From Hope to Action: Lean on Marketing to Avoid the Enrollment Cliff

By Andrés Zapata, D.Sc. \ September 3, 2024

Hope is not a strategy.

Like it or not, doing nothing, or worse yet, hope is not a strategy for colleges and universities to overcome or avoid the enrollment cliff. Some colleges and universities, however, are thriving despite the looming drop in enrollments. Their secret sauce? Marketing. By calibrating their marketing plans to be more in line with the external (and some internal) factors driving the cliff, several schools are enjoying higher-than-expected enrollments. 

What’s the “enrollment cliff” anyway? 

The “enrollment cliff” refers to a significant decline in college and university enrollments projected to begin around 2025. This trend is driven by a combination of factors, including a steady decrease in birth rates since the 2008 financial crisis, which has resulted in fewer high school graduates. Additionally, rising tuition costs, the COVID-19 hangover, increasing skepticism about the value of a college degree, and growing competition from alternative education options have further exacerbated the challenge for higher education institutions.

What’s a university marketer to do about it? 

To survive and thrive in the face of this looming crisis, colleges and universities are adopting various marketing strategies:

[Really] Know Your Audience

Early in the consideration journey, prospective students generally want to know three things about each school: Can I afford it?  What’s it like to go there? Do they have my major? Our job is to answer these questions in a differentiated, clear, and brand-appropriate way. Inject inclusive energy and promise into your copywriting and test the website’s information architecture to ensure visitors can quickly find where these questions are plainly answered. 

Advanced Targeted Recruitment

• Micro-targeting and Data Analytics: Institutions use data to identify and recruit specific student populations, such as adult learners, transfer students, and international students.
• Personalized Communication: Schools customize their outreach efforts based on individual student interests and behaviors. This can be accomplished with artificial intelligence tools and advanced marketing automation techniques. 

Strengthening Brand Differentiation

• Emphasizing Unique Value Propositions: Colleges highlight their distinctive qualities—like specialized programs or strong career outcomes—to stand out in the market.
• Showcasing Success Stories: Promoting alumni achievements and faculty expertise to build credibility and attract students.
• Do Your Part to Change the Larger Brand Problem Facing Higher Education: The higher education marketplace has a major brand problem preventing hopefuls from considering college, much less your college. Do your part to help overcome this larger concern. 

Expanding Online and Hybrid Offerings

Ok, granted, this tactic is typically outside of the marketing domain. But if you find yourself at a cabinet meeting and the question arises, you can pull these considerations out of your back pocket. 

• Online Programs: Developing flexible online programs to cater to non-traditional students, such as working professionals.
• Hybrid Learning Models: Offering online and in-person classes to provide flexibility while maintaining a campus experience.

Enhancing Student Experience

You’ve heard, “Bird in hand…” right? Well, keeping one student enrolled is monumentally easier and cheaper than recruiting a new student. The key to retention is community and engagement. 

• Improved Onboarding and Support: Strengthening support services from application to graduation to ensure student success and retention.
• Community Building: Creating strong on-campus and virtual communities to foster engagement and a sense of belonging.

Focusing on Career Outcomes

• Career Pathways and Partnerships: Aligning academic programs with job market demands and forming partnerships with employers to enhance student career prospects.
• Alumni Networks: Utilizing alumni for mentorship, internships, and job placements to improve student outcomes.

Investing in Digital Marketing

• Social Media Campaigns: Engaging potential students on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Ensuring the institution’s website ranks highly in relevant online searches.
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Running targeted online ads to reach prospective students.
• End-to-end Attribution: Demand ongoing reporting and optimization strategies from your agency partner. A partner worth having will pipe prospective student leads into your CRM with attribution data. Once the leads are in the CRM, your partner should be able to accurately show you what creative, media platform, and messaging is having the most impact on applications, enrollments, and registration.

Developing Strategic Partnerships

• Articulation Agreements: Partnering with community colleges to create clear transfer pathways.
• Corporate Partnerships: Collaborating with businesses to offer specialized training programs linked directly to employment opportunities.

Emphasizing Affordability and Financial Aid

• Transparent Pricing: Clearly communicating the cost of attendance and available financial aid options. Don’t make them work for it. It makes it seem like you are hiding something. 
• Scholarship Programs: Expanding scholarships to make education more accessible.

Alumni and Community Engagement

• Alumni Fundraising Campaigns: Mobilizing alumni through targeted campaigns to support scholarships and campus initiatives.
• Community Outreach: Strengthening local ties through partnerships and events to boost the institution’s reputation and attract local students.

Leveraging Data and Technology

• Predictive Analytics: Using data to forecast enrollment trends and adjust strategies.
• Marketing Automation: Implementing automated tools to streamline outreach and improve efficiency.

Look, there is no silver bullet. We know. But not elevating your marketing game, or worse yet, doing nothing, will hurt—a lot. By adopting even some of these strategies, colleges and universities can better navigate the enrollment challenges ahead, ensuring they continue to attract and retain students in a competitive and changing educational landscape.

Let’s partner up and move the needle!