Fall enrollment is one of the busiest times of the year for you as a college administrator. So, you need to be prepared well in advance, and be ready to maximize your intake numbers. You need to make sure your college is a top option for parents and students in the area, so you should have your marketing plans well in place.
If you work on promoting your college before enrollment season, then you can increase your intake, and also get access to a whole list of prospective candidates for future years as well. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.
Work on your marketing collateral
The first thing you should do is create some attractive marketing collateral. So, start off with a college admission poster and put copies up in the most prominent areas around town. You should make sure your poster has all the relevant details, such as important enrollment dates, college programs, contact information, and more.
Also create college catalogs and flyers to share with your audience. Print these out and send them out to schools. Take these to local college fairs as well, and make sure you include all the links and information needed for students to apply to your college.
Strengthen your brand identity
Develop a strong and compelling college brand that resonates with target audiences. This will help you engage well with prospective students, and make you stand out from other college options as well. This identity can include your mascot, key programs, extracurricular activities, and more.
Highlight the unique aspects of your college in your brand identity, and make videos to engage with your audience. Incorporate special slogans and exclusive hashtags, so that people can identify your college immediately when they scroll through their online feeds.
Utilize social media
Engage with prospective candidates across your social media platforms and share compelling content. Make sure you have your social media profiles updated, and let your audience know about all the important enrollment dates and details as well.
You should also post short videos on your social media profiles to advertise your college, and showcase its best features. Post regularly and include testimonials from existing students and alumni as well.
Incorporate email marketing
Email marketing is one of the most direct ways to reach out to your audience and encourage more college enrollment in the fall. Build an engaged email list and send targeted messages to prospective students.
Draft up email campaigns that start a few weeks in advance before college application season rolls around. Share your college catalogs and highlight your features and academic programs in these emails. Also send out reminders when application deadlines are nearer, and make sure you include all the relevant college admission links in these emails.
Utilize alumni engagement
Your alumni can be a valuable resource for your upcoming fall enrollment. Talk to alumni networks and encourage them to refer applicants for the upcoming fall enrollment. Also involve them in mentorship opportunities. They can mentor prospective candidates, and guide them through the application process.
Have alumni members make short testimonial videos and showcase their success after graduating from your college. You should also include alumni success stories in your marketing collateral, and in your email campaigns as well. Also encourage alumni to come to college fairs you participate in, and have them talk to interested applicants.
Partner with local businesses
Collaborate with local businesses for internships, job placements, and other opportunities. This will cement your reputation in the area, and also let you reach out to a wider audience. Highlight these partnerships in your marketing collateral, so that prospective applicants appreciate the value your college can offer to their future careers.
You can also have local businesses place your marketing collateral on their premises and share them with parents and students who visit them. These partnerships will also make you part of a larger community. This community aspect will make people more likely to apply to your college, as they will feel like they’re part of a larger positive experience.
Build relationships with local community colleges
Community colleges can be some of your most valuable resources for prospective applicants. Students there are on the lookout to transfer into mainstream colleges, so you need to leverage this opportunity. Develop transfer pathways to attract these students.
These transfer pathways should be as smooth and easy as possible, so that applicants do not feel hindered. Also send representatives to community colleges, and offer assistance with your application process.
In conclusion, there is a lot you can do to increase your fall enrollment as a college administrator. Incorporate these ideas into your annual enrollment campaigns, and maximize your engagement.