The Prospective Student Journey: Marketing Optimizations for Schools of All Sizes

OPPORTUNITY #1:
Streamline the RFI Process

Inquiries represent an excellent opportunity to connect with students and initiate a relationship. When schools capture inquiry leads from interested students, this is the ideal time to begin communication.

1. Make it easy for students to reach out to you. Talk to your prospects in their
   language and make the information they are looking for easy to find.
2. One way to evaluate this step in the journey is to ‘secret shop’ your RFI
   experience. Is your school’s “shopper” experience as pleasant as your favorite
   consumer brand?
3. Streamline the RFI to reduce friction. Don’t ask for every detail of their lives on
   the RFI form. Keep inquiry forms simple with a maximum of seven questions.

OPPORTUNITY#2:
Improve Conversions from Inquiries

In 2023, on average, 37% of individuals who inquired about a specific program progressed to the application stage – a 14-point increase from 23% in the 2019 survey, according to a whitepaper by InsideTrack and UPCEA. While the increase in students progressing from inquiry to application is encouraging, there is still room for improvement. What happens a student visits your website and submits an inquiry? Here are some steps to consider to optimize this stage of the journey:

1. Target prospective inquirers with customized digital audiences on social
   platforms to push application submissions higher. Highlight and promote
   important milestone dates, starting from application opening dates through
   early decision deadlines to regular decision deadlines and beyond.
2.  Identify the top three questions potential students ask when they request
   information. Find ways to better answer these on your website or with swift
   responses through chat or other channels. Be ready with the answers and
   use this opportunity to connect more deeply with students, giving them
   additional useful information that could prompt them to take another step
   toward applying.
3.  Consider your response time to inquiries. Speed matters when students
   have many choices. Answer their inquiries while you are top-of-mind to avoid
   missing their moment of interest. Keep them in conversation with your school
   rather than moving on to their next option.

OPPORTUNITY #3:
Reach Out With One-on-One Support

Once students begin the application process, they may get distracted, stumble over a step, or lose interest. In fact, more than 50% of students reported that applying to college was the most stressful academic experience for them. Imagine a first-generation student with no one at home to help them finish the application. How can you make the application process easier for students?

1. Make the application process more user-friendly. Even if students are using the
   Common Application system, proactively provide a complete guide to filling
   out the application. Provide a comprehensive list of what they will need to
   complete the process. Do you require an essay? Do they need their transcript?
   Is a resume helpful? Do test scores have to be in before they begin?
2.  Reach out to offer a one-on-one meeting with a counselor to answer questions
   for the student or provide chat and phone resources to prospective students
   to help those who need a deeper level of support.

OPPORTUNITY #4:
From Application to Matriculation

The period between completing their application and hearing whether they have been accepted is stressful for students. At this stage, you want to make students feel welcome and wanted to build their confidence in the value of your school, increasing the odds they will enroll.

1. Answer accepted students’ questions in a timely and straightforward
   manner. Students may be comparing schools, trying to imagine what dorm
   life might look like, or wanting to determine the academic requirements for
   a specific major.
2.  Encourage students to follow your social media posts, hold online or in person
   events for accepted students, and clearly communicate the next
   few steps in their journey.
3.  Ensure a reasonable (but not overwhelming) cadence of communications
   – emails, calls, or texts – to give students the opportunity to interact with
   your staff.

Want to learn more? Download our student journey whitepaper today!