Higher education institutions waiting for the phone to ring may be waiting a long time, says Jennifer Copeland, vice president and partner of Demand Engine. Schools must employ comprehensive, strategic marketing plans to reach out to today’s prospective students and succeed in the changing world of recruitment, says Copeland in an interview with EducationDynamics.
Enrollment managers are simultaneously coping with tight budgets and a changing landscape in which adult learners make up the largest segment of the prospect pool, a segment that's expected to grow in the coming years as the number of new high school graduates plateaus and today's workforce requires frequent updating of skills.
Sending a direct mail piece and waiting for the phone to ring doesn’t work with these time-crunched adult learners, Copeland says, but neither does jumping on the latest technology just because it’s possible to do so. Instead, schools must employ an interactive marketing approach that engages prospective students and incorporates feedback to demonstrate both an understanding of the students and an ability to help them achieve their educational goals.
To view the article in its entirety, visit http://sharing.educationdynamics.com/blogs/interviews/archive/2009/10/23/enrollment-marketing-in-a-recession-reduce-costs-and-improve-results-part-1.aspx. Coming soon in Part Two of Copeland’s interview: Cost-effective marketing strategies.