February greetings… and a special welcome to new January subscribers as the newsletter enters the 26th year. Enrollment marketing as we knew it pre-2020 is dead. Not every element but the mix of techniques to recruit students used in the 1990s and well past 2010 is done. That’s been happening for a few years now, but […]
Hamilton College COVID-19 “Return” Video is Unusually Realistic Most colleges and universities have “return to campus” videos to inform new and returning students about the usual requirements re wearing masks, washing hands, keeping 6 feet apart. Videos typically show some combination of classroom changes, signs on campus, students walking about or on lawns, dorm rooms, […]
Detailed, easy-to-scan COVID-19 Dashboard at UNC – Chapel Hill We’re getting well started with reopening dates at colleges across the U.S. this week… including the many schools that decided to have students return to campus. How will the COVID-19 virus act on campus? Transparency will be important. That means timely posting of data on campus […]
University of Idaho Creates 17 Videos Inspired by Likely Coronavirus Closing The coronavirus crisis is forcing colleges and universities everywhere to produce new online content to support ongoing student recruitment activities. As for regular recruitment efforts, videos play an important role in that effort. And that new content has to be produced within far shorter […]
Student Video Stories & More from Drexel University Research tells us the college-bound high school students are interested in viewing video stories from students who attend the colleges and universities they are exploring for possible entry. Not “PR” videos, of course. Videos that seem to convey the real feelings of real students. The “PR” vs. […]
Monash University promotes “change” on the home page, including a “Some may find the following disturbing” video Universities, some have said, are cautious places marked by a reluctance to disturb public opinion in a way that might provoke negative reaction… from anyone. Monash University abandons this approach with a home page the continually references “change” […]
Student recruitment Top Task (how much will it cost?) gets rare home page priority at St. Olaf, Edgewood colleges This week we highlight two different approaches to helping potential undergrad students complete a top task priority: how much will your college cost? Or, put a different way, how far below the “sticker price” can I […]
10 Clear, Easy-to-Scan Blog Posts to Help Ross School Admissions Candidates The venerable blog format still has an important marketing role to play… especially when aspiring students can easily scan recent posts whether visiting on a mobile or large screen device. In this case, our example is from the Ross School of Business at the […]
“The Only Reason to Apply Early Decision” at Boston University with text and video Boston University’s early decision admissions page gets right to the point as the page opens in a marvelous example of clearly presented, easy-to-read content presentation: “The Only Reason to Apply Early Decision. You are confident Boston University is your top choice […]
October. And the fall recruitment season for those shrinking high school graduate numbers goes into full swing. After the new September changes in the NACAC “good practices” recruitment guidelines we’ll be watching for competitive innovations starting anytime now. Improving the marketing power of your website? Find out what potential students like and dislike about your […]
August. The opening of a new semester is almost upon us. And for many schools, recruitment of traditional-age students to join at the opening continues even as the 2020 cycle is underway. Best wishes for success to everyone who still needs a few more to meet enrollment and revenue goals. Improving the marketing power of […]
24 Believable Video Stories from Georgetown University Students Videos are popular. Stories of student experiences are popular. But like anything else, the content and the presentation have to be done well. Student stories in particular have to be realistic lest today’s hype-sensitive potential students detect PR manipulation and abandon them. This Georgetown University series gets […]