Founder Series - June 2022 Summary

Prospective Student Experience - Adapting to Changing Expectations

In this webinar summary, Lance and Dallin discuss the changing student experience expectation and how top Higher Ed institutions are adapting. Listen to insights gleaned across hundreds of conversations with administrators and admissions offices.

For the full version of the webinar, click here. 

Dealing With Digital Natives

• In a digital age, we cannot be blind to the fact that students will be on your website typically within the first day of their research to learn more about your institution.
• The issue is that most people in the upcoming generation are used to online experiences that are not typically offered by higher ed websites.
• Think of the algorithms the rising generation has become so accustomed to: hundreds of unique pieces of content directed towards their likes, interests, and needs within seconds of them being on a social media site.

The Challenges Higher Ed is Facing

• Along with changing student expectations, the last few years have made for a handful of other difficult issues and obstacles for higher education professionals.
• Diminishing demographics have left universities scrambling to hit their admission and enrollment goals.
• These diminished demographics have made the already competitive sphere of higher ed recruitment that much more fierce. 
• Not to mention the continued fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-increasing reality of a recession that has made an already difficult time even harder. 

The Solutions to these challenges

• Despite these challenges, there is light at the end of the tunnel and ways for you to be prepared to adapt to the new world of higher ed recruitment.
• To address diminishing demographics:
  • Think like a small business. What makes you ‘special’? Double down on that. 
  • Personalize student experiences.
  • Be proactive. Answer the key questions students have before they have a chance to ask them.  
  • Build experiential digital properties, including websites and social accounts.
• To address competition:
  • Demonstrate affordability in your messaging.
  • Make your admissions process simple and transparent.
  • Evaluate your offering to ensure you give students the experience they seek.
  • Specialize in what you do best.
• To address the limited resources that resulted from COVID:
  • Focus on improving conversion rates rather than buying more traffic.
  • Implement personalization tools to improve the student experience. 
  • Leverage technology with simple implementation that won’t require more team members.
  • Automate, automate, automate! 
• To address the financial uncertainty that so many are facing:
  • Make your financial assistance program obvious, bring this to the front page.
  • Does this resemble 2008? 
    • Focus on grad programs.
    • Aim marketing at under-employed. 
    • Add secondary actions to your lead forms.
    • Act fast, book time with an advisor.
  • Is this different from 2008? 
    • Flexible, hybrid approach to education.
    • Ease of access.
    • Funding availability.
• HALDA is doing a lot to address these issues as well through our Smart Forms, Advanced Targeting, and Nurture that work together to make your website a more personal experience for students.

For the full version of this webinar, click here. 

Interested in more content? Check us out on our social media pages and website for new content every week on how to be most effective in addressing the challenges higher ed is facing.