How, What & When to Do It
COMMUNICATING WITH PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS IS SIMPLE,
YET MANY GET IT WRONG
PRESENTERS
Michelle KowalskyDirector of International
Admissions
Rachel RollinsMarketing Coordinator
AGENDA
‣ Best methods of communications
- How, what and when
‣ Messaging app platforms and video conferences
‣ Open Discussion – What is your communications plan??
THE ADMISSIONS FUNNEL
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
FILLING THE FUNNEL• How:
● In country reps
● Education fairs
● School’s website
● Agents
● Portal sites
● List buys
● Advertising
● Social media
● Students & Alumni
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
How:
• Emails
• Calls
What:
• How to apply
• Gather more information about your school
• Your chance to begin to develop relationship
When:
• Initial contact ASAP - No more than 24 hours
• Ongoing communication weekly moving to monthly
INQUIRIES
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATIONThe Good
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATIONThe Good
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATIONThe Good
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATIONThe Good
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
Thank you for applying to XYZ College! D******* Ja***** is your admissions counselor, however, she
is out of the office for the next month. I’ll be here to help in any way I can.
To finish your application, you will need to provide the following:
1.A copy of your passport with photo page
2.Two letters of recommendation (in English), one from a supervisor
3.Transcripts (high school and college) - if they are not American they will need to be evaluated by one
of the following services:
a) Educational Credential Evaluators
b) World Educational Services
c) Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute
4.Attestation of high school graduation (form attached)
5.A 500-word essay describing your involvement in your school or community
6.Admissions Interview (form attached)
7.Letter of support from a sponsor
8.Copy of the sponsors most recent financial statement showing sufficient funds-balance of $37,916
(or $28,462 if you plan to return home every Summer)
9.TOEFL score of at least 72 or an IELTS score of 6 or SAT Critical Reading of 500
Feel free to send me each item as you get them. And please let me know if you have any questions
along the way. I’ll be here to help you through the process.
Hope to talk to you soon! Thank you!
EMAIL COMMUNICATIONThe Bad
EMAIL COMMUNICATIONThe Ugly
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
EMAIL COMMUNICATIONThe Ugly
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
Inquiries
- Utilize MailChimp- Email within 24 hours of
receiving the lead- Engage with the student
(different depending on entry point)
Senior Inquiries
How:
• Phone
• Social
• Messaging Apps
• Video Conference
What:
• Feeling welcomed
• Next steps
• Housing options
• Campus life
When:
• As needed for deadlines
• Personal and campus based touch points
APPLICANTS
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
Applicants
• Tracking Emails
• Emails from current students
• Phone Calls from students/counselors
• Emails about What’s Happening on Campus
• Consider communication plan for agents and other partners
MOST POPULAR MESSAGING APPS IN EVERY COUNTRY
April 2016
TURN INQUIRIES TO APPLICANTS WITH MESSAGING APPS
Boost conversations with inquiries by using a mix of marketing
Messenger Apps – Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber and LINE
• Free to use internationally • Can create groups or rooms based off where students are in the application funnel or
degree interest• Take advantage of sharing links, documents and personalization
According to GlobalWebIndex, 75% of internet users today use some sort of a messaging app.
“For more than 500 million users in China, [WeChat is] essentially The Everything App.” – David Pierce at
Wired
Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Weibo
1. Social media platforms are targeted to current students but gives
awareness to potential students
■ Up-to-date contact information
■ Overview of school and International program
■ Have a variety of post
2. Follow students that have requested to follow you
■ Good indicator of quality leads
CREATING AWARENESS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
Skype and Youtube Live Streaming
When:
•When students are inquiries, applicants, admitted or enrolled
•To give more information about your school.
How:
•Share the event through email marketing and messenger apps
Why:
• Face-to-face
• Provides more guidance
• Can determine quality leads to follow-up with
VIDEO CHATS
How:
• Calls
• Social (invite to class of 2021 FB group)
• Video conferencing
• Mail (Swag!)
What:
• Congrats and welcome
• Deadlines
• What to expect when get to campus
• Housing
When:
• As needed for deadlines
• Personal and campus based touch points
ADMITS & ENROLLED
Prospects
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Enrolled
Accepted/Enrolled Students
• Video of congratulations
• Email with a copy of Accept Letter
• Accept Packet
• Emails about unique qualities
• Calls from students
• Social Media – Facebook pages, WeChat, etc.
• Go To Meeting with deposited students
FINAL TIPS
What do you need in a successful communications plan?
1) A plan to contact prospective Students quickly
• According to the Harvard Business review, responding to leads within an hour generates 7x the meaningful conversations than those that wait even an hour later.
2. An ongoing communications strategy
• Cannot stop at one email. A continual lead nurturing plan needs to be developed.
3. An ongoing communications strategy
• Email, social, chat, phone….. and more emails….
4. Always deliver a relevant message
• Based on where they are in the funnel