The road to building a class is a long one, and for each cohort of students, marketing and enrollment teams must work to build long-term relationships, nurturing them following initial interest to establishing rapport, fostering affinity, and encouraging them to complete the enrollment process.
But before that work can even begin, many institutions struggle to get over the first hurdle — how to even get in front of them.
Rapid declines in name availability and a shift to test-optional policies (which remain in place at many institutions) shook the industry’s confidence in a lead generation model in which institutions are beholden to testing agencies to seed the pool. Since then, institutions across the country have been working to diversify lead sources and bolster their pipeline of interested students generated organically through their own website.
Branding efforts and digital advertising play an important role in lead generation but being visible within a student’s college search process is where the rubber meets the road. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) are foundational elements of every lead generation strategy.
SEO involves optimizing an institution’s online content to improve its visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
By using targeted keywords, creating high-quality content, ensuring a mobile-friendly website, and obtaining backlinks from reputable sources, institutions can organically rank higher on search engines like Google.
This increased visibility is crucial, as many prospective students begin their college search online. Effective SEO not only boosts website traffic but also enhances the credibility and discoverability of the institution’s programs and offerings.
SEM, on the other hand, involves using paid advertising to appear prominently in search engine results.
Through platforms like Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, institutions can bid on keywords relevant to their programs, ensuring their ads are displayed when prospective students search for related terms.
SEM provides immediate visibility and can be highly targeted, allowing institutions to focus on specific demographics, geographic locations, and even the devices potential students are using. This precision helps in efficiently allocating marketing budgets to maximize return on investment.
Comparison Guide: SEM vs. SEO
SEM and SEO are critical, but frequently conflated, foundational elements of any lead generation strategy. Here’s a quick guide that outlines the difference between them and key considerations for enrollment and marketing leaders.
For higher ed enrollment and marketing leaders, integrating SEO and SEM strategies is essential. SEO provides a long-term, sustainable approach to building online presence, while SEM offers quick, targeted exposure. Together, they create a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that enhances both the reach and impact of recruitment efforts.
Taken from the new Capture Higher Ed white paper, “The New Rules of Enrollment Marketing: The biggest trends facing higher education enrollment and marketing leaders — and what you can do about them”
