Strategic Enrollment Plan

Introduction and Executive Summary 

The creation of strategic enrollment plans usually involves the academic staff, faculty, students and even external consultants. In some institutions, the student body usually initiates these plans, while in others it is the prerogative of the administration to chart a potentially successful enrollment plan. These plans typically concentrate on three primary goals, which are the alignment of recruitment strategies to the academic priorities of students and their profile aspirations; the augmentation of retention through using a wide-ranging varsity wide approach; and the improvement of the quality of academic programs and student services for the enhancement of student success (Head, 2015). Each of these goals usually has precise descriptions crafted to create and meet a vision that is unanimous and common in the measure of success within the institution. This paper analytically details the strategic enrollment plan of a hypothetical college, showing how the institution will communicate the brand promise to potential students.

Proper strategies and guidance precede strategic recruitment plans. Through proper enrollment management, there is the development of a holistic, systemic and integrated approach to the achievement of recruitment goals through having more exertions over the institutional factors that dictate the student body’s size, shape, and character. Presently, volatility is the new norm both in higher education environments and in the accessibility of resources that are required to undertake various goals and missions (Strategic Enrollment Management Executive Council, 2014). As an institution, this pretend college recognizes the change in demographics, the employment markets, preparation, the overall economic conditions, and the need for increasing diversity in the body of learners, representing both traditional and non-traditional backgrounds. The fact that competition to attract customers has become increasingly high among universities and colleges means that the numbers of students following regular programs have decidedly decreased. In stark contrast, the number of students employing models that are for-profit such as online programs and classes have increased. These changes have made this pseudo-college to recognize the need for a strategic enrollment plan that is intentional and employs the use of data-informed approaches in meeting recruitment plans. As such, this strategic plan employs the use of a design approach aligned with the objectives of the university.

Marketing 

Communicating The Brand Promise 

Communication of the brand promise of this career college will take place through various ways. A brand promise represents a big idea and the overall expectations, which resides in the minds of customers concerning a particular service, product or company. Since branding is all about making an emotional connection, the communication of the brand promise of this college will first take specific attributes from its structural design and writing. In order to effect massive student responses, the brand promise will have a welcoming yet challenging appeal. It will be flexible in its informational conveyance yet will present alternatives. Communication starts with information delivery, therefore, presenting information within the brand promise this way ensures the inclusivity of all student categories and their commensurate involvement. Communication channels such as the mass media, the internet, the use of flyers, advertising, among others are effective in ensuring proper delivery. Since the target population is young, digital marketing strategies will generate better results, especially, the use of social media platforms to convey detailed banners and posters among other strategies. In addition, the printing and subsequent distribution of flyers is a worthwhile strategy that will ensure the communication of the brand promise to each student.

Marketing Strategies 

Market Research 

In marketing the college, market research is intrinsically significant, particularly, prior to the launch of a new degree program (Hanover Research, 2014). To draw students successfully, newly designed programs need to offer three objectives that are based on data. First is the clarity of the applicant’s goals, then the brand identity of the institution, and finally, the job market. Understanding student demand is crucial and results in a clear picture of the skills needed in industries; subsequently, denoting degree requirements and boundaries. Attributes such as the requirement of students regarding program durations, modalities of learning, desired completion time, among others should be stipulated concisely to effect course quality and credibility. Under marketing research also, an analysis of the degree programs offered by competitors is also imperative. A review of other offers aids in streamlining the development of this college’s programs and in attuning them to fit into the requirements of prospective students. Market research encompasses not only the understanding of applicant goals but also the job market and the institution’s brand identity. The benchmarking of market research will entail the assessment of prospective student applicants to determine whether they are fit to undertake their desired programs.

Targeted Marketing and Student Profiles 

Through effective market research, the determination of specific categories of applicants and the realization of organizational objectives is possible (McGrath, 2014). In addition, targeted marketing determines the most successful candidates within a program through the following of certain pertinent steps. First, to employ effective targeted marketing, the development of profiles that reflect most successful candidates is paramount. The use of this strategy typically takes the form of a clear definition of the personality backgrounds desired through benchmarking it with high-performing enrolled students. Having a clear definition of desired students through targeted marketing results in a recruitment effort that is justified and one that works for all parties involved. In addition to prospective student definition, the development of personas is also a crucial element. Once the target audience becomes clear, the institution can commence developing personas for the different segments of performing students, indicating attributes such as beliefs and values, motivations and behavior, influencers, among others.

Customized Communication Strategies 

By having a clear picture of the different student profiles, this institution can now modify its messages and present to the media its preferences accordingly. Effective marketing communication, especially those designed for strategic enrollments, should follow certain pertinent steps. First, the communication should prioritize practical benefits. At present, students accord immense priority to outcomes that are practical. As such, successful communication should convey benefits such as corporate partnerships, the opportunities for job placement, and the inclusion of guest industry instructors. Communication should also use tailor-made tones, content, and languages in each study category. The most effective communication strategies usually encompass areas such as content development, engagements within social platforms, and influencer engagements among others (Chen, Shen & Chiu, 2007).

Benchmarking 

Activity-Based Benchmarking 

This type of benchmarking focuses on methodologies that allow the provision of objective measurements for goal setting, base-lining, and the improvement of tracking. Since benchmarking is essential, methodologies are based on activities that are either representative or typical of an institution. In this case, marketing strategies are compared through a rigorous analysis to selected institutions. Activity-based benchmarking is essential since marketing is also an activity-based phenomenon. As such, this will act as a control of the strategies employed to those of selected institutions.

The Use of Vertical Benchmarks 

Vertical benchmarks quantify various data such as workloads, productivity, costs and performance in a predefined functional area. In this case, marketing strategies are quantifiable with their performance data. As such, vertical performance benchmarks are advantageous since they work to evaluate performance indicators according to records such as student admissions resulting from marketing strategies and campaigns.

Use of Competitive/Comparative Benchmarks 

This type of benchmark employs the use of other institution as relative performance indicators. In some cases, competitive benchmarks have the consideration of being the most effective regarding the input-result ratio. Therefore, as a prompt benchmarking solution, comparative benchmarks offer the chance to augment marketing impacts through the direct implementation of analyzed attributes. Moreover, the combination of comparative benchmarking with functional benchmarking results in the analysis of larger group sets and more broad definitions.

Immediate actions 

The college requires relevant and timely immediate actions. First is to exemplify the strengths of the college such as its culture of academic advising among its student population. Other strengths include the offering of opportunities to study abroad, an availability of vast library resources, prompt and vigilant security, among others. Second, the college should advertise its immense opportunities especially for currently enrolling students. Informational pamphlets should present both these external and internal opportunities and inform prospective students that they have the potential of developing into notable strengths. Prime opportunities such as the growth and development of programs such as health sciences, medicine, and engineering, among others should be a priority to the communication. This strategy presents a significant action in that program development is of the utmost essence since it will not only increase the student population but also result in the development of the varsity’s faculty. Thirdly, the college should invest in having an online educational platform, which presents an excellent opportunity for the college to achieve the required enrollment targets, as it is both affordable and convenient. Aside from highlighting college strengths and opportunities to ensure the strategic enrollment plan becomes successful, the college needs to embrace digital marketing strategies such as the use of social media to reach a wider audience. The utilization of multi-platform tools for online marketing increases brand recognition and subsequently, will promote the college.

Conclusion 

The student enrollment plan is the most crucial component among institutions of higher learning. While strategic goals may sometimes seem broad, the creation of special initiatives guides institutions to achieve their goals. The identification of each initiative that results in the achievement of goals represents established workgroups charged with coming up with outcomes that are measurable, through the implementation of steps within a specified timeline. Typically, these initiative work groups report to student success teams charged with the advancement of a Strategic Enrollment Plan. These strategies and guidance initiatives normally follow structured procedures that relate to enrollment management. Overall, for institutions to be successful, a market-driven enrollment plan is paramount.

References

STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. (2014).  STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT PLAN 2014-2020 . Tarleton State University. Retrieved from http://www.tarleton.edu%2Fsemec%2FReports%2FSEP%2FStrategic%252520Enrollment%252520Plan%2525202014%252520Final%252520rev1.pdf 

Head, J. (2015).  Creating a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan . Presentation, University of West Georgia.

Hanover Research. (2014).  Trends in Higher Education Marketing, Recruitment, and Technology  (pp. 5-9). Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.hanoverresearch.com/media/Trends-in-Higher-Education-Marketing-Recruitment-and-Technology-2.pdf 

McGrath, J. (2014). Using Marketing Research and Positioning Techniques to Create IMC Campaigns for Private, Charter, or Public Magnet Schools.  Atlantic Marketing Journal ,  3 (1), 47-60.

Chen, C., Shen, C., & Chiu, W. (2007). Marketing communication strategies in support of product launch: An empirical study of Taiwanese high-tech firms.  Industrial Marketing Management ,  36 , 1046–1056.