Ten years ago student recruitment was simply about school visits, open days and a big paper prospectus. This presentation shares recruitment strategies for the new age.

1. Click to edit Master title style
10/02/201
5
1
THE NEW LAWS OF ATTRACTION –
GROWING YOUR APPLICANT POOL
EARLY ENGAGEMENT
Lauren Duncan: Senior Sales ManagerClick to edit Master title style
10/02/201
5
1
STUDENT RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES
FOR THE NEW AGE
Liz Murphy: Head of Education Marketing & Advertising

2. STRATEGIES TO INCREASE STUDENT
RECRUITMENT
• Principles, tools, channels & insight
• If you take away one idea – I’ll be pleased
• Tips at provider level
• Tips at subject level

3. THE HE SECTOR BEFORE
MARKETING PEOPLE
Ten years ago student recruitment was
simply about
• School visits
• Open days
• And big paper prospectus
Personal contact with teaching academics remains critical.
And the sector has now embraced digital engagement.

4. HOW HE MARKETING HAS GROWN
Mainstream successes;
• Advertising!
• CRM systems & have digital campaigns
• Social media activities
• Some video promotion

5. IT’S NOW A BUYER’S MARKET
• 2014 record number of university places, over 0.5m
• Slight fall in A*& A grades (1st time in 30 years+)
• 18 out of 24 of the Russell group in Clearing
• 2015 - student numbers control lifted, more places
• Some universities are spending 1%+ of income on
marketing
• Don’t expect to be found
• The sector is now marketing dependent
“If the University wants to offer a
laptop, a car to take me home
whenever I like, free accommodation
with plasma TV in my bedroom, then
we’re definitely interested!”
JOIN
HERE

6. THE DECLINE OF MASS MARKETING
Don’t send comms of no interest
- it reflects badly on the brand, such
as:
• Information about student finance in
England sent to Welsh students
• Ads about student accommodation
sent to mature students who will live
at home
This requires rich data about each
candidate
SO MAKE IT PERSONAL!

7. COMMUNICATE EARLY AND TALK
ABOUT CAREERS
• UCAS market research shows that learners want
information at Key Stage 4.
• Gain brand awareness as early as possible with
younger engagement at 14/15 years old.
• Identify key feeder school for:
• general careers fairs
• student life talks
• use of university facilities i.e. sports field
• It’s a great way to obtain competitive advantage

8. HIGH LEVEL ACTIVITIES BY COHORT
– 9 IN TOTAL!
Activity by Yr Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13 Uni 2nd Yr Uni 3rd Yr work Stage 1 PG Stage 2 PG
Considering FE/HE - A level/ BTEC selection
– careers guidance
- Researching FE/HE education
- Start considering courses
- Visiting provider
- Detailed course search
- Making applications
- Receiving offers
- Visiting providers for offer holder
events
- Selecting firm & insurance
- clearing
Start considering Post Grad Detailed course
consideration at PG
Registration
Considering other PG
Marketing activity - Demonstrate benefits of
FE/HE
- high level course info &
careers
- detailed course, learning &
lifestyle available at provider
- demonstrating academic and
learning strength
- careers options at end of course
- lifestyle
- finance
- demonstrating the
benefits of PG
- course & careers info
- demonstrating
academic and learning
strength
- detailed course &
careers info
- finance
- Alumni
- demonstrating
academic and learning
strength
- detailed careers info
- finance
- options to do more
PG
- detailed course and
careers info
Alumni
Brand awareness Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Events & open days Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Print Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Web content
Strategy
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Advertising Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
SEO Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
emails Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Social media/ YouTube Yes Yes yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Offer holder comms Yes Yes
Clearing comms Yes – where relevant
Parents Yes Yes Yes Yes

9. CAREERS OPPORTUNITIES ARE
INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT
• Mature applicants are particularly career-focused
• Younger applicants are keener on high level study
for its own sake (81%), increasing their earning
potential (77%) and on the experience of being a
student (64%)
Why did you apply for university or college? Younger UK apps
Career prospects and earning potential
I need a degree for my career
Experience of being a student
I enjoy learning
For the social life
Live away from home / more freedom
Parents or guardians wanted me to
School or college advised me to
Spend my time while jobs market improves
I couldn’t think of anything else
I want to change career
I want to keep my brain active
Other
77
65
64
60
34
33
25
22
14
10
1
0
3
Base: Younger UK apps (9,745)

10. THE PLEASURES AND PITFALLS OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
• Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - create brand
exposure, so an engagement tool
• Student review & endorsement are highly
valuable assets
• However research shows students don't rate '
social media presence as a credible source of
information
• Take care not to be over reliant on social media
• Social media is not free, it takes staff time

11. MORE VIDEO LESS WORDS
• Video growth has been exponential
• YouTube is now the second biggest search engine
• Some universities now have in-house facilities & staff to
make videos
• Market research shows videos make information easy to
understand and are more engaging
• In the future, each course will have a video

12. PARENTS, TEACHERS AND PEERS HAVE
IMPORTANT VIEWS
Base: Younger UK apps (c9,558)
Whose advise did you seek regarding your UCAS choices? Younger UK apps
Adviser at school or college
Friends or peers
Parent or family member
92
96
95
How would you rate the advice from these people in terms of helping
you to make your UCAS choices? Younger UK apps
Talking to an adviser at school or college
Talking to friends or peers
Talking to parent or family member
75
73
72
Targeted communications to these groups
can be very fruitful

13. STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITING BY SUBJECTS
Undergraduate Classics

14. A DIFFICULT SUBJECT TO RECRUIT FOR?
i.e Classics Suggested Activities
Catchment analysis – Find the
source, go to the source
• Find your key feeder schools who are the
source of Classics students and offer talks
prior to application
• Create a video from the talk

15. A DIFFICULT SUBJECT TO
RECRUIT FOR?
i.e Classics Suggested Activities – DIGITAL EXPOSURE!
SEARCH EXAMPLE
AdWords
AdWords
CLASSIC COURSE SEARCH
NO
RESULTS
AdWords

16. A DIFFICULT SUBJECT TO
RECRUIT FOR?
If other courses recruiting well – consider
approaching prospective students in
languages, English Literature, History etc.
WIDEN THE NET!
i.e Classics Suggested Activities

17. A DIFFICULT SUBJECT TO RECRUIT FOR?
Pre applicant data to engage prior to
application. Use the film from the
Classics talk in the email.
GET THEM EARLY!
i.e Classics Suggested Activities

18. A DIFFICULT SUBJECT TO RECRUIT FOR?
Offer a Classics Facebook page for safe,
digital engagement
SOCIALISE!
i.e Classics Suggested Activities

19. A DIFFICULT SUBJECT TO
RECRUIT FOR?
Use UCAS Extra with targeted emails.
Selections are available by course and
region
IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T
SUCCEED…
i.e Classics Suggested Activities

20. A DIFFICULT SUBJECT TO RECRUIT FOR?
16% of clearing candidates have AAB+.
Use targeted emails to gain students
by grade achieved
CLEARING IS CREDIBLE
i.e Classics Suggested Activities

21. WORKING WITH HEPS & AGENCIES ON
NEW PRODUCTS
UCAS Media quarterly forum.
We will be launching this year:
• Additional Post Graduate activities
• New opportunities to find clearing
students
• Webinars – updates on your new
services

22. SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE TO MATCH
THEMSELVES TO THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITY
Via relevant engagement we will
help young people:
• into uni
• through uni
• out of uni with the best
possible outcome, some
directly into careers, or via
PG

23. • Great events
• Student events
• Big, paper prospectus
• Digital e-marketing
campaigns
• Advertising
• Detailed website
• CRM systems offer
limited personalisation
• Some personalised
with print on demand,
video, emails
• Evidence based
marketing
• Brand comms from age 14, a 4 year
recruitment process for UG
• Genuinely personalised engagement
• A true digital dialog
• More brand development which gives brands
personality & differentiation at Institution &
course level
• More private providers and/or commercial
brands involved ie Google digital education
degree/PG?
• The end of a big general paper prospectus?