For higher education institutions, understanding how to support students begins long before they start their first class. The college search journey is long and complex, taking years from the first search into potential schools to the final enrollment. A near-endless sea of information requires help to navigate.
During these challenges, institutions that can provide seamless support for students looking to find their college home can significantly improve student yield and attention. Admissions teams can play a critical role in guiding students through every stage of their decision-making process.
Getting there means understanding how to support students and turning that understanding into a comprehensive plan that touches every part of the enrollment funnel. This blog is designed as an admissions team guide to help counselors ensure that prospective students stay engaged, leveraging key strategies to help them feel supported from their first inquiry to the moment they commit to your school.
Understanding Student Decision-Making
Any attempt to improve how to support students has to begin with understanding your audience. In other words, what factors do they look at when considering potential schools? How might those factors change as they move from initial interest to final decision?
At the most basic level, students will consider general facts about their schools of interest. The location and distance from home, school size, and makeup of the student body can determine whether a student even takes a second look. A high school student looking to attend a large university in a major city far away from home probably won’t consider the small rural liberal arts college next door.
From there, it’s about identifying the right fit. That idea is inherently subjective for 17-year-olds. They need to be able to see themselves at the school. But they might also look for more tangible factors such as:
- The academic programs and pathways available
- Extracurricular possibilities that make up the campus culture
- Financial aid options, both in scholarships and potential grants
Of course, institutions looking to reach these students all like to share as much as they can about their academics, financial help available, and other common topics. The key, then, is making sure that your school can specifically address the concerns of your college in ways that are not just promotional but also helpful. That type of personalized outreach cuts through the information overload and can keep your students engaged with your school.
Engaging Students Early in the Inquiry Stage
Any good admissions team guide, whether it focuses on how to support students or more general promotional outreach, begins early in the inquiry stage. Here, it’s all about making a strong first impression designed to stand out from the noise they experience. You can also set the stage for future interactions.
Your social media presence can play a key role in providing a quick, authentic, unobtrusive window into your school and campus culture. It exemplifies the goal of early funnel outreach: removing the formality and intimidation of direct student conversations. It allows them to be themselves while they’re unsure of whether your school is the right fit.
Other digital tools can accomplish similar goals:
- A live chat on your website that’s available for students to answer common questions about financial aid, academics, and other topics
- A virtual campus tour that provides an overview of the physical campus, including important elements like housing and dining
- Clear, accessible resources for common questions, like interactive FAQs about the topics most relevant to your students’ decision-making process
Each of these tactics also provides feedback opportunities. Over time, you can learn more about the factors that your students use to make decisions and adjust your early inquiry content strategy accordingly.
Personalizing Communication Throughout the Admissions Funnel
When students first begin researching schools, you won’t have much information about them to personalize your communications. But the further they move down the funnel, the more information you can glean and the more customized your communication can become.
This is an especially important component considering the importance of personalization for Gen Z audiences. According to one report, this generation craves personalized interactions with brands more than any before them. 76% of Gen Z users report frustration when brands don’t treat them as individuals.
Start by segmenting prospective students based on their interests, academic goals, and engagement levels. Each of them may require different communication that speaks directly to their questions and needs. Through this segmentation, you can understand how to support students and craft more targeted email and SMS campaigns that match their needs.
It’s not unique for an admissions team guide to mention personalization as a core requirement. But it’s more difficult to explain how that’s possible. Through FlippedApp, admissions teams can connect directly with students who fit their institution’s criteria. This in-depth connection creates more meaningful and effective communication in the process.
Providing Ongoing Support and Resources
A comprehensive enrollment plan that focuses on how to support students has to go beyond flashy marketing and promotional messaging. That’s why, when you’re following this admissions team guide, more intimate and personal steps also need to be part of the equation. These additions help students feel comfortable in their decision to attend their school of choice.
Constant availability is the first step toward that effort. Arrange one-on-one meetings with counselors, both as part of larger events and on their own. This can provide immense value to students and parents with questions. More dedicated efforts, like financial aid sessions available to dig more deeply into the finances, can be even more beneficial in providing student resources at any point.
But the best and most effective schools go beyond these basics. They constantly work on creating opportunities for students to engage with faculty, current students, and alums. Through both one-on-one connections and larger events (like alum panels or department meetings), you can build the community atmosphere that students will continue to feel throughout their college careers.
Finally, consider hosting events that are specifically tailored to your students’ interests and needs. An extension of the personalization component mentioned above, these events take more time to plan. But they can be invaluable in providing students with the exact information they’re looking for.
Strengthening the Final Steps Before Enrollment
Finally, your student enrollment support cannot end when students apply or even when they pay their deposit. Summer melt continues to be a problem and, in fact, often extends beyond summer. According to the National College Attainment Network, between 10% and 40% of high school students who intend to enroll in college never actually do so. Others may deposit at multiple schools to extend their decision window.
A plan focusing on how to enroll students has to take a different shape at this stage of the funnel. Personalized reminders about deadlines and next steps are invaluable. When scholarship or financial aid deadlines are coming up, your students need to know about them. Admitted student days and orientation are important dates that every accepted student should know about.
Your future students’ needs become more important than ever. Clear instructions on financial aid, housing, and other important variables for enrollment should be available on multiple channels. Of course, you can still sprinkle in a little of your brand messaging, ensuring that the more functional information never gets overwhelming.
Part of that process means finding the right channels through which to engage your future students. With a platform like FlippedApp, you can directly engage with students at key moments of their college enrollment journey. Ensure they receive the right support at the times they need it most.
Measuring Success and Improving the Process
However, even closely following this student enrollment support plan does not guarantee success. Instead, a data-based evaluation of your effort can and should play a core role in understanding how to support students in a way that’s most effective for your audience and your institution.
Start by closely evaluating your enrollment funnel. Find the areas where you typically lose engagement or where students begin to jump off. For example, your application completion rates may be slowly declining, making that part of the funnel an important emphasis to drive more enrollment.
You can also gather student feedback directly. Through surveys and even direct questions with prospective students, you can learn which of your communications and support strategies work and which still need improvement.
Finally, the data-driven insights by tools like FlippedApp can help your admissions team refine your outreach and engagement strategies over time. Data on student characteristics and engagement with your messaging can go a long way toward evaluating and optimizing your strategies by leveraging data-driven insights.
Building a More Comprehensive Student Enrollment and Support Process
Building up your enrollment has to be based on a solid foundation of student enrollment support. Only offering consistent, personalized support throughout the admissions process can ensure a successful move through the funnel. Building your process will ultimately help you improve your attention, engagement, applications, and yield.
Still wondering how to support students at these various stages? Start by assessing your current journey and identifying where you might fall short. Then, leverage a tool like FlippedApp to streamline your outreach. Contact us to learn more about FlippedApp today.