Generally speaking, education marketing strategies tend to be slow-moving. While other industries thrive on rapid innovation and iteration to get their messaging to their core audiences, admissions and communications offices struggle to build on existing means of recruitment. This can range from purchasing SAT names to visiting college fairs.
None of these tactics, of course, are bad. They can still be effective, but a recruitment strategy that doesn't include more modern means of generating interest and enrollment tends to be incomplete.
Enter lead generation, a marketing strategy that has revolutionized the way potential students express their interest in a college. Let's dive in.
At its most basic, a lead is "any person who indicates interest in a company's product or service in some way, shape, or form." This is not a new concept in higher education, of course. In this industry, leads can be:
Basically, any member of your core audience who raises their hand to say that they are interested in learning more about your institution is a lead.
Education lead generation, then, focuses on exactly how colleges and universities can build a more comprehensive strategy around building and capturing that interest. Lead generation exists in a wide range of industries, so many of the key terms you'll find are not specific to prospective students.
Each of these leads has different characteristics, demographics, and needs. Thoughtful education lead generation strategies ensure that each of them receives enough relevant follow-ups to move them to the next stage, and bolster your enrollment.
At its core, the case for higher education lead generation is straightforward. If you can get more people interested in your college or university, and offer more relevant follow-ups to their needs, your enrollment funnel will be more successful. The deeper reasons behind the importance of lead generation go into modern student preferences and behaviors.
Every college needs a database of prospective students to market to. Traditionally, that database has come from a mixture of purchasing names of participants in SATs or other standardized tests, high school students filling out inquiry cards at college fairs, and event registrants who simply found your school through a Google search.
However, that game has changed (especially since the emergence of COVID19). The number of students taking standardized tests has decreased for the past two years, college fairs are experiencing fewer visitors, and campus visits are seeing lower numbers as well. A more comprehensive strategy to gain your audience's attention and interest, using strategies like search engine marketing, social media marketing, and more, has become increasingly essential.
In addition, surveys and studies continue to find that students and their families increasingly prefer a self-service model of their college search. They seek out the information they want and expect follow-ups from the school only when they specifically request them. An effective lead generation strategy adjusts for that preference, building a more relevant recruitment funnel in the process.
Finally, moving towards more organic means of generating leads can be a significant budget saver. Because printed communications only get sent to actual hand-raisers, colleges can save on printing and mailing costs to a population who may have never been interested in your institution, to begin with.
Lead generation, as a whole and for education specifically, follows an inbound marketing philosophy. In other words, it trusts that rather than pushing out potentially irrelevant materials to prospective students, content that is interesting and relevant enough will pull those students in, causing them to voluntarily raise their hands for follow-ups.
A lead generation strategy, as a result, follows four basic steps to accomplish that goal:
In other words, lead generation centers around relevance and added value. If you can give your prospective students and their families exactly what they're looking for, on the channels where they spend their time, it can help you create a well-functioning and optimized enrollment funnel that continues to bring in interested prospects, applications, and students.
Of course, this is just a high-level overview of the complex concept that is lead generation in higher education. Its benefits are undeniable, but getting there requires some work. Fortunately, you're not on your own.
If you're ready to talk more about the potential advantages and applications of lead generation in your institution, let's chat!
Education lead generation is the process of attracting and capturing potential students' interest in a college or university through various marketing strategies. It's crucial because it helps institutions build a comprehensive recruitment strategy to increase enrollment numbers. By focusing on attracting relevant leads and providing them with tailored follow-ups, colleges can optimize their enrollment funnel and enhance their success.
The traditional methods of education lead generation, such as purchasing names from standardized test participants and attending college fairs, have become less effective due to changing student behaviors and preferences, as well as external factors like the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, colleges and universities are increasingly turning to more modern strategies like search engine marketing, social media outreach, and inbound marketing to attract and engage prospective students.
Attracting strangers to your website through relevant content, SEO, and social media outreach.
Converting website visitors into leads through forms, landing pages, and calls to action.
Closing leads by providing relevant follow-ups through email, phone, and other channels.
Delighting newly registered students with exceptional experiences, from admitted student days to orientation.
Colleges and universities can optimize their lead-generation efforts by focusing on relevance and added value. This includes creating compelling content, leveraging automation for follow-ups, and providing exceptional experiences for prospective students. Additionally, staying updated on industry trends and continuously refining strategies based on data and feedback can further enhance lead-generation efforts.
Sonority Group specializes in digital education marketing and can provide tailored strategies to elevate lead-generation efforts for colleges and universities. Whether it's optimizing online presence, implementing effective inbound marketing tactics, or leveraging automation tools, we can help institutions attract, engage, and convert prospective students effectively.
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