strategies need a highly coordinated effort integrated with the latest digital approaches.
Here are seven highly regarded and helpful tips to boost STEM campus’s retention and enrollments:
1. Marketing and Promotions on Digital Media
For any institution, be it a school or university, marketing strategies and promotions are the most effective way to get a prodigious number of student enrollments. Generation Z and millennials majorly count on their social media timelines to get informed and stay connected. Keeping up with the time, the smart strategy is to use social media and other online platforms for student recruitment marketing.
Using successful stories of existing students who express their progress in a voice that motivates new students and publishes their real-life stories on your school's social media accounts and newsletters is a great way to start.
An online promotion attracts budding students with the goal-driven, high-value and personalized experiences of existing students and eventually boosts enrollments.
Pro Tip: Social media marketing is notably economical. Availing this digital opportunity will get more engagement, will spread awareness about an institution, and will encourage aspirants to opt for an institute.
2. Improve Response Time Experience Via Automation
With digital evolution, everything is now simply a click away! No one wants to wait long for a response. Specifically, Generation Z and Millennials want prompt replies to their inquiries. Many data specialists believe that the response time of five minutes or lesser enhances user engagement and chances of conversion.
Schools can amplify their response time by the use of automated chatbots integration. Therefore, institutions can magnify their recruitment efficiency via automation.
Pro Tip: The automation approach will build an immediate connection between your academy and the aspiring student, and sequentially the likelihood of enrollment rises.
3. Active Engagement Strategies
Various aspiring applicants come from diverse backgrounds and have different prospects. In this scenario, it is significant for international student recruitments to have a flexible engagement and active marketing strategy.
People have access to all the online resources, and they have more refined instincts to judge the intent behind marketing messages. Among such competition, aspiring students incline more towards personalized marketing that can complement their goals.
Pro Tip: Utilize student recruitment engagement platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and use automated email marketing. This strategy will result in active engagement that may elevate school enrollments.
4. Capitalize on Technology
With digital convergence, institutions are capitalizing on advanced digital technology while recruiting college students. Schools and universities are shifting from their conventional recruitment process to automation and personalization.
It is high time for schools to leverage technologically equipped channels for hassle-free student recruitments. Automation can save a lot of time and manual efforts while recruiting college students.
Pro Tip: Employ authentic automated tools to enhance the online presence of your institution to broaden the marketing reach.
5. Employ Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the best way to attract aspiring students as they use search engines for their initial information source. Nowadays, every school is striving to improve its online visibility by SEO-optimized website content. Various low-cost and effective SEO tools are available that can improve the digital visibility of schools and universities.
Pro Tip: Blogs are the perfect means to employ SEO-optimized content that ultimately helps Google and other search engines rank your institution on top pages. Hence, this approach will improve the digital presence of your institution and drive more targeted traffic.
6. Advertise Institution Success
A great way to maximize your campus enrollments is to advertise your alumni's success. It will develop an optimistic influence on the aspirants. Publish alumni testimonials, awards, and career success on your website to win the trust of prospective students. Many schools and universities are already showcasing their graduates' success that creates a deep-rooted impact on new students. Proven success cases make it more likely for the students to opt for an institute.
Pro Tip: Pour some effort to carve the most impactful success stories to improve the credibility of your institution. This approach will enhance the aspirant's engagement during their hunt for the best institution.
7. Responsive and Well-Designed Website
More than 95% of Millennials and Gen Z use smartphones for online shopping, browsing, studying, or socializing. So, an optimized, well-designed responsive website is an outstanding opportunity to boost your campus enrollments.
Pro Tip: Invest in a responsive website and admission form for a better user experience and enjoy the exponentially high student recruitment rate.
Wrapping Up
Student recruitments and enrolments are tedious procedures, and as time passes, the process will require more effort. It is a need of an hour for schools and higher educational institutions to switch from conventional methods to the digitally advanced and automated recruitment process.
Effective digital student recruitment solutions can get your school or university ahead with improved online visibility and reach. So, a push in the right direction can streamline the recruitment procedure of your institution with fast-growing enrollments.
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Author Bio:
Maliha Safiullah is a Former Correspondent for 60 Minutes, Channel Nine Australia, and is a published writer having worked as a Feature Writer for Dawn News, Pakistan.