As higher education institutions employ a fast-changing suite of technologies, gaps in student communications arise that cause higher education institutions to experience friction. Because this is a prominent issue within higher education, institutions that can maintain a good student experience and meet expectations will turn this “challenge” into an opportunity to capture the hearts of students and alumni.
Regular marketing and operations reviews, journey-mapping, and communications audits can help marketing teams locate opportunities and hindrances for their brands as well as optimize the enrollment and reenrollment funnels.
1. Evaluate resources provided to your current student base
The first step in understanding where opportunity for growth and development exists involves getting in touch with all of the various ways that students interact with the university. Your marketing team should perform a SWOT review of performance, considering the following areas:
- Marketing
- Campus tour and recruitment communications
- Programs and degrees offered
- Campus activities (clubs, sports, arts, etc.)
- Faculty and staff culture
- Residences and facilities (including labs, dining halls, etc.)
- Student support services (tutoring, counselors, mentors)
- Tailored and personalized learning
- Efficiency of digital resources and account administration (website, email, social media)
- Financial support
- Celebration and inclusion of diverse groups
- Additional opportunities (summer courses, study abroad, campus jobs, research, internships)
- Family communications and events (from orientation to graduation)
- Career services for students
- Alumni relations
Information about the current state can be used to understand what can be improved upon to fulfill student needs and desires. Additionally, breaking out the standout reasons that people are attracted to your institution will allow you to identify further potential differentiators.
2. Learn more about what your students want from you, and appeal to those needs
Higher education institutions should survey students from multiple and diverse audiences to gain valuable insights into the unique needs and concerns of different student types, allowing the institution to tailor messaging and communication channels accordingly.
The research process allows the institution to identify obstacles the audience is currently facing as well as new services that they would like to be made available.
For example, as media increasingly becomes digitized, generations have become accustomed to the convenience of digital media. Users of digital media rarely communicate when they are having a pleasant experience using a site; however, if it is not operating efficiently, frustrated users will deliver immediate feedback. In other words, digital media works as an efficient gauge of the audience’s experience due to their familiarity with how it should and should not operate.
Other forms of research to gather information about student preferences consist of course evaluation responses from both faculty and students; usage of campus resources; one-on-one interviews; wait and response times; and web, app, and social media analytics. This research results in an understanding of both general preference and specific feedback among students.
3. Map out the student experience
With updated student personas in place, a higher education institution can map the student experience to get a comprehensive view of the current student journey. The student experience should be reviewed for all personas. When the personas vary greatly, a unique student experience must be created for each persona to ensure inclusion of all groups. The map of the experience should include consideration of or initial interest in the school, the application process, enrollment, the campus experience, graduation, and alumni engagement. Following each step of involvement with the university or college allows for a better understanding of the higher education experience from all angles.
Up-to-date insights allow higher education institutions to make revisions to their existing communications and add new ones as appropriate. These institutions can then tailor messaging to their specific needs based on the insights they gain from this research. This could include highlighting the benefits of a new service or opportunity, advocating for more accessible resources, or addressing common student concerns or misconceptions. Higher education institutions can best increase student engagement by developing messaging that speaks directly to the specific needs and concerns of their target audiences and that drives those audiences to take action.
Recommended improvements may include establishing ongoing feedback mechanisms that are integrated into the campus experience to ensure that student and alumni communication preferences and needs are being identified and updated over time.
Each step on the updated student experience map should include the recommended metrics methodology to monitor the engagement and effectiveness of each student communication tactic over time.
4. Measure your success
It is important to create a metrics dashboard to monitor communication performance across the entire student experience. Measuring the success of each element in the student journey will allow you to identify any gaps and to make changes quickly in your communication cadence.
Retaining students is one important goal, but increasing the lifetime value of each scholar should be a focus as well. Other measurable tactics can be used to support that focus, including metrics on satisfaction, rates of engagement, revenue, appointment cycles, and lifetime value. Measurement methodologies are often included in the organization’s current technology suite, but implementing a practical measurement process is key to success.
Improving communication in higher education institutions can make a significant difference in student retention and alumni support. Taking the time to conduct a comprehensive audit of existing patterns, develop student personas, chart the campus experience, and make recommendations for practical advancements can make a considerable difference in improving the student experience — increasing revenue and, ultimately, improving student outcomes.
Sources:
https://www.business.com/articles/marketing-to-college-students/
https://www.pepperlandmarketing.com/blog/5-examples-of-college-student-personas
By: Mary Kate Patrick
