Transforming potential students into actual students is a core challenge for all admissions officers.
With more universities seeing a drop in enrollment rates, it’s more important than ever that managers focus their efforts on boosting student lead conversion.
It’s easier said than done.
Technology has advanced incredibly over the last decade. This technology has led to several breakthroughs in the student enrollment process, from outreach to admission.
Admissions advisors play an essential role in developing student leads, but they sometimes lack context around attracting and retaining interested students.
Here are the best ways to convert potential leads into enrolled students.
1. Engage in ongoing training
What separates adequate admissions advisors from the best in the business? It’s the consistency of their results.
The number one way to convert more students is to engage in ongoing education, training and mentorship. No one person can ever always stay ahead of industry trends, demographic preferences and new market strategies — that’s where external support and coaching comes in.
The right admissions coaching platform will equip you with the skills you need to keep pace with your institution’s existing top-performers.
2. Leverage the power of social media
Social media is recognized as the fastest medium for common FAQs and organizational or schedule updates. A university’s social presence is a go-to resource, whether students are checking a university’s Facebook page or visiting its Twitter account.
Now that Facebook has streamlined and interconnected its platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Messenger), it’s easier than ever to create a centralized location for students to find answers. You can create saved messages or auto-replies, integrate a chatbot or create different Facebook groups for specific clubs, classes, majors and more.
3. Adapt your communication methods
In case you’ve been living under a rock, most people hate engaging in direct phone conversations with strangers.
It’s time to ditch the dial-up method and start sliding into the DMs. High school seniors, soon to be eligible for college enrollment, have been shown to prefer digital follow-up methods, and are more likely to consider enrolling with institutions that prioritize digital communication.
4. Add texting to your email strategy
You’ve likely already experienced this in some capacity in your own life. Maybe you signed up for text alerts — we’re all hypersensitive to spam and bots these days — but actually found them useful. Maybe you received access to an exclusive discount or got a much-needed reminder; maybe reading an automated text was the push you needed to take the next step towards one of your goals or resolutions.
Text messages have up to a 98 percent open rate, even if the reader suspects it’s spam. This statistic exists in stark contrast with the average email open rate, which is a robust 21 percent. Utilizing both email and SMS marketing strategies create a highly effective approach, especially when coupled with personalized elements like first names or birthday recognition.
5. Offer an incentive
While standard incentives still have value — like waived application fees, early scholarship consideration or test-optional admission — there’s nothing special about them anymore. Truthfully, they’re a little dull.
Your promise to provide a faster admittance decision doesn’t mean much when your potential student has already received that cookie-cutter line through dozens of emails from other schools. Choose a fun incentive that will actually intrigue your prospects. Implement a firm deadline to create a sense of urgency that leads to action.
Optimize your enrollment funnel today
EnableU provides an AI-enabled, human coaching platform designed to help organizations achieve sales excellence and optimize revenue performance. Through AI Enablement Mapping, 1:1 Coaching and KPI dashboards, we’ve created a training framework that yields consistent results for each of our students.
Send a message to our Solutions team today to book a consultation with one of our specialists and learn more about how we can help you fast-track your student enrollment process.