About the Episode
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About the Episode:
Allison and Carrie Chambers, a data-driven marketing strategist with over 15 years of experience in higher education, explore how to use historical data and strategic foresight to define actionable and achievable goals for enrollment marketing. Carrie shares practical examples, explains the dangers of relying too heavily on averages and percentages, and provides actionable tips for fostering collaboration across campus offices to access and utilize data effectively.
Key “How Tos” You’ll Hear in This Episode
- Define SMART goals that align with institutional priorities while inspiring and engaging teams.
- Utilize historical data to uncover surprising trends and shift strategies.
- Collaborate with campus partners to access and use data effectively without breaching privacy.
- Avoid common pitfalls with averages and percentages in analyzing trends and presenting reports.
- Track campaign performance using date-based data and overlaying initiatives for actionable insights.
Why Enrollment Marketers Need to Use Historical Data
Enrollment marketing teams often assume that their prospective students match national trends. However, as Carrie Chambers explains, assumptions can be misleading. By analyzing five years of historical data for online undergraduate programs, her team discovered that while inquiries and applications matched expected demographics (mostly women around 27 years old), the students who actually matriculated and persisted were younger males. Additionally, FAFSA completion rates strongly correlated with student persistence, underscoring the importance of financial aid education.
The key takeaway? Always validate your assumptions with data. Student behavior varies by institution and program, so leveraging historical trends ensures marketing efforts are accurately targeted.
How to Effectively Request and Analyze Data
Data can be overwhelming, especially when multiple departments and systems are involved. Carrie advises enrollment marketers to be strategic in their data requests—rather than asking for "all the data," start with a specific question you want to answer. This approach makes it easier for institutional research or admissions teams to pull relevant insights.
Another critical step is understanding how different data systems interact. Many universities use separate platforms for recruitment and enrolled students, meaning historical application data might not always be accessible. Knowing these limitations helps marketers work more effectively with their data partners.
The Problem with Averages and How to Use Data Responsibly
Averages can often paint an incomplete or misleading picture. Carrie illustrates this with a simple analogy—while the average age in her household is 24 (balancing out her young children and 40-something parents), marketing content targeting 24-year-olds would be completely irrelevant to her family.
Instead of relying solely on averages, enrollment marketers should use date-based data tracking. By overlaying application trends with specific marketing initiatives, teams can assess campaign impact more accurately. This method enables institutions to spot patterns and adjust strategies in real time.
The Right Way to Use Percentages in Enrollment Reporting
Like averages, percentages can be misleading without proper context. A small increase in applications from a particular region may seem significant percentage-wise but could be minimal in raw numbers. Carrie recommends always including raw numbers alongside percentages for transparency, ensuring stakeholders understand the real impact.
Additionally, enrollment marketers should focus on changes in percentages over time. Tracking shifts in student demographics, geographic representation, or financial aid completion rates provides valuable insights for refining future campaigns.
Three Key Data Types That Drive Enrollment Marketing
Carrie identifies three categories of data that are particularly valuable for enrollment marketing:
- Funnel conversion data: Tracking conversions from inquiry to enrollment helps determine how much effort and budget are needed at each stage.
- Student characteristic data: Understanding demographics, academic interests, and geographic trends enables more precise targeting.
- Date-based tracking: Monitoring when students take key actions (inquiries, applications, deposits) allows marketers to adjust campaigns dynamically.
How to Set SMART Goals for Enrollment Campaigns
Enrollment marketing goals must be both achievable and inspiring. Carrie breaks down the SMART framework:
- Specific: Define exactly what you want to achieve (e.g., increase graduate enrollments by 10%).
- Measurable: Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and tracking methods.
- Achievable: Ensure the goal is realistic given current resources and past performance.
- Relevant: Align marketing goals with institutional priorities.
- Time-bound: Set a clear deadline for achieving results.
By structuring goals in this way, enrollment teams can stay focused, measure progress effectively, and allocate resources strategically.
Real-World Example: Applying SMART Goals to an Enrollment Campaign
Carrie shares an example from her experience working with online graduate programs. Her team set a SMART goal to increase enrollments to 75 students (35 in fall, 25 in spring, 15 in summer) by the end of the fiscal year. They tracked weekly pacing numbers for inquiries, applications, and deposits, ensuring that the strategy remained adaptable.
By identifying specific marketing tactics (such as virtual info sessions and targeted ad campaigns), they ensured the goal was both achievable and measurable. This structured approach allowed the team to make data-informed decisions rather than relying on guesswork.
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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