Smart Marketing Supports Retention for Colleges
Colleges and universities spend millions of dollars each year trying to prevent attrition. It’s not news, after all, that it’s cheaper to keep a student than to gain a new one. Schools leverage technology, employ nudges, conduct surveys, and build special cohort opportunities in an attempt to maximize retention and get their students through to graduation. All of these efforts can make a difference, but there is still a huge gap between the number of students with the intention of getting a college degree and those who realize that goal.
One of the least talked about, but often most important, elements in the success equation actually happens before students step into the classroom for the first time—smart marketing.
Just as colleges emphasize to students the importance of “finding a good fit,” it is equally important that colleges seek out the students who will be happy and successful in the environments that they offer and then successfully onboard those students to help them acclimate quickly. That does not mean that the students who enroll should be demographically the same, or even necessarily academically similar. It does mean that their goals and expectations for their college experience align with your institutional characteristics and culture.
Be clear about who they are
The first step in this effort is often analyzing your historical data to better understand which students choose your university and which ones stay through to finish. By looking at the characteristics that your most successful students have in common, you can actively search for those students when you purchase search names and when you decide which markets to target with digital advertising.
Develop personas
Sometimes it can be helpful to develop a set of personas for the students who most find themselves thriving in your community. Is it the small-town athlete who is looking for a practical degree in something like business and wants to stay local on graduation? Is it the first-generation student who has big dreams of being the first in their family to achieve a professional degree? Or maybe it is the unconventional thinker, who wants to combine diverse interests and chart their own course for an adventurous life?
You will certainly have a few personas represented on campus, but conducting focus groups and assessing student characteristics can often provide a clear sense of the students for whom you have the most appeal.
Avoid unintended effects of targeted marketing
As you work to find the students who are most likely to succeed and persist on your campus, it is important to keep an eye on preserving the diversity of the student body. The origin of the word “university” itself comes from the idea of bringing different kinds of people and different perspectives into one community to learn from each other. It is important that institutions not become like clubs of students from the same backgrounds. One of the biggest benefits of a college education is the ability for students to learn from faculty, staff, and students with other life experiences.
The idea, however, is to draw in students who value the same types of opportunities, whether that is learning in small classes, engaging closely with faculty, having hands-on-learning experiences, connecting socially in certain ways, participating athletically, or engaging in service in the community. It is these shared values, and the focus that each institution places on various aspects of its identity that makes a good match and helps students feel like they have made the correct choice in their college selection.
Be clear about who you are
Understanding your students allows you to clarify your messages about who you are, what you have to offer, and who you serve best. The clearer that you are with your personas and the strengths of your institution, the more likely you are to be able to attract the types of students that will find a great match and retain. It is your way of planting your flag on a hill and letting students rally to it instead of searching for students in every valley.
To do this well, you will need to understand the goals and motivation of each of these persona groups. The more motivational data you can collect on your target audiences – either through analysis of existing data or conducting new surveys and focus groups – the better you will be able to speak to and attract your audience.
For example, the University of Pikeville identified two institutional strengths – affordability and community – that have contributed to a retention rate topping 90%, a near 20% increase over the last decade. They’ve seen the practical impact of those strengths not only through high retention numbers but also through a rise in transfers returning from other universities.
Dr. Lori Werth, UPIKE’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, told the Appalachian News-Express that those returning students “didn’t realize the affordability here or that community is so very important. Having people who know that is vital.” These insights gained through returning transfers will allow UPIKE to refine messaging around those strengths to attract students with those financial and community-centric motives.
Connect students to campus early
Once you know the type of students who are your best fits for retention and you have clarified your messaging, it is critical to start training your top prospects for success. This is a philosophical shift for many institutions.
To do this, think about your most interested students as already enrolled. Start early connecting students to campus to help them understand what it takes to be successful in your environment. The more relationships that students can build before arriving on campus, the more likely they are to adapt early and easily to campus culture, setting them up for success.
One way to do this is to develop marketing pieces that introduce campus processes and people as “team members” to help students make the transition. For example, reaching out to students before they arrive to offer them access to career resources and assessments can help them attach to the institution quickly. Outreach messages from current students, advisors, faculty, and club leaders can also start students on the path to connecting and adapting to campus culture.
Market thoughtfully to support student success
When you focus only on addressing persistence after the fact, you miss utilizing one of the most powerful levers available to improve student success. By knowing your current students and the characteristics that make them successful on your campuses, you can better identify what messages you should be sending and which audiences will respond. You also can engage students earlier, helping to acclimate them to campus culture and launching them to early – and long-term – success.
Aligning college brands to find “right fit” students is something 5° Branding does best, and we’d love to help your institution do just that. Let’s talk!
