A key part of the enrollment process for the non-traditional students is knowing where, when and how to reach them. Efficiently generating quality leads is the first step you need to master when trying to reach enrollment goals for your programs. The non-traditional student is very different from the traditional student and the efforts necessary to peak their interest also varies greatly. In this month’s #breakthru webinar we will be taking you through best practices on how to reach the non-traditional audience in the digital environment. During this hour webinar you will learn where to place your time and money, what your campaigns need to do to stand out, how to evaluate success, and how to optimize and improve upon your efforts in reaching the non-traditional student. Presented by: Lauren Ramey, Manager, Search Analysts and Jennifer Esaray, Digital Marketing Consultant

1. How to Reach Your
Non-Traditional Audience

2. “Non-Traditional”
Student Recap

3. The “Non-Traditional” Student
+ Today “non-traditional” students surpass the 18-to-22-
year-olds who have traditionally entered college directly
from high school.
+ Roughly 36% of undergraduates in 2008 were 25 years
old or older, and 46% were enrolled part time; 43% held
part-time positions.
+ According to statistics from the US Department of
Education, the enrollment rates of older students are
expected to grow faster than those of traditional students
over the next ten years.
Slide 3

4. Adult Student Enrollment
Rates Increasing
+ Adult Students want
flexibility
+ Cost is a significant challenge
Slide 4

5. Competition Continues to Grow
Slide 5

6. How do you reach the
“non-traditional student”?

7. Approach
Slide 7
+ There are several key
components to take into
consideration for a
successful digital
marketing campaign:
- Media Mix
- Messaging
- UX: Microsite & Follow-up
Campaign Goal:
Increase awareness of Brand &
generate qualified leads
Media Mix
UX
Messaging

8. Where do prospects begin?
Slide 8

9. How do they get there?
Slide 9
9 in 10 enrolled
students have used the
Internet to research
higher education
institutions.
1 in 10 prospective
students now search
exclusively online for
classes and programs.

10. Digital Marketing Channels
Slide 10
Retargeting
Display
Advertising
Paid
Search
Social
Media
Marketing
Email
Marketing

11. Google & Yahoo! Bing Search
+ Reach an engaged
audience who is
actively seeking
information
+ Among the highest
L2A & L2E
Slide 11
PaidOrganic

12. Remarketing
+ Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA)
+ Keyword-based campaign that reaches people who have previously visited
your site when they’re searching on Google
+ Requires a minimum user pool of 1000 users
+ Remarketing on Google Display Network
+ Continue to keep your school top-of-mind among prospects who have
already expressed interest in your school & program
+ Requires a minimum user pool of 100 users
Slide 11

13. Paid Social
Facebook & LinkedIn
+ LinkedIn
+ Dedicated channel to reach the
professional audience
+ Target based on relevant career paths
and professional groups
+ Recommended for specific disciplines
+ Facebook
+ Comprehensive targeting settings to
reach potential prospects with the right
message
+ Examples of targeting options include:
location, age, education level,
employment industry
Slide 13

14. Display Advertising
+ Contextual – Keywords based buys
+ Managed placements/ Direct buys
- Behavioral targeting
- Geo-targeting
Slide 14

15. Email
+ Vendor Selection
- List buys, publisher direct email blasts
+ Audience Segmentation & Creative
+ Testing plan
Slide 15
Blast1 User List
No action
Blast 2 w/ alt.
subject line
(Week 2)
Blast 3 alt. drop
day w/ top subject
line (Week 3)
Open & click
Blast 2 w/ alt. copy
(Week 2)
Blast 3 alt. drop
day w/ top copy
(Week 3)
Convert

16. Use the right messaging

17. Messaging: Microsite & Ads
Slide 17
+ Highlight program offerings & differentiators in microsite
& ad copy
+ Application deadlines
+ Rankings
+ Program duration
+ Format
+ Graduate entrance exam waivers
+ Modified ad copy to connect with prospects
+ e.g. programs and courses are offered at in-state tuition
for out-of-state prospects

18. Adult Students Want Quality
Slide 18
Traditional
Colleges
Community
Colleges
For Profit
Schools
Share of Brand
Queries
-1%
+4%
+11%
YOY Change
+ Brand searches on for-profit
schools was flat YOY, while
searches for traditional
universities and their online
programs are on the rise.

19. Use the right microsite

20. Custom microsites
Slide 20
+ Validation
+ Lead form built into the
page
+ A/B testing

21. Choosing the right subdomain
Slide 21
+ Most often, it is a best practice to set up the microsite on
your school’s .edu subdomain. There are two reasons for
this tactic:
+ Using .edu sites get preferential treatment with the
search engines and in turn helps the microsite rank
higher in the paid search results
+ This makes for a good user experience as the prospective
student does not think they are providing information to
a third party site

22. Understanding leads & what
to do with them

23. When do they convert?
Slide 23

24. Full Funnel Approach
Slide 24
Decision
Brand + Program
Brand + Format
Consideration
Program + Location
Program + Format
Awareness
Program

25. How are you getting your
leads?
Slide 25
+ Determining your lead delivery helps plan out the next
steps for following up on your prospects
+ Real-time emails
+ Nightly/Weekly CSVs
+ CRM Integration

26. Lead Follow-Up Recommended
Process
Slide 26
+ Phone
+ Email
+ Additional Lead follow-up

27. Questions?

28. Contact Information
Lauren Ramey
Manager, Search Analysts
E: lauren.ramey@hobsons.com
P: (703) 234-5925
Jennifer Esarey
Search Analyst
E: jennifer.esarey@hobsons.com
P: (513) 354-7845

29. Thank you!
http://ems.hobsons.com