Enrollment Strategy

Developing a strategy for how you’ll advertise your site to prospective students is a critical step in making your site a success. Our Director of Onboarding & Site Development is here to help you brainstorm an effective plan of action that will meet your site’s unique marketing needs and situation.

Communication Plan

Your most effective marketing tool is you and your students. Learn about your role and the impact you have as the main contact for your site.

Information sessions: A fun and simple way to engage interested families.

Info cards: Gather proper information from interested students to build your site’s marketing list.

Marketing approval process: Collaborate with SEU to maintain a consistent brand and proper representation.

Understanding the Admission Funnel

Developing a strategy is essential to reaching desired enrollment at your site. It involves answering questions like:

What channels will you use to communicate to prospective students?
Where will you go to recruit students?
How will you guide prospective students through the admission process?

The first step in developing a successful enrollment strategy is understanding the Admission Funnel. The Admission Funnel describes each stage of the admission process, from when a student inquires about your site to when they enroll at SEU.

The first step in developing a successful enrollment strategy is understanding the admission funnel. The admission funnel describes each stage of the admission process, from when a student inquires about your site to when they enroll in SEU’s degree programs. Note that the admission funnel becomes increasingly narrow as students move from one stage to the next. This is because not every student who inquires to your site will apply, and not every student who applies will choose to enroll. This is why gathering quality inquiries and guiding them through each stage of the admission process is essential. We recommend starting with the number of students you want enrolled and multiply that number by 4 to determine your minimum inquiry number for that year. For example, if you want 25 students attending your site in the fall, your goal should be to gain a minimum of 100 quality inquiries throughout that year.

Creating a Strategy

You know your church, youth group, and city better than anyone. When developing an enrollment strategy, draw out your typical student. What are they spending their time doing? Where are their favorite places to hang out? What are they interested in? Understanding the students in your church and community (both their traits & needs) will help you develop a strategy to meet these students where they are.

Who

Your primary market is high school juniors and seniors and recent graduates (18–25 year olds) who haven’t decided on next steps. While this group, often referred to as traditional students, should be your main focus when creating an enrollment strategy, don’t discount non-traditional students (such as working adults) as prospective applicants. If your site offers an evening/adult program, it’s an excellent idea to market to these students. As well, don’t forget to include parents in your communication strategy for traditional students, as they often have a lot of influence in students’ decisions for higher education.

What

When creating your messaging, not only should you be promoting SEU’s awesome and affordable degree programs, but also a student experience that students won’t want to miss. Remember, your unique ministry program, family atmosphere, and internship experience are what set you apart from other higher-education options. So play to your strengths!

When

It’s recommended to begin promotions in early fall for the following academic year. This is when your students high in the admission funnel are applying (and often committing) to schools. Focusing on growing a large inquiry pool the in fall means you have a larger group of students that could convert into applicants. This means you should begin developing your fall enrollment strategy and creating marketing materials in the spring prior. If you are launching a new site, the best time to start marketing is a year prior to your launch.

Where

While we encourage you to think big, don’t underestimate the potential of recruiting students from within your church/organization. This is where your best students already are. Students within your church community already trust you and often hold a sense of loyalty to your church. Of course, you can also visit local high schools or host interest events at coffee shops to build awareness among students within your area.

Recruiting rules to live by

Creating marketing materials is only half the fun! Now you get to go out and tell everyone how great your program is and recruit students to your site. Here are some tips to help you make a lasting impression and
get more inquiries, whether in your church lobby or at a recruiting event.

Make a Plan

Map out your booth space ahead of time. Decide how you want it to look and what materials you need
for any given event. Be sure to order materials several weeks in advance of your event.

Focus on Inquiries

You don’t need to convince everyone to attend your site through one conversation (in fact, this isn’t very realistic). You just want to peak their interest enough for them to provide their contact information. Encourage everyone who stops at your booth to fill out your inquiry form so you can provide additional information about your program after the event.

Get Volunteers to Help

Students currently in your program can be your best recruiters. Current students will provide the most authentic perspective of your program, which builds trust with prospective students. And if you have an awesome program, your students will love talking to others about it!

Give Out Promo Items

Students will love repping gear from your site. You can give these items out to anyone who stops to talk, or just to students who inquire. Want some SEU gear at your booth? You can order fun promo items like t-shirts, pennants, & f”dget spinners on SEU’s Partner Website. We also encourage you to order SEU t-shirts for your recruiting team!

Create a Consistent Presence

Creating an engaging & consistent presence at your church is essential to building awareness for your program. This can be as simple as playing a promo video during service, setting up a booth in your church lobby every week, or hosting preview events for interested students. Be sure everyone on your team is well–informed and excited, and that you have plenty of materials to give out.

Follow Up

Creating an awesome experience for prospective students doesn’t end after your preview event or first point of contact. Following up with a personal email or phone call to students who expressed interest in your site is crucial. Find ways to systematize your follow-up strategy while still providing an excellent experience. For example, you can use an email tool like MailChimp to send email campaigns to new inquiries on a predetermined schedule. Your follow up communication should not only highlight your student experience, but should also provide clear instructions on how prospects can apply.

Setting Up Your Booth

Whether you’re setting up a booth space in your church lobby or at a local event, make sure you have all the promotional materials you’ll need. These are the just the basics to get you started. We encourage you to get creative!