COMMUNICATING WITH PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS IS SIMPLE, YET MANY GET IT WRONG. How, What & When to Do It

Transcription

1 COMMUNICATING WITH PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS IS SIMPLE, YET MANY GET IT WRONG How, What & When to Do It

2 PRESENTERS Rachel Rollins Marketing Coordinator Michelle Kowalsky Director of International Admissions

3 AGENDA Best methods of communications - How, what and when Messaging app platforms and video conferences Open Discussion What is your communications plan??

4 Prospects THE ADMISSIONS FUNNEL Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled

5 FILLING THE FUNNEL How: In country reps Education fairs School s website Prospects Inquiries Applicants Agents Portal sites List buys Admits Enrolled Advertising Social media Students & Alumni

6 INQUIRIES How: s Calls What: How to apply Gather more information about your school Your chance to begin to develop relationship Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled When: Initial contact ASAP - No more than 24 hours Ongoing communication weekly moving to monthly

7 COMMUNICATION The Good Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled

8 COMMUNICATION The Good Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled

9 COMMUNICATION The Good Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled

10 COMMUNICATION The Good Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled

11 COMMUNICATION The Bad Thank you for applying to XYZ College! D******* Ja***** is your admissions counselor, however, she is out of the office for the next month. I ll be here to help in any way I can. To finish your application, you will need to provide the following: 1.A copy of your passport with photo page 2.Two letters of recommendation (in English), one from a supervisor 3.Transcripts (high school and college) - if they are not American they will need to be evaluated by one of the following services: a) Educational Credential Evaluators b) World Educational Services c) Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute 4.Attestation of high school graduation (form attached) 5.A 500-word essay describing your involvement in your school or community 6.Admissions Interview (form attached) 7.Letter of support from a sponsor 8.Copy of the sponsors most recent financial statement showing sufficient funds-balance of $37,916 (or $28,462 if you plan to return home every Summer) 9.TOEFL score of at least 72 or an IELTS score of 6 or SAT Critical Reading of 500 Feel free to send me each item as you get them. And please let me know if you have any questions along the way. I ll be here to help you through the process. Hope to talk to you soon! Thank you!

12 COMMUNICATION The Ugly Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled

13 COMMUNICATION The Ugly Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled

14 Inquiries - Utilize MailChimp - within 24 hours of receiving the lead - Engage with the student (different depending on entry point)

15 Senior Inquiries

16 APPLICANTS How: Phone Social Messaging Apps Video Conference Prospects Inquiries Applicants What: Feeling welcomed Next steps Housing options Campus life Admits Enrolled When: As needed for deadlines Personal and campus based touch points

17 Applicants Tracking s s from current students Phone Calls from students/counselors s about What s Happening on Campus Consider communication plan for agents and other partners

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20 MOST POPULAR MESSAGING APPS IN EVERY COUNTRY April 2016

21 TURN INQUIRIES TO APPLICANTS WITH MESSAGING APPS Boost conversations with inquiries by using a mix of marketing Messenger Apps Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber and LINE Free to use internationally Can create groups or rooms based off where students are in the application funnel or degree interest Take advantage of sharing links, documents and personalization According to GlobalWebIndex, 75% of internet users today use some sort of a messaging app. For more than 500 million users in China, [WeChat is] essentially The Everything App. David Pierce at Wired

22 CREATING AWARENESS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Weibo 1. Social media platforms are targeted to current students but gives awareness to potential students Up-to-date contact information Overview of school and International program Have a variety of post 2. Follow students that have requested to follow you Good indicator of quality leads

23 VIDEO CHATS Skype and Youtube Live Streaming When: When students are inquiries, applicants, admitted or enrolled To give more information about your school. How: Share the event through marketing and messenger apps Why: Face-to-face Provides more guidance Can determine quality leads to follow-up with

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25 ADMITS & ENROLLED How: Calls Social (invite to class of 2021 FB group) Video conferencing Mail (Swag!) What: Congrats and welcome Deadlines What to expect when get to campus Housing Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled When: As needed for deadlines Personal and campus based touch points

26 Accepted/Enrolled Students Video of congratulations with a copy of Accept Letter Accept Packet s about unique qualities Calls from students Social Media Facebook pages, WeChat, etc. Go To Meeting with deposited students

27 FINAL TIPS What do you need in a successful communications plan? 1) A plan to contact prospective Students quickly According to the Harvard Business review, responding to leads within an hour generates 7x the meaningful conversations than those that wait even an hour later. 2. An ongoing communications strategy Cannot stop at one . A continual lead nurturing plan needs to be developed. 3. An ongoing communications strategy , social, chat, phone.. and more s. 4. Always deliver a relevant message Based on where they are in the funnel