The world of higher education marketing and recruitment has been forced into a hyper-transformative space as we continue to adapt to the changes the pandemic brought us in 2020. Enrollment leaders are now finding more ways to make every digital and personal interaction count by optimizing their messaging. The notion of less in-person touch points (campus visits, high school visits and college fairs) has many campuses feeling the pressure of expanding its reach through digital channels while communicating their “why” in an already competitive market.
With all these disturbances in the marketplace, communicating the right messages to students when they want it has become the focus for many enrollment and marketing leaders. However, many campuses were not (and still are not) set up to handle the intricacies associated with a complete digital recruitment and marketing campaign. Steeper competition for students coupled with shrinking budgets has enrollment and marketing leaders asking, “What’s it going to take to identify, convert and enroll the next class?”
A complete team to manage a digital recruitment and marketing plan would mean a serious investment of resources. A solid team would consist of a:
- Marketing director
- CRM business manager
- Data scientist
- Web designer
- Communications specialist (content writer)
- Graphic designer
- Broadcast and video producer
While this is not an exhaustive list, and there can be some overlap in skillsets, each of these positions has very specific and important roles to play in your enrollment success. A complete digital recruitment and marketing plan ensures every digital interaction a prospective student (or their family) has with your institution is measured and delivered in a dynamic environment.
During a recent Capture Cast Webinar, I was joined by Capture Higher Ed’s Vice President of Enrollment Solutions Heather Mueller to talk about actionable digital strategies that lead to enrollment success. You can check it out here.
By Christopher Harris, Ed.D., Senior Enrollment Strategist, Capture Higher Ed
