The constantly shifting higher education landscape requires ever-evolving student recruitment techniques at every level. Today’s students are no longer satisfied with mass mailings from multiple colleges that look alike, sound alike, and promise the same value propositions.
Instead, student recruitment in higher education has to become more nuanced. But there is good news. Even in a troubling landscape that is seeing shrinking enrollments due to enrollment and financial challenges, institutions that can innovate their recruitment efforts continue to find reliable success.
In an era of high competition for enrollment, embracing innovative student recruitment techniques allows your school to stand out. Then you can effectively reach and convince your prospective students and their families. These actionable steps can help you get there, driving your recruitment cycle toward success.
Step 1: Understand the Modern Student
Today’s colleges and universities are largely looking to attract Gen Z students. But Gen Z students are very different from millennials and any other generation that came before them.
This is the first generation of true digital natives, unable to conceive of a world where technology is not at their fingertips. They’re also more diverse than any generation that came before them. That diversity has drastically impacted how they see the world.
For example, Gen Z is making choices driven primarily by their values. They’re comparatively idealistic, embracing choices that feel like the right thing instead of simply making a quick decision. Their motivations and preferences drive what colleges they add to their consideration set.
At the same time, their diverse nature also means that a single messaging and outreach strategy won’t be enough. Instead, it pays to find the segments most relevant to your recruitment efforts. Then you can focus on creating nuanced techniques and strategies for each of them.
Colleges and universities that want to succeed with this generation have to understand these motivations at a deep level. That understanding, in turn, can lead to student recruitment techniques, messaging, and outreach efforts tailored to different student segments and their unique needs.
Step 2: Leverage Data-Driven Recruitment
Discussing modern student recruitment in higher education is impossible without at least touching on the data part of the equation. Colleges and universities have more information about prospective students than ever. Those who can leverage it effectively will likely see a massive advantage in their recruitment efforts.
Done right, data-driven student recruitment techniques have the potential to transform your efforts to attract your next incoming class. For example, you can:
- Use data about your current students (as well as your primary target geographic areas) to identify and target more distinct target segments.
- Leverage internal and external research to better understand the preferences and motivations of each segment, creating nuanced ideal student profiles.
- Analyze past enrollment trends at both your institution and regionally to forecast future enrollment needs and opportunities.
- And more
Put differently, data-driven student recruitment techniques take the guesswork out of the equation. FlippedApp, for example, can help admissions teams and recruitment professionals by providing student profiles that match the institution’s criteria—from the type of student they are to the type of institution they’re looking for. That process reduces the time and resources spent on unfit leads. The entire team and institution can focus their efforts on candidates who are more likely to enroll.
Step 3: Personalize the Admissions Journey
Some things almost inevitably come full circle. Just as it once was, student recruitment in higher education is becoming more personal again. In fact, personalization in email and text messages, via video, on your website, and even on social media is increasingly expected by your future students.
Individuality matters in this demographic. Broad takeaways about Gen Z aside, each member of your target audience has unique interests, needs, and motivations. Only a truly personalized recruitment campaign can help them make the jump and commit to your school over others.
For example, consider creating personalized virtual tours for students interested in different fields, student athletes, etc. Email campaigns can be even more nuanced, including the students’ personal information as part of the content and prompt. Use the data gained about your students during their recruitment journey to make your messaging and recruitment more relevant.
Some of that personalization can go as far as student recruitment techniques specifically designed for one-to-one interactions with your audience. For example, FlippedApp enables institutions to connect directly with students who match their criteria. It creates and facilitates a more personalized and efficient recruitment process.
Step 4: Expand Your Reach
Part of reaching a shrinking pool of potential college students has to involve innovative student recruitment techniques that reach a broader and more diverse pool of prospective students. To use a well-worn higher education metaphor, it’s not enough to continue fishing in the same pond.
That process starts with leveraging digital platforms that align with the preferences and online habits of potential college students. Audiences in different regions and from different backgrounds will also differ in how they use the internet. For instance, according to the Pew Research Center, male students are more likely to favor Reddit and X in their social media mix. However, female students prefer networks like TikTok and Snapchat.
You can leverage more innovative ways to expand your reach, as well. For example, collaboration with high schools and community organizations can have a significant positive effect. Consider hosting subject-specific recruitment events and partnering with schools to send students interested in science, arts, etc., on a field trip.
Finally, international partners can become a huge benefit in this arena. Partner schools in key global locations can become a steady source of students while also ensuring inclusivity and diversity in your recruitment efforts.
Step 5: Incorporate Technology and Automation
Don’t underestimate the power of technology in your student recruitment techniques—particularly when it comes to automation. Applied the right way, it can play a massive role in streamlining and enhancing your recruitment efforts while saving significant time and resources at the same time.
For example, you can leverage your CRM system to collect important prospect data. It can also trigger automatic communications based on that data. A student listing their intended major can easily trigger an email series from the chair of that department with more information.
Of course, that’s not the only opportunity for automation. Chatbots and other AI-driven tools can help you manage and nurture your leads without having to invest significant staff time. By automating your routine tasks, you can free up valuable time to invest in strategic initiatives and personal communications further down the funnel.
Through all of your technology-driven efforts, you’ll need to ensure that your institution’s digital presence remains accessible and user-friendly. Use automation and AI content where it can easily be applied. But be sure to include a natural “off-ramp” for students who would prefer that personal interaction.
Step 6: Measure Your Success and Iterate Accordingly
Finally, innovating your recruitment techniques almost necessarily means continually assessing the effectiveness of your strategies and adjusting accordingly. Let the data drive what works and doesn’t—and how some of the newer tactics you might be implementing will measure up against your existing efforts.
To get there, you’ll need a few components to work together in concert:
- Measurable goals and KPIs that enable you to measure the true success of your recruitment efforts—from gaining brand awareness to generating more leads, applications, and deposited students.
- A robust analytics platform (or multiple platforms) that allows you to easily track the success of your strategies and campaigns in real time, reducing the need for manual data analysis on a regular basis.
- An effective reporting structure that clearly outlines your current tactics and how they align with your KPIs—including the ability to track their success on a trend line over time.
These three components, in combination, will enable you to adapt and refine your tactics based on performance data, not just hunches. As you test out new tactics like the ones mentioned in this guide, you can continue to iterate on finding the best ways to spend your resources when looking to attract your new incoming class.
Leverage Innovative Student Recruitment Techniques to Supercharge Your Enrollment Efforts
The time to stand still has long passed. From marketing to admission, enrollment management professionals have to be innovative to survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive environment.
A better understanding of your prospective students, embracing the data part of recruitment, personalizing your communications, expanding your reach, incorporating automation, and measuring your success all play a vital role in making innovation a part of your tactics. Together, they can form the backbone of a recruitment strategy specifically designed to recruit today’s modern students.
With a new recruitment cycle beginning in earnest, the time to implement these initiatives is now. Fortunately, tools like FlippedApp can become a vital shortcut in helping to accomplish that feat, enhancing your recruitment efforts in ways that seemed impossible just a few years ago. Learn more, and start your innovation process as you look to attract the next generation of students to your institution.