Anytime is a good time to expand your student search
Fall travel season is in full swing, applications are rolling in and admissions decisions are landing for rolling admissions schools. But not all seniors are in the same place on their application journeys.
Some have already applied and are eagerly awaiting early decision notifications. Others are just beginning to explore their options. The good news is that both groups are still reachable, and now is the perfect time to meet them where they are.
Senior Search
As we settle into the fall recruitment cycle and the travel that comes with it, the momentum begins to shift at many colleges. As early applications wrap up, a new wave of students start looking for the college that feels like the right fit.
A late-fall enhanced senior search campaign can capture these late movers at exactly the right moment – when they’re actively weighing their choices for next fall.
Four key actions can help you make the most of this opportunity:
- Purchase recent test-takers’ names. The SAT and ACT test takers might not be in your prospect pool yet. Spoiler alert, they might not be in anyone else’s either! This makes them a key target audience for late search communications.
- Refine your outreach to stay visible and boost conversions to application. Now is not the time to pull back budgets for your recruitment efforts. Strategic use of digital media, online AI agents, email, text and, yes, even print campaigns (link to Tony article) can ensure that students are considering your college as the application season heats up.
- Enhance your efforts with personalized messaging to build true affinity with your institution and improves down-funnel conversions of applicants and deposits.
- Utilize key incentives like scholarship considerations or special event invitations to create urgency for submitting an application by a specific deadline.
Admitted Student Yield
Now is the time to plan your yield campaign for the winter and spring – with a focus on students and parents. Yield campaigns are most effective when they are both compelling and narrative-based so that students can see themselves on your campus.
- Marketing of admitted students events that include personalized save the dates and invitation messaging.
- Gather authentic student and faculty spotlight stories to showcase what’s possible at your school.
- Survey admitted students for quick feedback loops to understand what factors drive enrollment, and apply these insights to ongoing campaigns.
- Along with academic quality, cost is consistently the primary deciding factor in the college search process for students and parents alike. Review financial aid and cost of attendance information to ensure that it is clear and supportive.
- Don’t forget to review for accuracy: Does your website provide the same information as the College Board or other online aggregators?
- Don’t be afraid to include institutional branding and marketing messaging with your individual financial aid packages!
- Lead with “why” because both students and parents need to connect with your campus’s value. Tell the story of why your campus community is the right place for them.
If you’re feeling confident about your senior search and yield planning, this is a great time to think ahead to your sophomore and junior outreach. AccessU is here to help no matter where you are on your student search journey.