Many of those prospective students you will be working hard to recruit in the coming months may walk away thinking one thing: That you don’t really care.
In our nationally co-sponsored study, “The Excitement Factor,” we asked 12,000 college-bound students if the colleges they were considering had taken a personal interest in them at any point in the recruiting process. The response was shocking. Two-thirds said “No” or “Don’t Remember” and in our view “Don’t remember” is the same as “No.” (You can DOWNLOAD the complete study here.)
On the flip-side, in another study called “The Relationship Dynamic,”
we found that 80% of students said the relationship they formed with their chosen college was influential in their decision to enroll there. For nearly half of the students the influence was “significant.” (You can DOWNLOAD the complete study here.)
You’re at the outset of a new recruiting cycle and the relationships you build with prospective students and the excitement you generate about your school will be the basis for your success next Fall. Your work going forward is not simply to provide the information that prospective students and parents need. It’s to cultivate relationships.
Meaningful relationships are built on shared beliefs and mutual reward. This is true whether the relationship involves two people, a person and a company or brand, or a prospective student and a college. For a relationship to begin and remain long-lasting both sides must see mutual benefit and feel as though the other side understands them and is sincerely committed to making a contribution to the relationship.
The correlation of relationships to enrollment is HUGE!
Students select and reject colleges on this basis. This is evident in how students rated their chosen college and their second choice college with regard to six factors that are fundamental to the building of the student/college relationship.
We presented students with six statements and asked them whether each statement applies to their chosen college, their second choice college or neither. CLICK HERE to see the complete graph 
that shows the differential between the first choice and second choice colleges in all six areas. It’s significant. As you can see, the race isn’t lost by an inch-it’s lost by a mile.
Just how effective are your efforts really?
Admission teams work very hard to spread the word about their institution during college fairs and high school visits. They lay out the facts and features. Your office most certainly conducts great campus open-houses at which enthused, friendly, and eager staffers speak positively about the great things your school can do for students. You may also have a well-planned direct marketing and electronic recruitment strategy.
All of this activity is good and necessary but how do you know which, or if any, of these activities are generating the level of excitement and emotional connection that makes students show up on campus day one? The only way to know is to take measurements throughout the recruiting process. You can do this by adding specific questions to your ongoing conversations with prospective students. Or by introducing feedback mechanisms to your electronic communications. The goal is to track and respond to “needle movement” on both the micro (student) level and macro (pool) level.
We’ve put out some tools you can use now.
Our series of Free Counselor Training Tutorials on our website and YouTube channel is aimed at making your counselors even better at their jobs. On our website you’ll find an ever growing list of admission counselor tutorials. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get even more. There you’ll find tutorials, up-to-date market data, co-sponsored study reports and a wealth of actionable information to help you with your recruiting efforts.
This video training series is based on our highly-successful Interactive Counselor Training Workshop that counselors tell us is transformative. We have included sessions covering high–impact topics from the popular workshops we conduct at college campuses across the country. The goal is to best serve the student by truly understanding what he or she needs and wants. Ultimately, that will make both you and the student more successful.
If you’ve thought about helping your staff with professional development, now is the ideal time to train and motivate your staff. Email or call me if you are interested in how we can help. Continue the conversation on Twitter@LongmireCo. For more information about Longmire and Company and the tools we have to offer, click here. Be sure to subscribe to Versions of Conversion today.
Rick Montgomery is as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. With over 20 years in higher education marketing, he brings an innovative and dynamic approach to helping colleges and universities meet their enrollment goals. Rick can be reached at 913/492.1265 x.708 or via email at rmontgomery@longmire-co.com.
