Keep Students Engaged & Avoid Summer Melt

Are you a higher-education marketer looking to increase your enrollment this year? Grabbing and focusing the attention of prospective students can be difficult, especially when there are so many choices available. Here are 5 tips to avoid summer melt and keep students on track to your school this summer.

Tip #1: Communication, Communication, Communication Students want to feel in control of their future. So, make it easy for them to get in touch! Prioritize peer mentorship programs that start them on the right foot. Communicate essential information like frequently asked questions (FAQs) through digital and direct marketing touchpoints. The more your prospective students know about your university, the less they’ll have to fear about showing up on day one.

Tip #2: Make Up for Missed Opportunities With in-person gatherings still limited at many schools, it’s become harder for incoming students to truly picture themselves at their dream school. How can you make up for that? Get creative. Offer virtual tours. Connect them with current students and teachers. Position your content around showing incoming students what life on campus is really like. Turn their idea of your school into a reality.

Tip #3: Merchandise, Merchandise, Merchandise You can’t just send an acceptance letter. You need to get incoming students excited with something tangible. Whether it’s customized sunglasses, shirts, or banners, give them something they can wear proudly until the first day of orientation.

Tip #4: Predict Student Commitment How do you know which incoming students are at risk of melting? DME’s Commitment Predictor Program gives your university invaluable insight by providing newly accepted students with a redeemable gift. If they redeem the gift, good chance they’ll show. If they don’t, then they’re at risk of melting. If you know who’s at risk of melting, you can focus your marketing efforts on getting them to yield.

Tip #5: Get to Them Before the Competition Most students get accepted into more than one university. And you can bet their other choices won’t stop reaching out to your students. So how can you make your school stand out? Get there first. DME’s Programmatic Mail and in-house fulfillment services make sure your yield packages arrive at their doorstep well before the competition.

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