Facing Today's Recruitment Challenges: Innovative Ways to Reach Your Adult Learners
Presented by:
Allyson Cates, Director, Graduate Admissions
The Graduate School, Houston Baptist University
Jennie Bailey, Strategic Leader
Adult Learner Recruitment, EAB
About Houston Baptist University
� Christian Liberal Arts College
� 2,500 undergraduate students; 1,009 graduate students
� 25 Graduate Degrees and 15 Certificates
� Three enrollment starts (Spring, Summer, Fall)
� First opened in 1963 to 193 students
� Vision: As envisioned by its founders and constituents, HBU is growing into a national metropolitan university that emphasizes the integration of faith and learning and a strong liberal arts foundation.
219
470
551 572 583 553 597
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
New Graduate Enrollment Entering Classes 2011- 2017
HBU Tripled Enrollment Despite Market Challenges
Three Pivotal Moments
2010-2013
Launch The Graduate School
2013-2016
Establish a Next-Generation
Admissions Process
2016-2018
Expand Program Portfolio to Sustain
Growth
FACING A NEW ERA OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Source: NACUBO Sources; Goldie Blumenstyk, “State Spending on Higher Education Shows 'Sizable' Increase,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, Apr. 13, 2015; EAB Analysis.
Private Institutions Under Growing Pressure to Discount
Average Tuition Discount Rate for First-Time Full-Time Students, Private Not-for-Profit Colleges and Universities
30%
32%
34%
36%
38%
40%
42%
44%
46%
48%
50%
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
Projected Regional Growth in High School Graduates 2017-2027
+1.9% -2.7%-3.4%
+4.6%
In Many Regions, Fewer High School Students to Go Around
+2.7 points
2000-2008
+9.2 Points
2008-2016
Undergrad Challenges Put Pressure on Grad to Grow
21%Projected enrollment increase of students aged 25-34, (2016-2022)
36%Projected Master’s enrollment growth, (2016-2022)
6xGreater growth in certificate programs as compared to Master’s
Master’s
Degrees and
Professional
Education
Graduate Programs Relied on to Fuel Higher Education
3%
26%
39%
19% 20%
49%
37%
50%
37%
50%
MBA MPA MPH MSW MSN
Conferrals Online Programs
226%Increased cost-per-click for select graduate programs from 2009-2014
25%Increased cost-per-inquiry for adult learner programs from 2013-2017
Comparison in Growth of Graduate Online Programs vs. Degree Conferrals, 2012-2022
Growth of Graduate Offerings Outpacing Student Demand
Competition Wreaking Havoc on Recruiting Expenses
PIVOTAL MOMENT #1: LAUNCHING HBU GRADUATE SCHOOL
219
470
551 572 583 553 597
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
New Graduate Enrollment Entering Classes 2011 - 2017
Launching HBU Graduate School
Centralizing Functions for The Graduate School
� Disaggregation complicated the entire enrollment process:
� Marketing, recruiting, advising, and admissions criteria all determined and governed by individual colleges
� Too many nuances across schools created confusion among prospective students
� Centralizing into The Graduate School included:
� Hired a recruiter that recruited for every program
� Centralized application and streamlined admissions requirements
� Moved decision making process to admissions office
Establishing the Right Programs
� Programs offered in 2010:
� Master of Business Administration
� Master of Science in Human Resources Management
� Master of International Business
� Master of Education
� Master of Liberal Arts
� Master of Arts in Psychology
� Master of Arts in Christian Counseling
� Master of Arts in Theological Studies
� Master of Arts in Biblical Languages
Recruiting New Graduate Students
� Begin with inviting all known candidates to apply
� Used tried and true undergraduate best practices
� Evolve through testing for an improved recruitment model
� Optimized targeting increased our reach
� Created a student-centric recruitment experience for adult learner
� Identified the right communication timing and channel mix
Setting the Right Targeting Strategy for Adult Students
� Building Names Over Time� Initially searched 15K GRE/GMAT names � Over time, doubled to 30K names and added audiences along the way
� Comprehensive Messaging Over Program-Specific Messaging
80%
20%
Final application aligned with initial interest Final application not aligned with initial interest
1:5students apply for a different program than the one they originally expressed interest
333
8642
327
8035
0
100
200
300
400
Apps Admits Enrolls
Comprehensive Copy Versioned Copy
Comprehensive Copy Outperforms Program-Specific Copy
Prioritizing the Student Experience
Student-Centric Recruitment Scales One-to-One Engagement
“Not ready to apply?”
“Let us know when!”
1. Pre-populated custom application
2. Deferral inquiry cultivation
3. Key content pushes
Qualify Applicants Intentions
Provide Convenient Access
Make the Invitation Personal
50%Prospects that click on “apply” submit an application
75%Higher application rates from deferral inquiries
Hallmarks of a Best in Class Application Experience
Friction-Free Experience
No password protection and easy navigation remove common application completion barriers
Clear Path to Completion
Straightforward instructions and navigation guide application starters through to completed applications
Multiplatform Accessibility
Mobile-first design supports completion across mobile, tablet, and desktop environments
prospects that click on apply button submitapplication
50%
Converting Interest to Application Starts Requires a Streamlined Welcome Page-to-Application Experience
Design an Application with The Student First In Mind
Timing Email Campaigns to be Most Effective
Achieve Conversion Success Year-Round Campaign Launches SE
P
OC
T
NO
V
DEC
JAN
FEB
MA
R
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AU
G
Launch 1
Launch 2
Launch 3
26%of all responses occur after four months of persistent marketing
40%of applications are submitted in response to a deadline communication
219
415 459
55
92
2011 2012 2013
New Graduate Enrollment By Marketed SourceEntering Classes 2011 - 2013
Other Sources Marketed
17% of Enrollments
13% of Enrollments
1st Year of EAB Partnership
Strategic Marketing Drove Increased Enrollment
PIVOTAL MOMENT #2: ESTABLISHING A NEXT-GENERATION
ADMISSIONS PROCESS
219
470
551 572 583 553 597
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
New Graduate Enrollment Entering Classes 2011 - 2017
Establishing a Next-Generation Admissions Process
Application Growth Prompted New Admissions Process
1645
2543 2511 2554 2559 2614
592768 752 797
964868
470 548 572 583451
597
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Applicants Admissions Enrollments Linear (Applicants) Linear (Admissions)
Consistent Growth in Applications, Admissions, and Enrollments
More Applicants Revealed Structural Challenges
2013: Began Incremental Changes that Revealed Suboptimal Structure
One coordinator managed admits whose last names
began with A-M.
A-M
One coordinator managed admits whose last names
began with N-Z.
N-Z
Business
Education
Behavioral Sciences
Nursing
Christian Thought
Liberal Arts
Fine Arts
By 2014:
� Added first online program
By 2015:
� Added 2 more coordinators & more programs!
� Increased complexity ten-fold
Redesigning Territories, Processes, and Requirements
2016: Enter in the New Dean of Graduate School
Coordinator 1Business
Education
Behavioral Sciences
Nursing
Christian Thought
Liberal Arts
Fine Arts
Coordinator 2
Coordinator 3
Coordinator 4
� Aligned coordinators with individual programs
� Empowered coordinators to become subject-matter experts in the programs they represent
� Added program information to coordinators’ contact information on website
� Resulted in streamlined communication with program directors and students
Addressing Bottlenecks to Reach Our Goals
� Removing Letters of Recommendation
� Hired new Dean of the Graduate School
� Graduate Admissions Review Board
� Swapped LOR for Essay
� Many programs require 2 Letters of Recommendation
� Not used often in admission process
� Rely on 3rd party to submit them
� Mostly there as an indicator of rigor
Our New Approach Validated by Strong Results
55%59%
63%
53%
Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017
New Graduate Enrollment Fall 2014 – Fall 2017 Entering Classes
Completion Rates
53% 52%60% 62%
Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017
Admit Rates
Identify Admits’ Enrollment Intentions to Triage and Target Follow-Up Outreach
Solicited Admits’ Feedback1
HBU’s Survey Campaign
70%average response rate
EAB uses a proprietary approach to survey
admits on their enrollment intentions (and
factors influencing why)
Predicted Who Will Enroll
Done
100%
Yes
54%
Probably
34%
Maybe
8%
No Response
19%
No
0.4%
Likelihood to Enroll by Response to the Question:
“Do You Intend to Deposit?”
Focus Resources Here
2
Improved Admissions Impact
Online portal tracks deposit progress by the minute
• Track key performance indicators
• Discover student intentions
• Triage student follow-up
3 Boosted Competitive Intelligence
Learning from non-yielding
students
• Identify key competitors
• Identify admits’ decision drivers
• Reveal insights for more effective messaging
60% HBU response rate among non-enrolling admits
4
Knowing Where to Focus Resources and Effort
219
415 459
422 401
55
92 150 182
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
New Graduate Enrollment By Marketed SourceEntering Classes 2011 - 2015
Other Sources Marketed
31% of Enrollments
13% of Enrollments
1st Year of EAB Partnership
Strategic Marketing Drove Increased Enrollment
PIVOTAL MOMENT #3: REACHING NEW AUDIENCES
TO SUSTAIN GROWTH
219
470
551 572 583 553 597
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
New Graduate Enrollment Entering Classes 2011 - 2017
Reaching New Audiences to Sustain Growth
HBU’s Expectations
� Houston Baptist approached the COE Forum for help planning a multi-discipline expansion in online offerings, asking the Forum:
� What online programs would best attract students?
� Which student populations should we target for these new programs?
� What does our regional competition look like?
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Profitable for COE
• National reach
• Minimal competition
• Low-cost marketing
Lasting Impact on the Workforce
• Emerging skills and industries
• Reimbursed by employers
Appealing to Students
• Accelerated formats
• Quick ROI
• Clear career outcomes
Industry Futures Series
In the Wake of Health Care Reform
In the Era of Big Data
Second Bachelor’s Degrees for Career Starters
Design Thinking Business Programs
Multi-Track Cybersecurity Pathways
Second Careers in Aging Services
Designing Programs for the Millennial Workforce
Capitalizing on Creative Disruption: Data Analytics & Health Professions
Programs at the Intersection of Profit, Mission, and Employability
How We Select Priority Fields
Reviewing your portfolio against labor market data…
Priorities for Redesign
• Local job postings
• Local employment data
Sources Analyzed:
• Competitor program profiles
•Degree completions data
• Labor projections
• Industry standards
Academic Portfolio
…presented as 3 to 5 focus areas for program development research.
…to identify new opportunities related to greatest employer demands and emerging needs…
COE’s Market Research Methodology
A Peak Behind the Curtain
EAB Analyzes Institutional and Consumer Data to Identify High-Affinity Prospects
Augment Student Profiles
Gain a deeper understanding of likely consumers by appending historical student data with known consumer variables
Develop Affinity Models
Isolate consumer variables that best characterize high-affinity prospects
• 1000+ model permutations
• 50+ prioritized variables
Generate Prospect List
Identify specific high-affinity prospects, with associated contact information and consumer variables, for campaign outreach
Narrow Marketing Focus
Identify highest ROI opportunities to concentrate spend
Reveal Hidden Populations
Uncover untapped demand within existing market
Identify Expansion Opportunities
Surface outlying markets with greatest concentration of high-affinity consumers
EAB Data ScienceHigher education analytic experts with best-in-class
resources and targeting intel
University Data EAB Data
Student Source Data
National Consumer Database
• Historical student and applicant records
• Collected from SIS and CRM data sources
• FERPA compliant storage, use, and exchange
>200 million U.S. consumers, up to 115 variables per consumer
• Demographic
• Psychographic
• Lifestyle
• Marketing Channel Use
Building A New Audience
Traditionally unknown characteristics become known, but little insight into where they are in the decision process
High Affinity
Audience Selected by Model
Where they live and what they
look like
If they like music, sports, or
reading
How they make decisions
How they perceive their
surroundings
If they own a truck or
a boat
We KnowDemographic and psychographic characteristics
If they’ve thought about
a graduate degree
or certificate
If they even know a degree or
certificate is available in a field
of their interest
If they have a timeline in mind
about when they might pursue a
degree
If they have no interest in
a degree
We Don’t Know Where they are in the decision making progress
New Audience Presents New Marketing Opportunity
Encourage Research and Inquiry
Build Rapport and Consideration Convert Inquiry to Enrollment
Enter Decision Process
InquireApply Enroll
CASE STUDY: Funnel Velocity Varies
Continue to provide inquiry and apply options for prospects further down the funnel.
15%
Marketing to Prospects Before They Enter the Decision Process
• Leverage model insights to connect with your prospects by appealing to their interests, personality.
• Build interest in your programs by showcasing outcomes and addressing prospect concerns.
• Provide links to allow prospects to research, but retarget to keep your brand top of mind.
Of total landing page clicks was to “Apply Now” call to action for affinity audience across 4 month period.
Longer Enrollment Funnels Requires Different Strategy
360 Degree View Of Your Students
48.5
72.0
81.9
Married
Children
Homeowner
Prevalence
Demographics Top Interests
Interest Prevalence
1. Consumer Electronics 76.6
2. Avid Readers 76.4
3. Travel 75.0
4. Voter Indicator 73.7
5. Travel Vacation 55.5
6. Gardening 53.9
7. Contributors 53.0
8. Arts & Crafts 50.5
Myers-Briggs Profile
(% of Students Associated with Each Characteristic)
32%
36%
46%
22%
32%
37%
39%
29%
Introvert
Extrovert
Sensing
Intuiting
Thinking
Feeling
Judging
Perceiving
Leveraging Insights in Marketing Strategy
38
2
3
Student Profile and Consumer Data
Insights Inform Campaign Strategy
1. Using text like “online programs designed
to fit your busy schedule” appeals to the sense of people being able to go back to school on their time.
2. Using text like “be a part of thriving,
learning community” will appeal to the ESFJ personality type that likes to work with others who share similar motivations.
3. Using the learnings from year 1, imagery of
the professional and independent woman on her mobile device resonates well with this audience.
1
©2017 EAB • All Rights Reserved • eab.com
Core Elements of Recruitment Outreach Continuously Optimized
Total Contacted Responders
50,634 299
41,206 242
Driving Increased Conversion: A Case in Point
Houston Baptist University
Incorporate fishing and boating imagery into ads
72% of high-affinity prospects own boats
3xincrease in click-through rate
Continue to Evolve and Adapt Creative
Drive Prospects to Multipurpose Landing Page
Incorporate high-affinity insights into your landing page imagery and copy
� Majority female audience, professional, being strong and dependable, and nodding to the idea of education on the go (reflecting online options).
� Use of words "nurture" and "grow" hone in on this audience's interest in gardening and healthy living.
A CASE IN POINT
Direct Mail Pays Off: HBU added a paper component to take advantage of a multi-channel approach and boost Affinity Marketing outcomes
169% increase
Inquiry Form Submission Matched Applicants Matched Enrollment
4.6x increase
2.7xincrease
64
109
Email andDisplay Only
Paper Added
8
37
Email andDisplay Only
Paper Added
4
11
Email andDisplay Only
Paper Added
Enrollment Results
First Year Affinity Marketing Campaign
Test New Marketing Approaches and Channels
219
415 459
422 401 400 370
55
92 150 182 153 227
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
New Graduate Enrollment By Marketed SourceEntering Classes 2011 - 2017
Other Sources Marketed
38% of Enrollments
13% of Enrollments
1st Year of EAB Partnership
Strategic Marketing Drove Increased Enrollment
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: TODAY AND TOMORROW
Summary
� Think strategically about the types of programs that will cater to the job demand in your area
� Develop a student-centric model for graduate student recruitment
� Design for the candidate first; operations second
� Multichannel recruitment is imperative
� Adults need reminders too
� Test new strategies to evolve and adapt your approach
Contact Us For A Copy Or To Learn More
Allyson Cates, Director, Graduate Admissions
The Graduate School, Houston Baptist University
Jennie Bailey, Strategic Leader
Adult Learner Recruitment, [email protected]
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