Welcome
Welcome to the Fall 2023 issue of Enrollment Marketing Minute, a newsletter created specifically to enhance the performance and satisfaction of our current clients. We invite you to take a minute to get to know the people who are committed to your enrollment success, to learn how your fellow clients are maximizing their Liaison systems, and to explore new options and ideas for achieving your goals today. Enjoy!
Missouri State University Powers Enrollment with Digital Campaigns
Springfield, Missouri
200+
undergraduate programs
175+
graduate offerings
160
digital leads within 3 months
Despite limited graduate staffing, Missouri State University has set graduate enrollment records for seven consecutive years. Julie Masterson, Associate Provost & Dean of the Graduate College, and Carrisa Hoelscher, Associate Dean of the Graduate College, share how they collaborate with Enrollment Marketing by Liaison to achieve a high-level marketing strategy for graduate-level recruitment.
What led Missouri State to partner with Liaison for graduate-level recruitment support?
Masterson: The undergraduate admissions approach, which includes traveling to school fairs and events, doesn’t work for prospects pursuing graduate study. I had previously worked with Liaison and knew their software and service capabilities would allow us to represent each individual graduate program through customized outreach.
In addition to a wide range of email communications, digital campaigns are now a part of Missouri State’s recruitment process. What was the reception like to digital marketing?
Hoelscher: When our pilot campaign launched in the spring, it was very obvious when the ads started hitting an international market. Our social media engagement skyrocketed, and we received tons of messages, emails, and special inquiries. This showed us that the work we’re doing with Liaison is working – it’s getting into the hands of the people who we’re actively targeting while also helping us market for an area we want to grow in.
How has this creative partnership impacted Missouri State’s outreach to prospective graduate students over the years?
Masterson: Missouri State has nearly 4,300 graduate students, but we are operating with a small graduate staff and a limited budget. The personalized recruitment approach that we have implemented at the graduate level would not be possible without Liaison’s comprehensive Enrollment Marketing Platform (EMP) and excellent, built-in customer support.
Why do you think having an enrollment marketing solution for graduate school programs is important?
Hoelscher: There is no other product that would have allowed us to get our campaigns off the ground – in a way that is specified per program – with our team size and without requiring help from our in-house tech staff. The best detail of all is that we can, as a unit, showcase how valuable this solution is to our Graduate Program Directors.
Read the full case study, featuring Julie Masterson and Carrisa Hoelscher, to learn more about Missouri State’s graduate-level recruitment growth.
The Lookalike Strategy
Mining your first-party data to improve your digital lead quality.
Higher education institutions are increasingly relying on data-driven strategies to improve their enrollment marketing and digital marketing. Determining patterns and similarities is one way to identify and target new prospective students who share similar traits. New digital audiences can be built based on these characteristics and behaviors, utilizing machine learning algorithms.
Alumni lists (or lists of previously enrolled students) are another valuable resource. Creating lookalike audiences from alumni data allows you to reach out to individuals who share similar characteristics of your matriculated students and graduates.
When you capitalize on the cost-effectiveness of first-party data, you’ll more easily improve the quality of your digital paid media campaigns, optimize your enrollment marketing efforts, and, ultimately drive enrollment success. Our expert digital marketing team is ready to help; talk to your account team to learn more.
Terms to know
FIRST-PARTY DATA
This is information collected directly from your customers; it is typically collected at little or no cost. By comparison, “second party” data comes from an external (or “second party”) source, an example of which is a purchased list.
Common sources of first-party data include:
- prospective student data
- previously enrolled student/alumni data
LOOKALIKE AUDIENCES
When you really know who your customers are, you can use that information to determine who is likely to respond in the same way. Leveraging existing customer data makes it easier to find possible future customers who “look like” your current customers.
Communicate with Strength
Reduce FAFSA stress for prospective students and families with a well-timed communication plan
At press time, the FAFSA Simplification Act had already been pushed to a Dec. 31 opening date (well past the usual Oct. 1 date), delaying financial aid packaging even further than expected.
With so much at stake, students and families are looking for an institution that cares about them, that provides excellent service, and that they can trust to be on their side. Helping them understand the FAFSA process will position your team and institution as trusted resources for not only financial aid issues, but their overall educational needs.
Enrollment Marketing has developed a FAFSA Simplification Act Communication Campaign that incorporates vital messaging around these changes in an approachable, plain-language series of touchpoints. Developed by our expert team, these omnichannel communications can be launched quickly to build trust and drive engagement even as the FAFSA process continues to be in flux.
Our standard quick-launch package includes a well-planned schedule of FAFSA communications, tailored to your brand and talking points.
Suggested Campaign Cadence
Explainer page on PURL created
Email 1
Postcard to family
Email 2
Email 3
Text Message
All touchpoints can be customized to meet your messaging goals.
Coming soon…to an EMP near you
We’re busy launching new form and email design tools to modernize your marketing and better align your message and brand. More details to come in a future issue of Enrollment Marketing Minute!
Email: marketingservices@liaisonedu.com | Phone: (845) 473-4400
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