Fall Back: Lessons in Higher Ed Management

Fall Back: Lessons in Higher Ed Management

Walking up one flight of stairs, I entered my office and sat down. I could literally hear my heart beating, but work needed to be done. I had no time to think about that. Whew! I was worn out. Yet, I had run three miles a few hours ago for an early morning workout. Shaking my head to calm my nerves, I reviewed my planner for the second time (because, well, planning is what I do), made a mental note to personally recognize a staff member for stepping up in a big way the previous day, and checked numbers for the day (while cross-referencing data points via two systems). If you’ve never been between systems, you’ve won in life. As usual, I had arrived early to preserve the tranquility of the office before the halls were filled with admission counselors, current students, and prospective families.

I opened my email to start the day, but I couldn’t stop noticing my breathing. Swallow. There’s work to do. My chest was slightly tight. There’s work to do. I felt extremely alert. There’s work to do. I swallowed, envisioned good thoughts, and began the tasks for the day. As quickly as the moment had come, it was gone in a few minutes. Organize, power through, and think positive thoughts. Today WILL be a great day!

But, there had been a trigger to that quick, yet alarming feeling. I had received news that would alternate my environment, and cause disruption in the cadence of the office. It wasn’t based on my work performance, as that would have been in my control. It was exactly what it was: change. I welcome change. I embrace it. It’s challenging. It ignites creativity. It motivates one to bring forth an “Aha” moment! But our office had been experiencing change in an unproductive manner. Change is good; however, recurrent change is exhausting. If I was feeling it, there was no doubt others were feeling it, too.

It was fall semester, which meant applications needed to be processed, early files needed to be reviewed, and Open House was occurring relatively soon. It was pretty much the land of the usual in admissions. But the chaaaange! It was one more thing our office would endure. We didn’t have the bandwidth to absorb it. Yet, it still needed to get done.

After years as an enrollment leader, I had experienced a mild anxiety attack that was triggered by work-related stress. And, if I was honest with myself, it was occurring more than it should have been. While on the road, work hours had increased trying to stay ahead and manage the office from afar. I was so busy that in fact, thoughts were often compromised. I don’t have time to address how I “feel.”

As leaders, we’re called to move forward while keeping institutional goals at the forefront, incorporate change, which falls from the top along the way, motivate buy-in among the team, and keep smiling! Office morale remains a concern as it affects productivity. Julius said it best in one of my favorite movies, Remember the Titans– “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain!” Yet, we fail to talk about an important topic: selfcare. Thinking about selfcare amid chaos “feels” like an irresponsible choice. Choosing to neglect oneself pours into neglecting those we serve. The goal is to serve well. We forget others are watching. Instead, sometimes we over-emphasize numbers, numbers, numbers.

As our brains shift into “go” mode, let’s not forget to live in the moments we can control. I couldn’t control the change. Instead, I could change my approach.

The image we project sets the tone as well as expectation within the environment. During this time of year, I challenge you to ask, “What tone am I setting?” Hopefully, it’s positive one! If so, it’s also important to dig further, and inquire if the pace is realistic. Go, go, go, smile, go, go, go, smile! My brain was flustered. My body was tired. I was in a zone during my early morning workout. I was in control. I was walking into chaos going up the stairs. The control factor was shifting. My brain and body went into flight mode. I began to think too much about the “what ifs.” Organize, power through, and think positive thoughts. While my intentions were well-meaning, my outcome was unrealistic. I was focused on controlling the change, rather than my approach to it.

Fall brings about Daylight Savings Time. As we adjust the clocks, don’t be afraid to do exactly what it says: fall back! Of course, this doesn’t mean be irresponsible. It simply means to lighten up. So fall back! (Let’s be reasonable here. I still want you to have a job!) The office needs you. There are ways we can overcome the fear of the unknown.

I challenge you to…

Focus on your inner well-being. Take time to breathe. Listen to your body’s signals. We can only “go” for so long before we need to regroup. Block meetings for yourself to play catch up mid-day instead of drifting from meeting to meeting. Ask a colleague to conduct a walk-and-talk during a scheduled meeting to get in more daily steps.

Ask for help. Delegation lightens the load and inspires staff, especially new associates seeking professional development.

Listen. No explanation needed.

Learn something new! Being at the administrative level often drives us away from the day-to-day grind. Be open to learning a process to fully understand how the office is functioning. You’ll be surprised how staff will appreciate this.

Build time for play. Because who doesn’t like a good belly laugh?!

Accept the change. Don’t accept your need to control it.

Communicate with other colleagues in your shoes. The best thing about this job is that we’re all in it for students. Cross-sharing information is common. While we’re competing institutionally, we work together collectively to get students through the admissions process. We’re all in the same boat, and sometimes, we just need to vent. This is okay! Make the call.

Keep living like a champion and not just a conqueror. The battles define a conqueror. You’re more than that. A champion functions as if winning is a lifestyle.

The next time your mind wants to over-react to change, and you begin to feel a little panicky, just FALL BACK. Let it run its course.

Daylight Savings Time in the fall is the perfect life metaphor. When we fall back, we gain momentum. Cheers to an exciting academic year!

by Jazmane Brown

Behavioral Scoring: Why Does It Matter?

Behavioral Scoring: Why Does It Matter?

Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) software programs have given the recruitment process an advantage in connecting with students in more intentional ways. With so many data points available, it can sometimes become overwhelming to decipher which method is most influential. While each school differs, they share a common goal: provide educational opportunities for students to live their best lives. So, how can institutions connect on relational terms using the information they have? With thousands of students, there must be a way to drive communication towards those who show more interest than others. There should also be ways to reach a student demographic who have historically been attracted to the institution.

For many individuals, behavioral scoring becomes an essential tool to aid this conversation by identifying how students interact with an institution, based upon the communications they have received. Most CRMs are configured to move a student through an engaging communication sequence. Responsive students stand out, allowing admissions offices to identify where to focus.

CRMs can track these actions using saved information, such as email open rates, email click-throughs, campus visits, phone calls (to and from the student), as well as special programs in which they’ve indicated an interest (i.e., honor programs, summer programs, sports, clubs/organizations, etc.) Other scoring factors include: location, type of high school, and any other available demographics.

Scoring is helpful in many situations – admissions, waitlists, special program offerings, and improving yield numbers. While all students who are tagged as engaged will receive communications, students with higher scores may receive specialized communications. These can be more targeted, and speak to an identified interest, which can prompt enrollment.

Behavioral scoring also allows counselors to manage time by focusing their efforts on the best leads in their territories. Giving the staff access to the data, and educating them on how to use it, also provides them with an excellent professional development tool. They can use the information to make informed decisions to be more creative in their outreach, follow up, and responses. As a result, using information becomes more of a team effort, instead of only a “Dean” effort.

Understanding the audience is key to creating specific communications, and behavioral scoring is an effective tool for this purpose. Take a fresh look at how you are using it and find ways to encourage your staff to use scoring information to connect with students.

Put Your Best “Campus Visit” Foot Forward

Put Your Best “Campus Visit” Foot Forward

Prospective students receive dozens and dozens of messages across multiple methods of communication from colleges and universities. The message is the same. “Visit us, and you will see what makes us different.”

The physical campus visit does what media messages, pictures, phone calls, virtual and online tours, etc., cannot do: it allows the student to feel what kind of a fit your college could be for them. Because the campus visit gives prospective students a glimpse of their possible future community, you want to ensure it’s a personal experience.

While you cannot appeal to each student’s every desire and whim, there are steps you can take to create the best experience possible.

Remember, you only have one chance to make a (good) first impression. Surely, you have heard this quote, or some variation of it, throughout your life. It’s incredibly true when relating to the campus visit experience.

Even before your potential student arrives, perceptions are forming. How was the ease of the registration experience? Did visitors receive timely and ample information about what to expect while they are on campus? Did you provide directions that led them to campus in a way that also displays your city and makes them feel excited about your school before their tour begins?

Think about the physical space where your prospective students come to start their visit experience. Is it welcoming and inviting? Do they know they are at your institution the moment they walk through your doors? How are they greeted and checked in for their visit? What are they given once they check in? If it’s just a packet of information, is it unique to what other colleges are giving their visitors? Give students a gift or memento that will help them be identified by the campus community that they are a visitor as well as make the student feel special (remember that they’ll remember how you made them feel). Items can be as simple as a nametag and lanyard with the institution’s colors and logo, a pre-made button, a water bottle with the university’s identification, or something specific to your college or city’s history or what you’re renowned for.

During the time your prospective students and their families are on your campus, have a plan for engagement. Familiarize yourself with prospective students before their arrival. Where are they from?

What high school do they attend? What’s their current major? What sort of activities are they involved in? Use the information to tailor the visit. Once they arrive, ask questions and share your plan. Discover what is important to them and adjust when needed. Be intentional and proactive in the visit. See if you can arrange for them to meet with a professor or sit in on a class of their desired major. Select a tour guide from their hometown or high school to give them their campus tour. Find out what activities will be occurring on campus the day of their visit and invite the prospective student to attend.

A great way to engage students during their visit is to tie in components of social media. Social media plays a key role in the recruitment of today’s student, so use it to your advantage during the campus visit. Make the experience memorable and exciting, so that prospective students want to showcase your campus to their friends on social media. Stage a “social media” area, either somewhere within your campus (perhaps a picturesque view or well-known locale) or at your Welcome Center, for students to take selfies with the swag items they collected during their time on your campus. Give students a particular hashtag so that when they post their experience of your campus to your friends, you too will be able to track and see how those messages are going out across social media platforms.

Last but not least, your university’s best assets for creating the campus visit are your tour guides. I cannot stress this enough. These current students of your institution will “make or break” the experience for the prospective student. Ensure they will “make” the visit by spending time and resources in training tour guides to have knowledge of your institution and understand the basic admissions requirements (should your tour guides be housed under the umbrellas of the Admissions office). Train guides to be storytellers because prospective students and their families often prefer to hear about an institution from a current student.

Investing time and resources to training your guides to improve the tour for prospective students and their families. It also helps you stand out when families compare different campus experiences and choose where they will apply. Again, students will most remember how you made them feel while they were visiting your campus, so be sure to make a positive first impression. Make them feel special, make them feel welcomed, and most importantly, make them feel that they are already part of the university’s family.

Happy visiting!

by Nicole Martin

Mid-Year Pivot in Enrollment Management

Mid-Year Pivot in Enrollment Management

Enrollment managers will soon find themselves speeding headlong into yield season and asking questions.

Are we getting enough students to visit campus?

Did Student Search produce quality prospects at the top of the funnel?

Did the travel plan support the goal?

Is the communication flow working as we planned?

Are we providing the right financial aid packages to students?

By that time of the year, there are fewer enrollment “levers” to flip to ensure you meet your fall class numbers. If you are not on pace to reach your goal, don’t throw in the towel. Instead, consider how you can use these three options to get back on track.

DISCOUNT RATE

At the mid-year point, it pays to evaluate the discounting plan for your recruiting pool. Look at those who have received a financial aid package (more of them thanks to prior/prior). Who has accepted the package? Who has not accepted?

Evaluate if the plan is working. Look for student types (cells) that are either under-awarded or over-awarded. Bring in your financial aid staff to review students, who have not yet been awarded. Plan any necessary changes to your awarding strategies moving forward. Financial aid dollars have a bottom-line impact. Your CFO will thank you.

APPLICATIONS

Are enough applications coming in? How does your application pool compare to previous years? Are you seeing changes in your profile (academic, geographic, gender, athlete/non-athlete, etc.)? Different market segments convert and yield differently. If you are seeing a significant uptick in your athlete applications, and know you have limited roster spots available on those teams, are the application numbers reflecting your school’s reality?

When applications are below where you like them to be, consider an application generation campaign. There are always hidden pockets of life in inquiry pools. By finding them with an application campaign, you can generate a few more applications. Every enrolled student is critical to meeting your university’s goals.

CAMPUS VISITS

A campus visit is typically one of the strongest indicators of interest. Determining if visits are up or down, is a good indicator of the “health” of your funnel. Converting campus visitors to applications or enrolled students should top your priority list.

If visits are down, or if your visitors are not converting to applications, look for ways to incentivize visitors by deploying one of these tactics:

• Campus store discount: Offer “20% off on your first campus store spirit-wear,” and let them redeem the discount online.
• Travel reimbursement: Many schools are on the way to somewhere, so they get numerous drop-in Other schools are destinations, and a special effort is required to visit. If your campus is off the beaten track, travel reimbursements can help you bring more prospects to your campus. This was an effective tactic for me, and I was always surprised at the number of students who looked for travel help.
• Application fee: Offer to waive the application fee, if students visit your campus. It may not be much, but application fees add up for students. This offer could help tip the scales for you.
• Faculty contact: If you are at a college with an engaged faculty (or even a few key professors), this could be a great option for you. Ask selected faculty members to reach out to students. You should always respect their comfort levels with the process. Some will be fine with sending a letter or email. Others will make a call. No matter what they are willing to do, their effort helps you. The best outreach is both personal and trackable. One option that fits both those criteria, is a tool called Bomb Bomb. This is an inexpensive subscription-based email solution. Senders can record short videos and send them to students. Once the email is sent, you can track if the student received, opened and watched the video. Whatever method the faculty member wants to use to reach out to your student pool, at this time of year, it might be a “make or break” opportunity for you!

While there are no magical answers, you still have options. Look at your situation objectively. Stay positive, consider your options, and act!

Piloting Challenging Situations in Higher Education

Piloting Challenging Situations in Higher Education

This is your captain speaking.

I travel quite a bit for my job. Lots of flights. Lots of rental cars. Lots of hotels. At one point in my life, travel was exciting. However, frequent business travel makes it all become pretty routine, to be honest.

It’s much like our jobs in enrollment. At first, we’re trying to figure everything out all at once. Student behavior. Big data. Yield ratios. Operations and staffing. It’s all exciting and fascinating. Yet, much like frequent business travel, over time, it all becomes quite ordinary.

Until there’s turbulence. During moments of turbulence, we’re shaken out of our routine and become keenly aware of what is happening around us.

As enrollment leaders, we know turbulence has become part of our industry’s landscape. Things shift and change, and we react to those changes. We have become accustomed to “normal” turbulence and learned how to handle the bumps and bounces throughout the recruitment cycle.

Until the turbulence escalates into something bigger. Something we don’t recognize. Something unplanned for that looks and feels dangerously chaotic.

During these times of instability, we desperately look for strong leadership. Sound reason. Experience. The clear voice of the captain on the speaker calmly communicating about the situation and reassuring a panicky group of passengers who are trying to make sense of events.

We are in that moment, and you are that Captain.

There are six traits that I always want my Captain to have whenever I board a plane, and what schools and staff need from enrollment leaders now:

1: BE HUMAN

Be patient and humane to those who are looking to you for direction. True leadership comes in sharing the experience of anxiety and uncertainty, not pretending that you have all the answers and fixes.

2: BE HONEST & TRANSPARENT

Our society craves authenticity, and people can see through falsehoods. If there is tough news, be strong and honest with your team.

3: USE DATA, BUT DON’T FORGET TO USE YOUR INSTINCTS

Our industry has embraced big data as much as any, and gut-checks are no longer as necessary as they once were. But when you face new situations, like the COVID-19 crisis, you capture and utilize your instincts. Now is a time for both science and art as you evaluate situations and shape decisions.

4: BE FLEXIBLE & ADAPTIVE

If there was ever a moment to flex, it is now. Remember, you’re not setting precedents (and you may need to say that to your team at times). You’re making reasonable adaptations considering your situation. These are unprecedented times.

5: STAY POSITIVE

I’m not talking about faking positivity. Dig deeper if you need to. Find the positive attitude that got you where you are in this industry. Prospective students and current students need to know you have a plan and believe in the future of your institution.

6: FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION—RIGHT NOW

I don’t think you can over-communicate in this season. Keep your team and your prospects in the know as to what is happening at your school. Keeping people in the dark is your enemy. Your audience needs to hear from you, your team, and the leadership at your school.

During the most turbulent flights, we all want to know the Captain is in control, calm, and providing factual information.

People are depending on you, and I know you are up to the challenge. Best wishes as you pilot forward.

Strategies to Facilitate Student Matriculation & Persistence

Strategies to Facilitate Student Matriculation & Persistence

Some flights have rough landings. Pilots hit the runway hard. They slam the brakes, surprising passengers who jerk forward, barely managing to hang onto their cell phones. It’s an unpleasant way to end a trip. For first-time travelers, it also leaves a very negative impression.

During my time in student affairs, I noticed that the “rough landing” concept could also be applied to the first impression an institution made on first-time, full-time freshmen students.

Admissions devotes effort over an extended period to developing intentional relationships with potential students and their families. Or as we say at enrollmentFUEL, “People recruit people.” Admission offices generally have budgets for attractive marketing collateral that promises support and presents the campus as a place that is energetic, yet serene.

Then comes move-in day, and it can be crazy. In my last position, we welcomed the new class with only five student affair professionals. We were running the orientation, and fielding parent questions and concerns. There were always minor emergencies to contend with, like the time every single light mysteriously went out in a residence hall.

For some students, who are already feeling uncertain about a school, this can be a challenging day. While no school has the budget to provide a resort-style welcome, there are ways for admissions and student affairs to work together.

Consider these ideas:

• Invite the student affairs team and the faculty to recruiting events. Encourage their involvement with specific tasks to foster interaction and relationship-building from the beginning. If a student feels connected to more people than their admissions counselor when they arrive on campus, they are more likely to stick around.
• Partner with student affairs for orientation efforts. This responsibility can fall under either department, depending on the institution, but that does not prevent both from being present and visible. Orientation is a critical passing of the baton, and the moment freshmen go from being your students to their students.
• Think about developing budget-friendly summer events to keep local students engaged. For instance, maybe you could do a Meet-Your-Roommate bonfire night or a commuter sand volleyball tournament. What about a picnic lunch in the quad? Or a group outing to a local sporting event?
• Ask student affairs to include you in the roommate matching process. You know your students, and you can have insight on who may not get along. A bad roommate experience is a fast track to the “Mom, come get me, I can’t do this” phone call.
• Work with your student affairs team to get all necessary paperwork and requirements – housing forms, vaccinations, parking permits, accommodation requests – out of the way during the summer. It is a reason to contact students every few weeks and stay connected. When students continue to walk through processes each week, it becomes easier to stay than it is to look for other options before school starts.

Before you know it, the next class will arrive at your school. By looking for ways to improve the handoff between enrollment and student affairs, you ensure a smoother flight and a softer landing. Prepare for take-off!

A note of special thanks from Alison Walls to her former colleague, Mike Wilkinson, who worked with her to develop the “soft landing” concept at Mid-America Christian University.

Do You Make Any of These 7 Mistakes in Direct Mail?

Do You Make Any of These 7 Mistakes in Direct Mail?

Introduction from Mike Wesner
In 2011 I attended a session at the Direct Marketing Association’s annual conference. The presenter was Alan Rosenspan, and his topic was increasing direct mail response rates. At the time, I understood the importance of the “call to action,” but Alan introduced me to the importance of the “reason to believe.” Or to put it another way, if you make a claim, you need to explain why the claim is true.

As we head into another cycle, we asked Alan for permission to reprint his online article, “Do You Make These 7 Mistakes in Direct Mail?” While Alan’s examples focus on business, the wisdom he shares can be applied to educational institutions, too. Enjoy!

We all make mistakes from time to time, but the trick is to only make the same mistake once. And so, having created, evaluated and reviewed thousands of direct mail packages around the world, I’d like to share some mistakes that I have seen over and over again.

JUST SELL BENEFITS

We’ve all been told that benefits are the most important thing you can tell people. They want to know “WIIFM”—What’s in it for me? Why should I buy your product? How does it benefit me? What do I get?

In other words, don’t just tell me that your car comes with anti-lock brakes because that’s a feature. Tell me that it’s a lot safer and easier to drive, even in wet weather. Because that’s a benefit. But benefits alone are not enough. And there is some evidence to suggest that people are motivated more by the avoidance of pain, than the promise of pleasure. A study by an energy company proved it. The study was done among people that had energy audits. The person conducting the audit asked the homeowner one of the following questions:

1. “Did you know you can save an extra 75 cents a day by implementing these recommendations?”
2. “Did you know it costs you an extra 75 cents a day if you don’t implement these recommendations?”

Which do you think was more effective?

If you selected the second one, you’re absolutely correct. So how could this work in direct marketing? You may be able to improve response by focusing on what will happen to your prospect if they don’t use your product or service. As an example, we did two mailings for a software company that focused on ISO 9000 certification. The first mailing talked about how the software could help you pass certification and included all the benefits. It was a large and expensive mailing. The second mailing was a simple #10 letter package. The outer headline read, “ISO 9000 certification. Will your company fail?” This was the winning package.

DON’T SHOW YOUR TARGET MARKET

I did a seminar for a travel company that focuses on the 45- to 65-year-old market. (One of the fastest-growing segments of the travel industry) On the cover of their catalog, they had an adorable photograph of a cute little Dutch girl. What’s wrong with this picture?

The humorist Robert Benchley once wrote, “There are two classes of travel…first-class and with children.” The very last thing that the average older adult wants on their vacation is to deal with children. Instead, I recommended that they show an attractive couple, in the right age range, that will immediately communicate the fact that this catalog and these vacations are for people aged 45 to 65.

One of the first questions any prospect will have about your product is, “Who’s it for?” By showing a photograph of your target customer right at the beginning, you can answer that question and establish a rapport with your prospects.

DON’T SHOW YOUR PRODUCT IN USE

Business-to-business advertising almost always gets lower readership scores than consumer advertising—even though it appears in more targeted publications. The reason? Most business advertising never shows the product in use. Most business ads have pictures of boxes, or “concepts” or anything except the product. While I realize this may be difficult to do when you’re selling high technology products or even financial services, it’s well worth the extra effort. And if you can’t show the product in use, at least show happy people benefiting from it.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE OFFER

If your product is good enough, you don’t really need an offer, do you? Let’s look at an innovative company called Working Assets. Working Assets is a long-distance company that really tries to make a difference. They take 1% of their revenue and donate it to nonprofit groups working for peace, human rights, education, and the environment. And they’ve donated over 30 million dollars since they began in the mid-’80s.

Working Assets also has an innovative program that alerts their customers to important issues and allows them to call specific decision-makers—such as members of Congress—absolutely free. So, you can make your voice heard. Plus, they are the only long-distance company that prints invoices on unbleached 100% post-consumer recycled paper. And they plant 100 trees for every ton of paper they use. It would seem that a company like this wouldn’t need to make an offer to get new customers. After all, as they say, “Every call you make helps build a better world.”

However, they’ve found that offers are critically important—and after years of testing, they’ve found one that has been absolutely unbeatable. When you switch to Working Assets, you get a free pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream every month for an entire year. Or as they say, “Sign up for Working Assets and a deal so good you can actually taste it.” If your offer isn’t as irresistible as free ice cream for a year—you may want to keep testing.

LET ME POSTPONE MY DECISION

Several years ago, I had a boss who always asked me two questions whenever I wanted to purchase something like a new computer. The first was pretty simple. He’d ask, “Why do we need it?” And in fact, most salespeople are trained to give their prospect what’s known as “the elevator pitch.”

It’s called that because you’re supposed to be able to provide, in the course of a short elevator ride, a fast explanation of why you need the product. I could usually answer this question, but his next one often threw me, “Okay, why do we need it now?”

In today’s economy, it is not enough to give people a reason to buy your product and service. You must also give them a compelling reason to act now. The CEO of a high technology company recently wrote, “Companies are being much more selective. Even after our salespeople have convinced the chief information officer of the product’s technical merits, the chief financial officer’s decision takes forever.”

This principle, by the way, can also be applied to your offer. Don’t leave it open-ended—put a deadline on it. “You must respond within 30 days” can be an excellent way of increasing response.

USE “ADSPEAK”

Speaking of travel, a friend of mine used to be the editor of Travel & Leisure magazine. She read dozens of prospective articles every month. Whenever she came across a certain phrase, she would immediately stop reading and reject that article. The phrase was “A study in contrasts…” It was used to describe countries, cities, restaurants, just about everything, and it appeared in at least five articles a month.

In advertising and direct marketing, you must resist using cliches, clever lines, or headlines that impart no actual information. People either tune them out or just don’t read them. For example, a recent ad in BusinessWeek was for AMD (I’d never heard of them either) Their headline across a 2-page spread—costing over $100,000—said: “AMD Makes it Possible.” That’s adspeak, and it really doesn’t mean a thing. However, in the copy of the ad, they mentioned that they were able to help a famous auto company cut their design time on a new electric vehicle from one year to 10 weeks.

A headline of “How AMD Cut Design Time from 12 Months to 10 Weeks” is much more specific, and much better.

LEAD THEM ON

The University of Maryland didn’t want their students to trample all over the grass on their new main promenade. So they planned to put concrete paths to connect the buildings. However, instead of arbitrarily putting in concrete paths, they waited a month or two.

In that time, the students naturally created several paths through the grass as they walked from class to class. Only then did the University add the concrete—and only where the students actually walked.

In many direct marketing packages, there is no natural path to follow; no direction for the reader. There’s often not even a clue on what the most important part of the package is, or why the prospect should respond.

BONUS: ASSUME THEY WILL READ EVERY WORD

They won’t. I can’t tell you how many direct mail packages I’ve looked at where they “save the best for last.” Unfortunately, the only person who got that far was the copywriter and the client.

That’s why it is absolutely essential to:

• Put your main benefits in your headlines and other prominent places.
• Put strong, selling captions under every photograph — after headlines, they are the “most read” part of any ad or direct mail piece.
• Highlight news, don’t bury it.
• Make sure the offer stands out, even when you quickly scan the package.
• Tell people exactly what you want them to do. (And that’s exactly what I’ve done below)

by Alan Rosenspan

Testing New Geographic Markets

Testing New Geographic Markets

I have had many conversations, particularly in markets where institutions are subject to severe competitive pressures, where the VP of enrollment says, “We need to expand our geographic reach. What do you recommend?”

I am a fan of big ideas and believe that you must try new things to get new results.

I am also a practical realist who recognizes that colleges and universities have limited resources. Before waging a full-scale assault on an unfamiliar set of zip codes, I recommend experimenting with a pilot program.

Pilot programs mitigate risk, test assumptions, and identify the resources necessary to achieve results. It is an opportunity to collect data, and what can be measured can also be improved.

The first microSEARCH^® campaign we ran at enrollmentFUEL was part of a pilot program to help Drury University expand into a new market. Since then, we have refined our best practices for developing  pilot programs, and developed a better recipe for success, built around these six steps:

• Set a clear goal. You get it, so we know we don’t have to explain?.
• Review your assumptions. What do you believe to be true about competitors, the market in general, required resources, barriers to overcome, and the odds of success? What are the strengths of your offering, and what type of students do you attract? Will you have any brand strength in the new market? A clear-eyed view of where you are starting helps you avoid unnecessary missteps.
• Put together a proof-of-concept model. This step is often used in product design, but it can also provide valuable structure forcing you to demonstrate a viable opportunity for market success. This exercise allows you to identify unmet needs in the market you want to enter, and lets you develop a solution on paper before committing resources. It also helps you identify important milestones, indicating whether or not you will be on track to meet your goal.
• Determine the necessary resources. Your proof of concept model can help you determine these. While it is good to be frugal, underinvesting, either in marketing dollars or staff hours, may prevent success if you don’t create enough force to push a big idea forward.
• Plan and execute your campaign. This is when hard work and research pays off, helping you bring creative ideas to life. Customize your campaign for the audience. Focus the messaging on relevant decision drivers, where you can stake out a winning position. If you have invested in geographic research, look for ways to apply the insight to the new location. Connect with the local alumni network, and leverage those connections.
• Assess results. How closely does the real outcome match the predictions you made in your proof-of-concept mode? Were assumptions proved true? Did you experience any surprises, positive or negative? Can positive results in a market be reproduced on a larger scale?

We would also recommend that you consider more than one location for expansion. Comparing options clarifies plusses and minuses, and helps you select the optimal place to experiment. It also helps you explore (and often quash) suggestions from helpful trustees who are convinced you will find a huge market and easy pickings in a city they personally favor.

In the coming years, many institutions will experience mounting competitive pressure in their primary geographic markets. To grow, they must recruit students from new locations. Some schools will go with the trustee’s suggestion, throw all their chips in the pot, cross their fingers, and hope the big bet pays off. Others will take a more measured approach, crafting a budget-friendly pilot program to test their big idea.

To reach a new place always involves a journey, but you don’t have to travel alone. If you’re considering entering new markets, find someone who will listen as you talk through your idea. That could be a friend, a colleague, a peer, or you are always welcome to contact me because big ideas—and big success—often start with a single conversation.

by Mike Wesner

7 Tips to Motivate Your Team

7 Tips to Motivate Your Team

People are the most important asset enrollment leaders have during challenging times like these. Your team has the power to keep a strong connection with future students while providing answers and information. When you are no longer with your team in an office, it’s important to make extra efforts to keep them happy and motivated.

1: CONSIDER THEIR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The design of an office has a huge impact on people’s moods, their engagement levels, and productivity. This is even more true when working remotely. If an employee has a home office but prefers to work on their back porch, allow for it. Also, make sure remote workers have all the tools they need at home to work effectively. A good leader will invest in supplies their team » needs to do their job successfully and comfortably.

2: HIGHLIGHT THE VALUE OF SMALL WINS

Most managers don’t focus on the value of progress when trying to motivate their employees. Outlining clear goals, recognizing good work, and offering support are less traditional effective unless you nourish progress as well. Research has shown that workers who feel like they’ve made progress are also more likely to report being in a good mood.¹ The emotions that stem from lack of progress also lead to apathy and lower motivation.

There are lots of ways to highlight small wins when working with remote teams. Every time you host a remote meeting, you can take a few minutes to go through each person’s accomplishments for the day (no matter how small). Remote collaboration tools like Asana, Trello, and Slack will also help you to break down projects into small tasks. Employees can check off each task throughout the day, giving them a feeling of accomplishment each time.

3: PLAY TO EMPLOYEE STRENGTHS

Most leaders don’t take full advantage of the skills and expertise of their teams. Employees have a variety of tasks to work on—some they’re good at, and some they’re not. If you want to motivate employees and maximize their productivity, allow them to focus on their strengths.

For remote teams, start by detailing what each person works on throughout the day. Which tasks are the most tedious for them? Which tasks make them exasperated? Which tasks do they consider to be easy? Once you answer these questions for each employee, find ways when possible to reallocate responsibilities to allow each person to focus on what they do best.

4: SHOW PEOPLE THAT THEIR WORK MATTERS

When people think their work matters, they are happier, more productive, and more motivated to help your office succeed. Vice Presidents and Directors have a lot of influence over how employees feel about their work role. Research has shown that certain traits can help a leader show employees that their work matters.² The best leaders are: (1) curious and inquisitive, (2) challenging and relentless, (3) able to align employees to values and office culture, and (4) able to trust people.

Managing your admissions team remotely gives you a lot of opportunities to show your staff that their work matters. One of the best ways to be curious and inquisitive while showing that you trust your team is giving them » the freedom to work how they want independently. Right now, the majority of admissions teams are trying to do their jobs from home for the first time. Give your employees the freedom to try their own approach to this instead of micro-managing the transition from far away.

5: HELP EMPLOYEES CONNECT WITH THEIR WORK

One of the biggest problems in general, and with remote work in particular, is a sense of disconnection. Counselors can go through the paces of their job without actually thinking about the impact their work has on students. Reminding your recruiters of the human impact of their work on students can give them a sense of purpose and increase motivation.

The best way to do this is through storytelling. Find real-world incidents that illustrate how their work has helped people directly. Then, take the time to share these anecdotes with your remote teams. People can’t see the impact of their work within the four walls of their homes. Leaders can bring that to them through effective storytelling.

6: ENCOURAGE FOCUS

Research shows that managing ongoing communication and distractions in the workplace negatively impacts memory, attention, and concentration.³ Most remote workers are set up in an environment that encourages these kinds of stressors. As a leader, there’s actually a lot you can do to help employees focus in a remote work environment.

Instead of assigning weekly deadlines, give employees a small number of daily tasks to focus on. The next thing you can do is limit business communication to what is necessary. Emailing employees regularly throughout the day or having them video call with others while working reduces focus and increases stress. Encourage employees to limit technology use and schedule time for strategic work.

7: TAKE STEPS TO AVOID BURNOUT

According to The Happiness Track, 50% of people across professions feel burned out.⁴ More people are exhausted at work than ever, which correlates highly with feelings of loneliness.

The most important thing you can do as the leader to assist your staff in avoiding burnout is maintaining the right kind of relationships. Being friendly, warm and understanding is key, especially in a remote work environment. Remember, your staff might now have unavoidable distractions in their home environment. Be understanding. Lastly, host and stimulate activities that allow your team to gain emotional support from each other. Encourage them to work together and make connections throughout the day to build closeness and camaraderie.

All tips were compiled from the HBR Guide to Motivating People, available at HBR.org.

1. HBR Guide to Motivating People (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019), page 84

2. HBR Guide to Motivating People (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019), pages 105–110

3. HBR Guide to Motivating People (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019), page 186

4. HBR Guide to Motivating People (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019), page 204

Play Next Episode: Digital Marketing with Connected TV

Play Next Episode: Digital Marketing with Connected TV

I wrote an article, The Year Ahead: Three Fundamental Drivers for Recruiting Success for the 12^th issue of our Octane magazine. It examines areas of need for every enrollment leader. All enrollment leaders can benefit from having a suite of digital program tools that can solve the challenges outlined in this discussion. Today, I want to continue journeying with you as you learn more about how to effectively add digital communications to enhance your ongoing marketing efforts.

At enrollmentFUEL, we want to lead you through the digital transition that is happening in our world.

During the last enrollment cycle, we noticed a correlation—those clients who were experiencing record enrollment were also those letting us innovate for them using new digital marketing techniques.

We like how digital marketing makes Student Search better. When I examine some of the things we’re doing with digital, I’m reminded of the old BASF TV commercials that went something like this: “At BASF, we don’t do X, we do X better.” Digital is taking on a whole new level of importance because it makes everything else you do better. It is the background hum of activity that makes your Student Search campaign perform better. Most enrollment shops have a solo act trying to convert more applications, campus visits, and deposits. If you want backup singers to provide harmony and some dance moves, you need digital.

CONNECTED TV

Long gone are the days (mostly) where brands need a big-time Madison Avenue advertising agency to make high budget production television commercials. You don’t need a 21^st-century version of Don Draper to promote your brand across programming from TV Guide’s top shows of the week.

Enter Connected TV into the world of digital advertising. Connected TV is Smart TVs, or streaming apps, or devices on your phone, computer, or tablet (think Hulu, Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Xbox, PlayStation, and even YouTube channels) that access content connected through the internet. The humor is not lost on me in that Connected TV is strongly based toward those who have “cut the cord” from the cable companies’ grip.

So, what exactly is the Connected TV difference? When you watch your cable provider or network TV shows live or on DVR, the ads that you’re seeing are broad in nature, very limited in targeting criteria, and even more so in metrics. They are seen by everyone watching that show at that time, in that geographic area. The ability to target and track metrics from traditional TV advertising is as limited as my ability to impress NFL scouts with my command of the RPO offense. But now, with Connected TV, when you’re watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Hulu, the ads you’re seeing are targeted more specifically, to you. Commercial spots are now auctioned at an ad exchange—sort of like today’s more modern stock market that automates supply and demand transactions. Essentially, these ads are “served” very similar to how a retargeted banner ad is displayed on your computer screen.

Let me translate this for you. You now have the ability to affordably send a very relevant 30-second TV commercial to audiences as small as your inquiry or applicant pool telling them specifically what you want them to do next.

182.6 million people in America accessed their video content through Connected TV in 2018, and that number is expected to grow to just over 204 million in 2022 (Verna). Think about how many of these viewers include your suspects or prospects. This is a prime market for enrollment leaders wishing to make an impact on potential recruits to elevate mindshare. Take the benefits of what online digital marketing provides and mix it with traditional Student Search, and you get a powerhouse of potential leads. This is the future of cutting-edge recruitment because of the new “cutting-cord” marketplace.

3 Benefits of Connected TV:

1. Budget Friendly: Because of the strong ability to target, Connected TV advertising gets your video in front of the students (or families) you’re looking for. This way, you’re not paying for eyeballs that aren’t relevant to your message.
2. Audience Targeting: Brands can build an audience profile down to time of day preferences, retargeting, and look-alike modeling. Coupled with information already collected with Facebook, Google, an Apple ID, and other cookie data, advertisers can target by age and geographic area—down to the zip code. They identify interests and other behavior to put together the best chances of reaching your target audience.
3. Real-Time Metrics: Hone in on your Connected TV ad buys. By answering the questions of which shows, demographics, geographics, device types, IP addresses, and how many impressions are served before some conversion action, you can start to optimize from the real-time metrics. This will circle back to #1, “Budget Friendly.” When you have information like this at your fingertips, you can set frequency capping, which will limit the number of ads shown and can help your budget—conscious spending, but not limit your ability to gain traction in your campaigns.

Looking at the above benefits, it’s easy to find a path to smarter but even bigger and better ad buys. When you understand your metrics, you can optimize your targeting, and when you’ve done this, you can afford more budget, and increase your viewership with buys on more premium inventory. Just like any other enrollment tactic like name buys or digital marketing, you can start smaller and scale your way upward.

Bonus: The Actual Ads

With CTV ads, you can experiment with your video creative. Talk to your student ambassadors, or even close prospects with whom you have already built a relationship to get feedback. Students are your focus groups, so ask them about preferences to include static images, video, call to actions, length, and interactivity or engagement. Imagine what goes into the production of a single Super Bowl ad. Now, think if they had the power to test various ads at the same time from large viewership. The metrics from those ads could guide the rest of the year. This is what we are suggesting, but for your entire prospect pool.

Are You Still Watching?

Connected TV is not a future tactic to think about with your marketing and recruiting teams. It’s a NOW initiative to start considering. Imagine all the new shows you read or hear about from friends and family. Think about how often you stream your own favorite shows. The only thing you may not have considered is the ads in your video content and how targeted they are to you. If you’re like me, the next time you’re binge watching a five season series on YouTubeTV, you’ll be a little more curious why you’re seeing the ads for the Subaru Outback (mine is 11 years old) and car insurance (I have a new driver and have been recently shopping for better rates).

Feel free to reach out to me for a private consultation about how Connected TV and other emerging technologies may be able to help you also have a year of record enrollment.

by Mike Wesner

Verna, Paul. “Connected TV Advertising.” EMarketer, 23 Aug. 2018, www.emarketer.com/content/connected-tv-advertising.