Are you an educational institution that is suffering from low student enrolment? Chances are that you might have not leveraged the use of technology to the fullest. Do you find the whole enrolment process time-consuming and highly stressful? At the risk of sounding repetitive, we would again like to remind you that you might have not leveraged the use of technology to the fullest!
We, Classe365, have been closely monitoring trends in the education sector and based on our observation over the last few years, we came to this conclusion: no matter how small or how big an institution might be, adopting a good pre-admission process is the most important factor in helping them achieve the enrolment target. Another major observation was that several institutions continue to underestimate the importance of the pre-admission campaigns.
Hence, we have started a ‘pre-admissions blog series’ to provide practical tips for institutions to increase student enrolment. Our prime focus is to help institutions understand the importance of digital tools and how data analytics can help them turn potential leads to future students.
This is the first blog in the series and here, we talk about five ways to increase student enrolment through digital tools.
1. Leverage data for effective lead management
Identifying the potential leads should be the first step for any institution to achieve its enrolment target. Customer relationship management (CRM) is vital for this step. An effective CRM tool would help institutions identify students who are interested in the courses that are offered there. Aside from this, CRM would also help in monitoring and managing potential leads through online behavior patterns. This would help provide a school or a university get a comprehensive insight to convert the leads to future students. Hence, adopting a good CRM tool is very important.
2. Come up with dynamic and personalized engagement
The next step towards a successful pre-admissions campaign is lead nurturing. Again, CRM is a crucial tool for this. You might be thinking that you are already sending emails to a list of potential new students – but are you doing it the right way? For lead nurturing to be effective, coming up with dynamic and personalized engagement are crucial. The insights gathered through CRM can help institutions identify what every individual lead is looking for. Personalized engagement through email/ SMS should not only be about explaining the course structure generally but also address common misconceptions, reservations, and showcase an institution’s USP.
3. Make the enrolment seamless through paperless admission
In a tech-savvy world, old-fashioned practices for admission could instantly put-off potential leads and parents. Hence, paperless admission could be the best way to go forward. It will make sure that students get to apply at the institution most easily and seamlessly by just following a few steps. Even the further processes, like paying fees, can be made completely online. According to various studies, leads tend to convert better when the admission process is quick and easy.
4. Don’t underestimate the power of follow-up
A drip campaign is integral for an effective form of relationship management. Through a series of emails/ text messages, institutions could come up with explanatory writeups, news, and webinar announcements on why they are a good place to get enrolled. The follow-ups could go a long way in helping them create a real interest in a potential student’s mind. That too in an organic way. Good content could be the game-changer for this particular step. CRM tools would again take care of making this process incredibly easy through automation.
5. Be proactive without being spam-y
We would strongly suggest that an institution should be proactive but without being spam-y. Overdoing personalized engagement or follow-up could be counter-productive in this regard. Hence, the maximum level of engagement with the leads should be gauged very carefully.