Inside the Four-Year College Decision Project: Tracking Trends and Lessons Learned

Join Jaime on this captivating episode of "Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO," with guest Denise Lamphier, director of marketing and communications at Des Moines University. In this episode, explore a unique four-year project undertaken by Denise and her son to document the college selection process. Denise shares statistics and data gathered by tracking every piece of college marketing her son received from the time he was a freshman until he matriculated four years later. 

Takeaways include:

• Fascinating trends that emerged over the four years and how the volume and nature of the materials shifted and evolved across his search
• Valuable perspectives into how a high school student evaluates marketing communications – and how those materials guided his search
• Insights into what pieces didn’t land – and why
• A true understanding of the highly competitive nature of higher ed marketing – and ideas for how to stand out in the crowd

Episode Summary

The Recruitment Experiment: Tracking Four Years of Marketing Materials

Jaime Hunt introduces Denise Lamphier, who spent four years collecting every piece of college recruitment marketing sent to her son, from his freshman year of high school through senior year. By gathering 900 square feet of wall space filled with 600 print items and tracking over 5,200 emails from 90 institutions, Denise gained an intimate view of how schools reach out to potential students. The goal was to understand the tactics, timing, and themes that resonated—or didn't—with a real student.

Denise's son Emory initially felt excited by the personalized approach but soon grew overwhelmed as the volume ramped up, especially with schools that sent upwards of 300 emails. The experience highlighted the importance of balancing outreach volume with thoughtful timing, demonstrating how overloading students can dilute engagement.

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What Works? Personalization and Purpose-Driven Communication

Among the thousands of communications, Emory’s interest was piqued by materials that used his name creatively or featured tactile elements like soft-touch paper. Personalized materials that went beyond generic messaging captured his attention and made him feel valued. Conversely, overly formal or repetitive emails, especially those with non-personalized subject lines, quickly became noise in his inbox.

Denise notes the positive impact of targeted communications. For example, colleges that acknowledged Emory’s interests, such as music or campus culture, stood out among less personalized efforts. With institutions competing for top students, strategic use of variable data printing and personalized email subject lines can help institutions effectively engage students rather than becoming part of the communication clutter.

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The Final Choice: How Campus Visits Impact Decisions

Despite the volume of communications, Emory’s college choice ultimately boiled down to the experience he had during campus visits. His top choice, Central College, succeeded not only through persistent and thoughtful outreach but also by offering a memorable, personalized campus tour. Overnight visits, which allowed him to connect with current students and experience college life firsthand, played a significant role in making his decision.

Denise emphasizes that creating a welcoming, immersive campus experience is a powerful tool in converting prospective students. Through her son’s journey, she also observed the role of authentic campus visits and in-person experiences, something that generic print materials alone couldn’t replicate.

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Lessons Learned: Building Stronger Admissions-Marketing Partnerships

Reflecting on her son’s experience, Denise advocates for the collaboration between marketing and admissions to deliver a well-aligned, authentic student journey. In her role, she observed that when admissions and marketing teams meet regularly and respond to real-time insights, they can better tailor communication and adapt to student needs. Denise’s team implemented joint strategies to address enrollment goals, manage communication cadence, and tweak messaging based on data, resulting in more meaningful engagement.

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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Mindpower:

​​Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO is sponsored by our friends at Mindpower- a full-service marketing and branding firm celebrating nearly thirty years of needle-moving, thought-provoking, research-fueled creative and strategy. Mindpower is women-founded and owned, WBENC certified, nationally recognized, and serves the social sector – higher education, healthcare, non-profits, and more. The Mindpower team is made up of strategists, storytellers, and experience creators. From market research to brand campaigns to recruitment to fundraising, the agency exists to empower clients, amplify brands, and help institutions find a strategic way forward. Learn more about Mindpower here! 

About the Enrollify podcast Network:

Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network.  If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!  

Our podcast network is growing by the month and we’ve got a plethora of marketing, admissions, and higher ed technology shows that are jam packed with stories, ideas, and frameworks all designed to empower you to be a better higher ed professional. Our shows feature a selection of the industry’s best as your hosts. Learn from Mickey Baines, Zach Busekrus, Jeremy Tiers, Corynn Myers, Jaime Gleason and many more. 

Learn more about The Enrollify Podcast Network at podcasts.enrollify.org. Our shows help higher ed marketers and admissions professionals find their next big idea — come and find yours!