Creative enrollment strategies during COVID-19
COVID-19 continues to make its global impact, and most schools have sent students home. The empty campuses are a wake-up call for admissions and enrollment professionals. How can you engage prospective students when they can’t visit the campus? How can you leverage current student testimonials when they aren’t on campus? While you cannot control many aspects of this crisis, you can control how you respond to it. In today’s technological world, it is easier than ever to stay connected from a safe distance. Check out these ways from EAB to stay on top of enrollment during quarantine:
Swag to the rescue
While social distancing keeps students away from campuses, swag remains one of the tangible ways to connect with students. Use giveaways to encourage registration for virtual events. Host social media contests where students share pictures in their swag. Get creative and most importantly, stay top-of-mind.
Talk about it
A key part of the engagement process is normally face-to-face conversations between admissions counselors and prospective students. While in-person meetings are not possible during quarantine, you can still replicate the face-to-face meeting with virtual events and video chat. Gather insights on students’ top worries about college and where they are at in the decision-making process. Admissions counselors can then follow up to work through those concerns.
Ramp up content strategy
In the absence of in-person interaction, ramp up your content strategy. Update your website and post visual, interactive and authentic content to engage prospective students. Encourage current students that remain on campus to create short, in-the-moment videos. Ask students who left campus to share what they miss most about their school. Share the videos and posts on social media, and remember that your students are a great source of content.
Replace in-person events
Every in-person event can be replaced with a virtual component. Turn meetings into Zoom conferences or phone calls. Host a welcome session that features your school’s president or a graduating senior. Create a virtual tour of the campus. Share student videos of dorms and common areas. Make sure to engage prospective students by allowing them to ask questions and get answers. There are endless opportunities to keep students engaged.
Leverage leads
With the halt of many day-to-day responsibilities, many enrollment teams are putting their efforts towards things they don’t normally have time to do. One of these is going through the list of students most likely to enroll, based on internal formulas. Now is a great time to craft personal recruitment plans for these students.