(This article appears on page 4 of the Summer 2024, Vol. 36, Number 2, issue of Perspectives, a newsmagazine for graduate enrollment management professionals that is published three times a year by NAGAP.)
These days, most potential graduate students bypass traditional marketing attempts and go directly online. This creates challenges for identifying and engaging with these prospects — students who have already experienced the enrollment process as undergraduates.
The good news is there are several innovative ways to generate interest for graduate programs online … and most colleges and universities have enough prospective graduate students visiting their websites to meet their enrollment goals. In fact, these prospects are engaging actively with these institutions right now.
That is why it is crucial for graduate enrollment offices to create compelling, personalized and relevant content through various channels that target these potential students based on their interactions and engagement.
Take Jacksonville University
The Graduate Admissions team at Jacksonville University wanted to generate new interest in several different areas of its more than 50 graduate and professional programs while pushing prospective graduate students through the enrollment funnel.
So, the private university in Jacksonville, Fla., with nearly 1,300 full-time and part-time graduate students, partnered with Capture Higher Ed, a leading enrollment management and marketing firm that helps institutions make personalized, data-driven, timely and measured connections with prospective students.
“Capture’s targeted approach allows us to identify students when they are at their highest level of interest,” says Jacksonville University Director of Enrollment Communications Katy Remich. “In an era of ‘stealth shopping,’ Capture’s partnership assists us in not just identifying these students but positioning our messaging in front of them at the opportune moment.”
For the past two years, the graduate enrollment professionals at JU have utilized Capture’s ENGAGE, marketing automation built from the ground up for higher education recruitment and perfectly suited for graduate recruitment support.
Katy Remich
Through the ENGAGE software and supported by Capture’s enrollment experts, JU uses dynamic content, including the Capture progressive identification (PID) form, to create new interest for multiple programs at the inquiry stage as well as drive candidates through their decision process with application campaigns.
Through ENGAGE, JU can identify thousands of students every month, and in the past month alone, the university has had almost 50 organic leads come in through Capture’s PID Form. Through the platform’s daily visitor reports, each JU admissions counselor is provided with a roster of highly interested and engaged students, enabling them to connect with students and offer additional touch points and follow-up interactions, Remich says.
“Capture’s Behavioral Intelligence platform excels at providing digestible data,” she says. “You are able to see the ROI of their products and services every time you log into the dashboard.”
A Dynamic Approach
While graduate prospective students might not be ready to inquire or engage with a counselor, they often are willing to tell them what areas of study they are considering for a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional certificate. How do you nudge them into taking a small action? And how should you reward them for doing so?
This is where PID forms shine.
These interactive and dynamic forms not only help identify prospective graduate students but are also great for simple prompts. For example, you can serve PID forms with questions like, “Would you prefer an email or a call to receive information from us?” Or ask, “Can we text you? If yes, what’s the best number for us to reach you?”
The idea behind this form of ENGAGE-enabled dynamic content is to deliver automated, personalized, 1:1 messaging when students want it, addressing interests learned from past visits.
Other forms of dynamic content include triggered emails, which are behavior-based, one-off emails that are sent automatically based on a visitor’s action on and interaction with your website and other digital assets. For example, if a prospective graduate student visits a particular program page three times, you could send them a triggered email with more information on the program, the graduate admissions process and ask them to apply.
Kate Howard
The JU graduate and professional enrollment staff take the opportunity to not only use their partnership with Capture in the more traditional ways to move students through the enrollment funnel but also to share news that is relevant in their markets, says Capture Senior Enrollment Advisor Kate Howard, who works closely with the university.
“Upon receiving American Bar Association provisional accreditation for their law school, they were able to generate more web traffic to their site through Capture dynamic content offering more information,” Howard says. “In less than two months, nearly 1,400 visitors clicked on content leading them to the College of Law.”
Through ENGAGE, Capture also offers a complete digital marketing plan that includes search engine marketing; digital display marketing; customized social media advertising; social, web, and email retargeting; interactive and video ads; and focused landing pages that allow you to influence and encourage prospective graduate students to take important next steps.
Success in the Sunshine State
Over its multi-year contract with Capture, Jacksonville’s graduate and professional programs have generated 200 organic inquiries for the 2023 and 2024 enrollment years, resulting in 42 enrolled students to date. In addition, Capture is influencing 12 percent of all 2024 graduate student deposits to date.
Capture’s partnership started with graduate and has since expanded to the undergraduate and transfer markets.
“Jacksonville University’s level of collaboration with Capture has been key to the successful relationship,” Howard says. “Through building mutual trust, the multi-year relationship continues to grow with new digital advertising expansions on the horizon.”
Outside of their products, the individuals at Capture are an invaluable resource for JU’s enrollment and marketing staffs, Remich adds.
“They readily share industry experience, guiding us in decisions regarding content and timing,” she says. “Capture’s creative team has taken the time to understand our brand, resulting in a seamless blend across our shared content.
“Capture has provided our team with valuable insights, creative suggestions, and exceptional customer service. It is undeniable that Capture has had a significant impact on the growth we have witnessed in our graduate and professional studies programs.”
By Kevin Hyde, Senior Marketing Content Manager, Capture Higher Ed
