COMMUNICATING WITH PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS IS SIMPLE, YET MANY GET IT WRONG How, What & When to Do It
PRESENTERS Michelle Kowalsky Rachel Rollins Director of International Marketing Coordinator Admissions rrollins@envisageinternational.com mkowalsk@wne.edu
AGENDA ‣ Best methods of communications How, what and when - ‣ Messaging app platforms and video conferences ‣ Open Discussion – What is your communications plan??
Prospects Inquiries THE ADMISSIONS Applicants FUNNEL Admits Enrolled
FILLING THE FUNNEL How: • Prospects ● In country reps Inquiries ● Education fairs ● School’s website Applicants ● Agents Admits ● Portal sites ● List buys Enrolled ● Advertising ● Social media ● Students & Alumni
INQUIRIES How: Prospects • Emails • Calls Inquiries What: Applicants • How to apply • Gather more information about your school Admits • Your chance to begin to develop relationship Enrolled When: • Initial contact ASAP - No more than 24 hours • Ongoing communication weekly moving to monthly
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Good Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Good Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Good Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Good Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Bad Thank you for applying to XYZ College! D******* Ja***** is your admissions counselor, however, she is out of the office for the next month. I’ll be here to help in any way I can. To finish your application, you will need to provide the following: 1.A copy of your passport with photo page 2.Two letters of recommendation (in English), one from a supervisor 3.Transcripts (high school and college) - if they are not American they will need to be evaluated by one of the following services: a) Educational Credential Evaluators b) World Educational Services c) Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute 4.Attestation of high school graduation (form attached) 5.A 500-word essay describing your involvement in your school or community 6.Admissions Interview (form attached) 7.Letter of support from a sponsor 8.Copy of the sponsors most recent financial statement showing sufficient funds-balance of $37,916 (or $28,462 if you plan to return home every Summer) 9.TOEFL score of at least 72 or an IELTS score of 6 or SAT Critical Reading of 500 Feel free to send me each item as you get them. And please let me know if you have any questions along the way. I’ll be here to help you through the process. Hope to talk to you soon! Thank you!
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Ugly Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATION The Ugly Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Enrolled
Inquiries - Utilize MailChimp - Email within 24 hours of receiving the lead - Engage with the student (different depending on entry point)
Senior Inquiries
APPLICANTS How: Prospects • Email • Phone Inquiries • Social • Messaging Apps • Video Conference Applicants What: Admits • Feeling welcomed • Next steps • Housing options Enrolled • Campus life When: • As needed for deadlines • Personal and campus based touch points
Applicants • Tracking Emails • Emails from current students • Phone Calls from students/counselors • Emails about What’s Happening on Campus • Consider communication plan for agents and other partners
MOST POPULAR MESSAGING APPS IN EVERY COUNTRY April 2016
TURN INQUIRIES TO APPLICANTS WITH MESSAGING APPS Boost conversations with inquiries by using a mix of marketing Messenger Apps – Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber and LINE • Free to use internationally • Can create groups or rooms based off where students are in the application funnel or degree interest • Take advantage of sharing links, documents and personalization According to GlobalWebIndex, 75% of internet users today use some sort of a messaging app . “For more than 500 million users in China, [WeChat is] essentially The Everything App.” – David Pierce at Wired
CREATING AWARENESS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Weibo 1. Social media platforms are targeted to current students but gives awareness to potential students ■ Up-to-date contact information ■ Overview of school and International program ■ Have a variety of post 2. Follow students that have requested to follow you ■ Good indicator of quality leads
VIDEO CHATS Skype and Youtube Live Streaming When: • When students are inquiries, applicants, admitted or enrolled • To give more information about your school. How: • Share the event through email marketing and messenger apps Why: • Face-to-face • Provides more guidance • Can determine quality leads to follow-up with
ADMITS & ENROLLED How: Prospects • Email • Calls • Social (invite to class of 2021 FB group) Inquiries • Video conferencing • Mail (Swag!) Applicants What: • Congrats and welcome Admits • Deadlines • What to expect when get to campus Enrolled • Housing When: • As needed for deadlines • Personal and campus based touch points
Accepted/Enrolled Students • Video of congratulations • Email with a copy of Accept Letter • Accept Packet • Emails about unique qualities • Calls from students • Social Media – Facebook pages, WeChat, etc. • Go To Meeting with deposited students
FINAL TIPS What do you need in a successful communications plan? 1) A plan to contact prospective Students quickly • According to the Harvard Business review, responding to leads within an hour generates 7x the meaningful conversations than those that wait even an hour later. 2. An ongoing communications strategy • Cannot stop at one email. A continual lead nurturing plan needs to be developed. 3. An ongoing communications strategy • Email, social, chat, phone….. and more emails…. 4. Always deliver a relevant message • Based on where they are in the funnel
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