About the Episode
About the Episode:
In this enlightening episode, Allison interviews Mickey Baines, a seasoned enrollment consultant with over 25 years of experience. Mickey shares his unique insights derived from his extensive study of Amazon's customer experience strategies and his hands-on experience in higher education. The discussion explores strategies to engage prospective students, the importance of new data collection points, managing the "messy middle" of the enrollment funnel, and how lessons from Amazon can enhance the student enrollment process.
The Power of Personalization in College Tours
Mickey began by sharing personal anecdotes from his son’s college tour experience. What stood out was the contrast between institutions that offered a generic tour and those that provided a more personalized experience. The latter, which allowed prospective students to delve into specific academic programs and explore the technology and equipment that supports those programs, had a significant impact on his son’s interest. This level of detail not only helped his son visualize himself in the learning environment but also highlighted the importance of tailoring the campus visit to meet individual student interests.
For higher education institutions, the takeaway is clear: The more personalized and detailed the tour, the better the chances of engaging a prospective student. Mickey emphasized the need for institutions to understand what students are looking for in a college experience and to customize campus tours accordingly. Whether it’s showcasing specific equipment or offering a behind-the-scenes look at academic programs, these tailored experiences can be pivotal in a student’s decision-making process.
Addressing the Messy Middle of the Enrollment Funnel
The conversation then shifted to the often-overlooked middle of the enrollment funnel—the period between a student’s initial inquiry and their application. Mickey pointed out that while institutions are generally good at tracking inquiries and applications, they often lack detailed data on what happens in between. This gap, referred to as the "messy middle," is a critical area where institutions can lose potential students if not managed carefully.
Mickey highlighted the importance of leveraging data to understand student behavior during this phase. For example, knowing which emails a student opens, what links they click on, and how often they visit certain web pages can provide valuable insights. However, it’s not enough to simply collect this data; institutions must use it to tailor their communication and engagement strategies. This might involve sending personalized follow-up messages that acknowledge previous campus visits or offering additional information about programs of interest.
The goal is to create a seamless, tailored experience that keeps prospective students engaged throughout the entire funnel. This requires a shift from traditional, one-size-fits-all communication strategies to more dynamic, data-driven approaches that can adapt to each student's unique needs and interests.
Learning from Amazon: The Future of Student Experience
Mickey’s study of Amazon’s customer experience strategies provided a fascinating lens through which to view the challenges and opportunities in higher education. One of the key lessons he shared was the importance of understanding and leveraging data to create highly personalized experiences—something Amazon does exceptionally well.
In higher education, this could translate to everything from recommending specific courses based on a student’s academic history to offering tailored career services and internship opportunities. However, as Mickey pointed out, achieving this level of personalization requires a significant investment in data collection and analysis. Institutions need to think beyond basic demographic information and start capturing data that reflects each student’s unique interests, behaviors, and needs.
Moreover, Mickey emphasized that while technology, such as CRM systems and AI, plays a crucial role in this transformation, it’s equally important to have the right people in place. He advocated for the creation of experience-focused positions within institutions—roles dedicated to overseeing and enhancing the student experience across all touchpoints.
Key “How Tos” you’ll hear in this episode:
- Engage parents effectively
- Leverage CRM Data for personalization
- Tailor communications to reflect the student's journey stage and previous interactions
- Establish clear goals and outcomes for student experience initiatives
About the Show: The Application is your playbook for the ever-evolving world of higher education enrollment marketing. This podcast zeroes in on the niche, often-unexplored areas of the field, delivering a potent mix of actionable insights, practical strategies, and cutting-edge perspectives.
Connect With Our Host:
Allison Turcio
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/
https://twitter.com/allisonturcio
About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Application with Allison Turcio 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 Mission Admissions and Visionary Voices: The College President’s Playbook.
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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