Automated Email Marketing for Higher Ed - Your Job Just Got Easier

Last week, I posted a blog about how great marketing automation is for higher education. I wanted to give a specific example of exactly how you can use the software to encourage prospective students to enroll. Automated workflows are great for many different nurturing processes. They allow you to personalize, engage, and interact with potential clients, customers, or in this case, students.

Email Marketing Helps With Admissions Initiatives

Let's talk about how you can use them to help with your admissions initiatives.

The goal is for the prospective student to visit your site, have an initial interaction, and then gain all of the knowledge that they need to apply for admission.

As I always mention, these components should be a piece of your overall digital marketing and complete marketing strategy. First, choose a goal for your workflow campaign, and then create content for your messaging.

3 Things to Remember About Automated Email Marketing

1. Timing Is Everything

Use fixed-date and scheduled workflows to announce and remind prospective students about application deadlines, FAFSA submission, open house dates, or any other important event.

2. Ask Them to DO Something

There should be a CTA or a "Call to Action" in every single email. CTAs can be as simple as a link pushing readers to your site to learn more about your campus, or maybe a submission form for students considering visiting the campus for an open house. 

3. Humanize, but Automate

Use a specific workflow just for the application process. Usually, you would have an admissions counselor follow up with a student depending on where they are in their application process. These human touch points are important, but that doesn't mean you can't automate them.  For example, when students create a login name, build a profile, or begin an application, they could be automatically enrolled into a workflow that will nurture them along the next stop in the enrollment journey. In this case, it would be important to have a personal email signature with a picture and an opportunity to connect with them on social media or email back to a "personal" but company email.

A Prospective Student's Enrollment Journey

It's different for everyone. Most students start seriously looking at colleges during their junior year of high school, but some start as soon as freshman year or even earlier.

By gathering the correct information from the start, you can build automated workflows that allow you to nurture prospects through the entire enrollment journey, no matter what age they begin. Be sure to include the high school graduation year or intended college enrollment year in any form where you ask for information. Then whether it's one year until the application process needs to start or three years, students can receive customized emails via separate workflows that speak to what is going on in their lives at that moment in their enrollment journey.  

Sum it Up

Email automation and workflows are great for a million reasons. One is creating highly personalized, customized, and relevant messaging for prospective students considering attending your institution. Be sure to time it right, use CTAs, humanize, and add important form questions.

Photos in post: www.highpoint.edu