Higher learning recruitment efforts have historically involved mail and telephone communications. Prospective students were required to submit their information in order to receive admissions information, making it easy for the school to build its recruitment pool. These tactics, however, no longer produce the same results. Students expect information to be available ‘free of charge’ via the school’s website.
If the student cannot find admissions information online, it’s unlikely that he or she will submit an application. With this in mind, colleges and universities need to ensure that all information is available and is easy to find. But the real challenge is to provide this relevant content while still encouraging prospective students to submit their contact details.
The following list highlights new recruitment tactics that university marketers can use to attract the right candidates for their institution:
Tip 1: Provide different content across different communication channels.
All core information should be available on the main website, however, additional campus life details can be provided through email, facebook, and mail follow up. To access these additional resources, prospective students should be required to submit their contact details.
Tip 2: Make sure that students interact (not just browse).
To ensure student interaction, include information that makes the prospect feel like a part of the school. Provide campus life updates, such as sporting event results, student competition video clips, or student club opportunities. These communications tend to be more fun than informative.
Overall, these updates should not require much work. But while the effort is low, the results are high. Prospective students are more likely to share their own contact details in exchange for these updates. So by sharing more about student life, recruitment teams can still access prospective student data for tracking purposes.
Tip 3: Verify email and physical mailing addresses.
With more information publically available, it’s important to make the most of the contact submissions that you still receive. Make sure that all email and physical mailing addresses are verified at the point of capture, whether via a web form or manual data entry. While small errors appear to be insignificant, the ramifications of simple data entry mistakes can be severe. It’s important for recruitment officers to communicate with all interested prospective students. An incorrect email or mailing address will prevent the student interactions described in Tip 2.