About the Episode
About the Episode:
Mallory and Seth discuss what to do if your institution missed its fall enrollment targets. They explore why it's important to identify where the miss occurred and offer practical strategies for re-engaging prospects, enhancing student retention, and adjusting marketing efforts. The conversation emphasizes the need for internal alignment, quick pivots, and ensuring teams are supported in challenging times. Whether your institution fell short or saw growth, this episode offers valuable insights on how to approach the rest of the year.
Key Takeaways:
- Start by diagnosing your enrollment miss: Did you miss your budget, year-over-year goals, or plan? Context matters.
- Focus on the bottom of your funnel first. Re-engage prospects who showed interest but didn’t convert.
- Retention is key—retain your current students by investing in their support and experience.
- Refresh your marketing strategy, including rethinking your media spend and creative assets.
- Consider technology improvements like a modern CRM to streamline student communications and improve the enrollment process.
- Support your team’s wellbeing and prevent burnout, especially during tough cycles.
Episode Summary
The Reality of Missing Fall Enrollment Targets
Mallory and Seth dive straight into the issue many higher ed marketers and enrollment leaders are facing this fall: missing enrollment targets. Seth starts by highlighting the need for context. When a school "misses" its fall enrollment, it's important to identify whether it's a shortfall in budget, overall plan, or year-over-year comparison. Not all misses are equal, and the first step is understanding what went wrong and where in the admissions funnel the breakdown occurred. Was there a lack of inquiries, applications, or admits? This diagnostic approach helps teams focus on the real problem instead of jumping straight into solutions.
Building Alignment and Analyzing the Funnel
Seth emphasizes that alignment is crucial before moving into action. The leadership team needs to agree on the nature of the miss and align on hypotheses for why it happened. Mallory agrees, adding that this conversation shouldn't only involve senior leaders—it's essential to bring in team members who are working directly in the field. A SWOT analysis could be a valuable tool to map out where challenges emerged, whether in outreach, messaging, budget allocation, or admissions pipeline management.
Actionable Steps to Address Enrollment Issues
Once alignment is achieved, Seth and Mallory get into the tactical actions that can help schools salvage their enrollment year. Mallory suggests starting by reengaging the pipeline—there may still be prospective students in the system who are undecided or deferred. A strategic outreach campaign, perhaps including tailored financial aid packages, could nudge these students into committing.
Seth adds that it's essential to start from the bottom of the funnel and move up. Instead of launching broad campaigns, institutions should focus on converting students who are already in the system, particularly for adult and online learners. By shortening the timeline between inquiry and enrollment, institutions can speed up revenue generation, potentially gaining a one-time bump in enrollment and closing revenue gaps.
The Importance of Retention and Creative Marketing
One often overlooked tactic for addressing enrollment shortfalls is retention. Mallory and Seth agree that retaining current students should be a top priority. After all, keeping existing students is easier and more cost-effective than recruiting new ones. Strengthening retention programs, academic advising, and student support will help reduce attrition and keep enrollment numbers more stable.
On the creative side, Seth recommends refreshing marketing campaigns. Even slight updates to existing creative materials can produce an immediate lift in engagement. He also offers a pro tip for working with agencies—ask them which campaigns they would cut and which they would prioritize. Then, focus resources on the best-performing efforts to optimize your marketing spend.
Investing in Technology for Long-Term Success
While immediate fixes can help address short-term enrollment issues, Seth and Mallory stress the importance of investing in long-term solutions, such as CRM technology. Mallory advocates for modern, AI-powered CRMs that allow institutions to streamline their communication with prospective students and create a seamless experience. Though a technology overhaul won’t fix the current year's problems, it can prevent similar issues from recurring in the future.
Focus on Well-being and Avoid Burnout
As a final note, Mallory emphasizes the importance of supporting the well-being of your team during these challenging times. After a tough enrollment cycle, burnout is a real risk. Providing your team with the resources and encouragement they need to recharge will help ensure that they remain productive and engaged as you move forward.
Whether you're a CMO, VP of Enrollment, or on the front lines of recruitment, this episode is packed with practical advice for navigating the complexities of missing fall enrollment targets. From refining your outreach strategies to leveraging financial aid, creative marketing, and retention programs, the discussion offers actionable steps to help schools course-correct and get back on track.
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Tune into After Further Consideration - Enrollify’s new DEI-focused podcast
Connect With Our Hosts:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea
Seth Odell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethodell/
https://twitter.com/sethodell
About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Confessions of a Higher Education Social Media Manager.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
Element451 is hosting the AI Engage Summit on Oct 29 and 30. Register now for this free, virtual event.The future of higher ed is being redefined by the transformative power of AI. The AI Engage Summit brings together higher ed leaders, innovators, and many of your favorite Enrollify creators to explore AI’s impact on student engagement, enrollment marketing, and institutional success.
Experience firsthand how AI is improving content personalization at scale, impacting strategic decision-making, and intuitively automating the mundane tasks that consume our time. The schedule is packed with real examples and case studies, so you leave knowing how to harness AI to drive meaningful change at your institution.
Whether you’re looking to enhance student outcomes, optimize enrollment marketing, or simply stay ahead of the curve, the AI Engage Summit is your gateway to the next level of higher education innovation. Registration is free, save your spot today.
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