Recruiting Intelligence

The opening plenary at the AMA Higher Ed conference by Dr. Steve Robbins was spot on great. With a neuroscientific underpinning, he presented the human desire for inclusivity as a biological need we all share as part of our survival instinct. Playfully using the rivalry between Michigan State and University of Michigan, he pointed out how we make excuses for “insiders” (those in our affinity group). When they exhibit frustrating behavior, we often give them a pass. At the same time, “outsiders” are seen as annoying and exhibiting behavior typical of their group. No pass for them.   

• PIE Live North America, Boston TODAY Look for Ben on stage at the IIE Open Doors: What is the Latest Data Telling Us? session at 2:30 in Grand Ballroom A&B.
• AIRC, Seattle-Bellevue, Washington, Dec. 4-7 -- including our pre-conference global marketing workshop. A full day of Intead global intel (lunch included ; -). Details here. 
• AIEA in March and NAFSA in May, we'll be presenting our latest findings at both. Let us know if you want to connect at either of those two events.

Bookmark this: Intead’s Resource Center 
Access 800+ articles, slides decks, reports with relevant content on any topic important to enrollment management and student recruiting.  Check it out.

With 1,800 people in attendance, this year was the AMA Higher Ed’s largest conference attendance yet. And from what the AMA says, that is the largest attendance of any AMA branch conference. People from 14 countries were there. And of the 1,800 attendees, about 430+ US higher ed institutions were represented. 

Dr. Robbins’ approach to introducing and promoting the idea of inclusion to those who may be of the mind that DEI and “woke” perspectives are simply too much to handle is welcome and perhaps the necessary path forward. Since this is the AMA, we are looking at inclusion in light of human (read: consumer) behavior and the importance of understanding this human desire to be part of a group as it relates to student marketing and recruitment. Diversity results from inclusive policies and practices. 

Dr. Robbins discussed the importance of feeling valued within the tribe you join. As a consumer of education or any other product or service, there is an affinity we are aiming to acquire. That connected and valued feeling leads to student retention and marketing concepts of customer lifetime value (think continuing education and alumni engagement). 

He also talked about the opposite effect: when people do not feel welcomed or included. These feelings light up the same pain centers in our brains that physical pain (a slap or a punch) elicits when experienced. And so, when we don’t promote inclusive practices, we are pushing people away and prompting quite literally a painful experience. 

People I talked to at the conference found Dr. Robbin’s talk a welcome and eye-opening presentation. Another aspect of the conference I found valuable: AMA’s use of Topical Idea Exchanges. These gatherings were smaller groups who circled up the chairs and focused on specific topics. The two I attended (one on celebrating and leveraging milestones (think: centennial celebrations), the other on leveraging organic social channels using institutional and senior leader accounts (think: managing chancellor social accounts). Both sessions were well led and filled with smart people who shared ideas and perspective, asked great questions, and overall made networking and information gathering comfortable and valuable. Though, I did hear some mixed reviews on that format from others.

I attended a couple of sessions during the 1-day I had available at the conference. Kerry Salerno, vice president marketing and communications at Babson College and my co-presenter this week at PIE Live in Boston, talked about presenting marketing results to leadership. A great topic, as in, how do you simplify all the marketing information and results in a meaningful way that prompts wise decisions from the top? The short answer: simplify.  

What I most valued in Kerry’s presentation was her candor about how, over the past 6+ years in the position at Babson, she has made a concerted effort to train and adapt her marketing team to embrace a data informed culture. That work is hard and laborious. Having run a marketing agency for more than 30 years now, when I consider all the elements of running a business, the hardest part is always choosing and developing the talent around me to achieve the goals. How do you accommodate all of the personal, professional, and financial goals for each person and align that with company goals?  

It’s a lot. Always. 

Which brings us back to the idea of inclusivity. Who is part of the tribe? How do you help them feel valued? How do you maintain that feeling despite the challenges that your team, your administration, your students will inevitably face over time? Are you taking the time to figure this very difficult stuff out? How strong is your team’s affinity for each other and the work? Read on... 

We don’t know who needs to hear this, but email is still alive and well. Thriving, in fact. And while all things social media are the marketing darlings of the moment, email, like the quintessential, foundational website, is an indispensable tool for your student recruitment. Some of you don’t believe us, we know. 

Consider this statistic: by the end of 2024, there will be nearly 4.5 billion email users worldwide—that's over half the planet's population. Chances are your target markets are among this crowd. What’s more, four out of 10 emails are opened through mobile apps (per Statista), putting your highly connected prospects just a notification away from your next message. 

“Sure,” you say, “But you’ve provided no age breakdown with those stats.” Mmm-hmmm. We hear you. 

The Intead team is gearing up for some amazing presentations and we hope you can join us. 

• NAFSA 2024 Annual Conference and Expo in New Orleans, May 28-31, 2024
• GMAC 2024 Annual Conference in New Orleans, June 19-21, 2024
• 2024 EducationUSA Forum in Washington, DC, July 30 - August 01, 2024

Let us know if you’ll share a cup of coffee and a conversation about all things global and digital (info@intead.com) 

Why should you place bets on email campaigns when prospective students are so enamored with hugely popular social media platforms and never (never?!?) check their email? For one, email has an unparalleled direct line to your audience. And, unlike other more entertainment-focused social platforms, messages delivered via email are not competing with a third-party algorithm – you send them, they receive them. Plus, emails tend to be easier for your audience to hang on to than say a TikTok post, giving these messages a longer shelf life.   

Essential to this discussion: at what point in your recruitment comms do you use email? To be clear, use email as part of your lead nurturing strategy, NOT as an initial attraction effort. Capture their attention and inquiry using other channels (fairs, social media, counselor referral, etc.). Email is just one element of your effort to deepen the engagement.  

Interestingly, 58% of Gen Z check their email multiple times a day, 23% check it at least once a day, 12% a couple times a week, and 5% once a week, per Campaign Monitor. So, the idea that email is a vintage, washed-up medium is truly a nonstarter. Email is mainstream and will be for the foreseeable future. Including it as part of your recruitment efforts just makes sense.  

Yes, social media is a must-have recruitment tactic. Should anyone on your team need a refresher on the importance of taking an omnichannel approach to marketing, check out this post. 

In the meantime, read on for actionable tips on how to improve your email marketing game to boost, and prove, your student recruitment metrics. It has SO much to do with your content choices... 

If something isn’t online, does it even exist? We jest, and yet, without a strong online brand presence, many prospective students and their families really won’t know you exist. Because let's face it, prospective students today are basically born with smartphones in hand and earbuds on. If something isn’t online, it’s next to invisible in their world. 

That’s why institutions across the board have spent the past decade+ ramping up digital marketing budgets, perfecting their Insta image, and all the rest. A recent Washington Post article claims some well-funded universities are spending upwards of $1-2 million per month on digital ad campaigns alone. (Emphasis there on "well-funded!")

While that number is not industry average, most institutions do not have a Barbie budget, that figure is still a clear indication that digital is mission critical to higher ed marketing. No surprise to you or your finance team.  

But here’s the thing. The newest crop of students and their tag-along Gen Alpha siblings are at once more immersed and less smitten with social media. It's certainly no longer novel. Social media is life as they know it and they are adept at downloading ad blockers and avoiding sales pitches. So take note. Authenticity rules, while overproduced and slick messages are generally ignored.  

Our recommendation is to keep honing your digital marketing game, with this caveat in mind: your digital approach works best in tandem with other channels. We are talking out-of-home, print, in-person, and the like. In other words, the best-bet strategy is omnichannel.

We’ll be at AIEA in DC in about 5 weeks and participating in 3 great presentations: 

• AI for enrollment management  
• Entrepreneurial leadership in bureaucratic environments 
• A discussion around International Student Points of Entry and a new publication to be released later in 2024 
  

And of course, we will be presenting at NAFSA in New Orleans in late May. If you’d like to schedule time to chat over coffee instead of over Zoom, please be in touch (info@intead.com). 

Read on to better understand the importance of omnichannel marketing and how you can use it to engage your target audience and grow your enrollment numbers.