About the Episode
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About the Episode:
In this episode Laura Rudolph of Square One Consulting shares how she transformed a holiday gift guide into a powerful admissions yield predictor. Hit play to learn all about the creative holiday gift guide email to parents that discreetly pinpointed high-likelihood deposits—with 70% of those who clicked ultimately enrolling.
Key Takeaways
- Holiday Strategies Can Drive Enrollment: A seasonal approach like a curated gift guide can engage parents and subtly measure students' intent to enroll.
- Parent Behavior Reveals Student Intent: Tracking parent engagement, like clicking through a gift guide email, provides actionable data on high-intent students.
- Quick Turnaround, Big Impact: Even with a simple execution, the tactic demonstrated a 70% deposit conversion rate among engaged families.
- Iterative Improvements Boost Results: Enhancements like better coupon tracking, segmented messaging, and follow-ups increased effectiveness in subsequent years.
- Broader Applicability: This strategy is scalable to other groups, including graduate students, transfer students, or even prospective applicants.
Episode Summary
What Problem Was the Gift Guide Designed to Solve?
Laura Rudolph faced a common challenge: gauging student deposit intent before typical deposit deadlines. At her small liberal arts college, she sought to identify which admitted students were most likely to enroll early in the decision process. With leadership transitions and limited resources, the team needed a creative, low-pressure method to gather insights without asking students directly.
How Did the Gift Guide Work?
Laura’s lightbulb moment came during a late-night feeding session with her baby. Recognizing how parents are often proactive holiday shoppers, she devised a strategy to engage them through a curated holiday gift guide. The email highlighted college-branded merchandise and practical or fun gift ideas for students, paired with a bookstore discount code. The idea was simple: parents unlikely to invest in branded merchandise likely had lower confidence in their student's enrollment decision.
What Were the Results of the Campaign?
The results were compelling:
- Year 1: 70% of students whose parents clicked the email ended up depositing.
- Year 2: With an enhanced coupon and refined execution, 75% of students tied to parent engagement deposited.
These numbers demonstrated a strong correlation between parent engagement and student intent, proving the campaign's effectiveness despite initial execution challenges.
What Lessons Were Learned for Future Campaigns?
Key challenges and learnings included:
- Streamlining Processes: Improving coupon tracking and reducing friction in the parent’s experience were high priorities.
- Expanding Communication: Introducing a series of emails or even holiday countdown reminders could further boost engagement.
- Adding Personalization: Incorporating segmentation based on student interests, such as athletics or academic majors, could refine targeting.
- Enhancing the Landing Page: A dedicated portal or landing page could offer tailored content, parent testimonials, and value-add resources like “First 100 Days as a College Parent.”
Can This Tactic Be Adapted to Other Contexts?
Absolutely. The holiday gift guide approach isn’t limited to admitted students or undergraduate audiences. Graduate programs, transfer recruitment, and even pre-application marketing campaigns could use similar methods to gauge intent. Bonus: additional bookstore revenue is a win-win for both admissions and auxiliary services.
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