When the average person thinks of a student, the usual perception is that of someone attending an institution such as a high school or a university. However, this is a limited image that doesn't take into account non-traditional educational markets, such as adult learners or international students. These groups can offer valuable insights based on their experiences and backgrounds and help enrich lessons for everyone, but given their non-traditional status, how can you promote your institution to them?
As these types of students fall outside of the typical data set, it stands to reason that traditional proximity-based recruitment techniques, such as campus tours and high school visits, are not an option. We are lucky enough to live in a time where physical communication is not the only way of reaching someone, and given that your institution already has a website in place, why not leverage your digital presence in attempts to better cater to these non-traditional students? As opposed to a Contact Relationship Manager, which is likely how you track student information and interactions, marketing automation offers a suite of tools for more effective outreach.
If someone navigates to your website, you may already have a form or signup in place to enter their information into your CRM, but with marketing automation, this data becomes immediately actionable, as any prospective students will be sent into a workflow that is defined by the data that they have entered. Rather than having the collected data wait for someone to take action on it, automation allows action to be taken right away so you can better establish a relationship with a prospect before they slip away from you. Additionally, you can send them further prompts beyond the initial communication to show off various aspects of what it's like to be a student at your institution, completely eliminating the need for proximity.
Automation also gives you a number of different channels to work with, and not all of them are restricted to the digital realm, which can be very useful when trying to recruit students who may not have a strong familiarity with technologies. For example, you could send a voice communication to a prospective student who may not be available during operational hours. While you could merely send them a digital message, personal communication builds a stronger relationship, which is paramount when you are trying to convince them to enroll. You can automate such messages to send flawlessly in sequence, with zero extra effort on your part. With the rise in omni-channel marketing, automating several forms of communication to a prospect within a given workflow will guarantee that you are top of mind when the time comes for them to decide where to attend.
These are just a few of the ways that marketing automation can help schools in their efforts to recruit non-traditional students. The SimplyCast 360 platform allows you to do everything described in this post with minimal effort and it also features over 20 integrations with existing CRM software, making sure you'll have easy access to your data wherever you need it. Sign up for a free 14-day trial and find out how marketing automation can provide a boom to your non-traditional recruitment efforts.
