Enrollment Marketing Strategies That Actually Work in Higher Ed

Higher education is undergoing a significant transformation. Recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reveals a 5% decline in college enrollment among 18-year-old freshmen for the fall semester, with a notable 16.9% drop among Black freshmen at prestigious institutions. This decline is attributed to factors such as rising tuition costs, complexities in the FAFSA application process, and increasing financial burdens.

Compounding the issue, the United States is facing a demographic shift. The number of high-school graduates is expected to decrease after 2025 due to declining birth rates, leading to a smaller pool of college-aged individuals. This "enrollment cliff" is projected to impact institutions nationwide, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest regions.

In this challenging landscape, colleges and universities must adopt effective enrollment marketing strategies to attract and retain students. Today, we at ConexED explore actionable tactics that institutions can implement to navigate these changes and thrive in the evolving higher education environment.

1. Understand Your Ideal Student Profile

Before launching any enrollment marketing campaign, you need to know exactly who you're trying to reach. That starts with defining your ideal student personas—not just in demographics, but in motivations, concerns, and decision-making behavior.

Why It Matters

When you understand your audience, you can tailor messaging that resonates, content that engages, and outreach strategies that convert.

🔹 Demographics: Age, location, high school or transfer status
🔹 Psychographics: Career goals, personal values, barriers to enrollment
🔹 Behavioral Data: Website behavior, content engagement, response to past communications
🔹 Preferred Channels: Email, SMS, live chat, video calls, social media platforms

Real-World Application

Many institutions use digital tools that track engagement—like who attends a virtual info session, which program pages they visit, or how they interact with emails. These behavioral insights can be used to refine student personas and tailor communication. With the right student engagement platform, this process becomes seamless, offering integrated video chat, appointment scheduling, and messaging history for a personalized approach.

2. Optimize the Enrollment Funnel

The enrollment funnel includes several key stages: awareness, consideration, application, and commitment. Each is a chance to build trust and move students toward enrollment.

Awareness to Consideration

SEO-optimized content, student testimonials, and virtual events can spark interest. Think blog posts that answer common questions or webinars that offer a look at campus life.

Application to Enrollment

Once a student begins an application, the experience should feel seamless and supportive. Offer reminder emails, live chat for application help, and virtual meetings to discuss next steps.

When staff have access to a student's interaction history, they can respond more effectively. A 2022 EDUCAUSE framework shows that integrating student success analytics improves outcomes and student experiences.

3. Leverage Data-Driven Campaigns

Data-driven campaigns empower you to adapt and optimize in real time.

🔹 Segment your audience by behavior and funnel stage
🔹 A/B test subject lines, landing pages, and email timing
🔹 Use CRM data to track and adjust strategy

Imagine you're seeing lower-than-expected conversions for nursing applicants. A review of your data might show drop-off after the program page. Adding a virtual advising button or live Q&A could improve engagement.

With a centralized engagement platform, institutions can track campaign performance and personalize follow-ups at scale. Think Orion highlights how data-backed decision-making improves ROI and conversion rates in higher ed.

4. Embrace Digital Marketing

Students live online, and your marketing should meet them there.

🔹 Search Engine Marketing (SEM) for high-intent queries
🔹 Social media ads featuring student success stories
🔹 Email automation triggered by behavior (e.g., content downloads)

The key is consistency across platforms. If a student clicks an Instagram ad and lands on a program page, a well-placed scheduling widget or chat option can deepen engagement. These experiences should be supported by platforms that connect marketing and advising tools—ensuring continuity from first click to enrollment.

5. Invest in Personalization

Today’s students expect messaging that reflects their interests.

Personalize communications by segmenting lists based on academic interest, geography, and interaction history. Tailor content on program pages. Send reminders based on individual progress.

Advanced platforms can unify this information—making it easier to deliver the right message at the right time. You're not just automating; you're creating a student-centered experience.

A Concept3D study found that 67% of high school seniors expect personalized communication and 72% expect content tailored to their academic plans.

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6. Strengthen Your Website Experience

Your website is your virtual campus. Make it fast, clear, and helpful.

🔹 Ensure mobile responsiveness and fast load times
🔹 Use simple navigation with intuitive CTAs
🔹 Enhance program pages with videos, testimonials, and live support tools

Features like chat support and scheduling widgets help convert interest into action. Personalizing pages based on past visits—like showing nursing content to returning nursing prospects—can further increase conversions.

7. Measure and Iterate

Set clear KPIs and review them regularly. Focus on conversions, not just clicks.

Use tools like analytics dashboards, heatmaps, and campaign reports to evaluate performance. A business intelligence dashboard can help your team visualize trends and act on insights.

If live chat boosts engagement on one page, try it on others. If email open rates drop off, test new subject lines. And don’t forget to gather direct feedback—students will tell you what works, if you’re listening.

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Conclusion

Higher ed institutions can’t afford generic outreach anymore. Success comes from human-centered, data-informed strategies that build trust and value across the student journey. By aligning your marketing efforts with how today’s students search, decide, and engage—you set your institution apart.

Next Step: Support Every Student Journey

Attracting students is only the beginning. Retaining them—and helping them thrive—is equally important. Discover how our student retention solutions help institutions build lasting relationships that drive outcomes and student success.