About the Episode
About the Episode:
Allison chats with Grant De Roo, founder and principal of ADV Market Research and Consulting. Grant shares his wealth of experience in conducting market research for colleges and universities, offering insights into how storytelling can become a potent tool for enrollment marketers. Together, they explore the critical role of brand clarity, the impact of storytelling on university messaging, and why focusing on the "plot" rather than the "character" makes a lasting impression on prospective students.
Key “How-Tos” You’ll Hear in This Episode:
- Craft narratives that go beyond data points and facts to create a memorable brand identity that resonates with prospective students.
- Explore how brand clarity influences retention rates, discount rates, net tuition revenue, and institutional desirability.
- Discover the direct correlation between ad spend and brand clarity, underscoring the importance of investing in marketing.
- Learn why prospective students are more interested in understanding the educational experience (plot) than finding affinity with others (character).
Why Storytelling Matters in Higher Ed
Grant explains that stories are essential because they make institutions relatable, simplify complex data, and create emotional connections. He highlights how storytelling bridges the gap between abstract metrics and the prospective student experience. For example, rather than quoting average class sizes, share a story about a professor mentoring a student in a small seminar.
Plot vs. Character in Storytelling
Grant shares findings from his research, revealing that prospective students overwhelmingly prefer learning about the educational experience (plot) over identifying with the current student body (character). This insight is universal across demographic groups and institution types, reinforcing the importance of focusing messaging on academic programs, faculty interaction, and outcomes.
The Impact of Brand Clarity
Brand clarity significantly influences enrollment outcomes, from draw rates to retention. Clear messaging helps students self-select, improving retention by aligning expectations with reality. Institutions with stronger brand clarity also enjoy better pricing power, with lower discount rates and higher net tuition revenue.
Practical Advice for Marketers
Marketers can start by assessing their institution’s brand clarity and focusing storytelling efforts on what matters most to students—experience and outcomes. Shifting the lens from "features" to "benefits" helps make abstract institutional qualities more tangible and meaningful to prospective students.
Actionable Steps for Marketers
- Assess Brand Clarity
- Conduct research to determine how well your institution’s story is understood by prospective students. Identify areas for improvement.
- Focus on Plot-Driven Messaging
- Highlight the educational experience through stories about classroom interaction, hands-on learning, and career outcomes.
- Turn Facts into Stories
- Use compelling narratives to illustrate key data points, such as employment rates or student-to-faculty ratios. Instead of saying “90% of students have a job offer at graduation,” tell the story of a student whose internship led to full-time employment.
- Invest in Marketing
- Increase ad spend to amplify your institution’s brand story, ensuring it reaches the right audience with a clear and consistent message.
- Tailor Stories to Audience Needs
- Identify what matters most to your prospective students (e.g., career preparation or affordability) and craft stories that address those priorities.
- Shift from Profiles to Experiences
- Avoid generic profiles of students or alumni. Instead, focus on how their experiences at your institution helped them achieve their goals.
- Engage Stakeholders
- Work internally to align messaging across departments and ensure the institutional story reflects a unified vision.
By the end of this episode, you'll be equipped with actionable strategies to leverage storytelling as a powerful tool to convey your institution's unique message, build a clear brand, and attract the right students.
For more info on the brand clarity research study, visit ADV Market Research.
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.
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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