Last week we launched our new co-sponsored study, “The Relationship Dynamic: How prospective students form a relationship with your college, and why it matters in your ability to grow and control enrollment.”

We have begun the college co-sponser sign-up process and in this short period of time it looks like this may be our largest nationally co-sponsored study yet (topping the 40 colleges that participated in last year’s study, “The Excitement Factor!”).

Now, you can join a number of highly-respected colleges and universities including Hofstra, Purdue, University of Denver, Eastern Michigan University, University of Findlay, Eastern Kentucky, and Westminster College (PA) that have already jumped on board to get powerful data about building the types of relationships with prospective students that will lead to enrollment. We anticipate north of 45 to 50 public, private, and community colleges participating. And we always get a good mix of schools in terms of geography and size which allows for peer comparisons.

As admission professionals, we know that creating a connection with a student can greatly increase the likelihood of his or her enrollment. We know that building relationships and continually strengthening those bonds is crucial. But big questions remain unanswered: “What can I do to influence relationship-building with prospective students in all aspects of our recruitment efforts, from social media to personal contact?” “How can I involve all influencers, on or off campus, in the development of rich relationships with our prospective students?” And, “have we, or have we not, built bonds with our pool of prospective students?”

If you jump in with our other co-sponsoring institutions, here’s what you’ll learn about the prospective students in your pool:

• When the relationship building process begins, the subsequent timeline, and milestones
• Why students form a bond with one college and not another
• The types of conversations and interactions that bind a student to a college
• How admission counselors and others on campus can be more effective as relationship builders
• How differing forms of communication help to cultivate relationships (personal interaction, email, social media, direct mail, and more)
• Identifying psychographic segments of students and the types of relationships they seek with colleges
• How people and methods outside the control of the college impact relationship building and how you can leverage those influences

Co-sponsors find our studies valuable because of the wealth of information they gain – information they can use to drive action and change. And becuase these studies attract a high number of co-sponsoring institutions they are extremely affordable, costing a fraction of the expense of an individual research project.

For more information, download detailed information about the study by CLICKING HERE or call us at 913/492.1265 x.701.

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Rick Montgomery is as an Enrollment Strategist at Longmire and Company. With over 20 years in higher education marketing, he brings an innovative 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.