Educational organizations that cater to working adults, online learners, and other nontraditional students find that the number one challenge to meeting their class start goals is finding the right nurturing process for their new and existing education leads. But there are a few different points in the lead’s lifecycle that need to be addressed before you even get to that nurturing step. You have a full funnel of potential students… now what do you do with them?
- Sort your leads for quality
When first acquiring education leads, you likely can identify what groups are going to be entering specific degree programs based on their demographics, but demographics can’t show you the lead’s degree of readiness to move forward with the discovery and enrollment process. Marketing automation can help show you that extra dimension by monitoring behavior. Website visits, course information downloads, and interactions with messaging surrounding registration deadlines could all be indicators of a lead’s quality, helping you identify if they need that extra incentive to pay… or they need a little more information first.
- Convert your info-seekers to applicants
Of those individuals who are gathering information, you can expect to convert approximately 19% on average – if you take the right approach to messaging. By continuously sending relevant messaging at the right time to your prospective students, you capture more interest and provide the useful information they are looking for. The kicker? An adult learner in 2014 typically took around 18 months to make a purchase decision, but those reached through marketing automation reached a decision in just 10 months. Your lead is now enrolled, but how do we capture a start from them?
- Guide your enrolled group to starting – Nurture them
Two primary obstacles stand out for enrolled students making a class start decision: financial capability and time constraints. That means that leads who are at this stage need messaging that offers solutions to those problems. Alerts about financing options or financial aid opportunities can be sent at times that are sensitive to the individual based on their income, job field, or other criteria held within the data. Messages focused on changes to class scheduling or start dates, delivered at critical times, help soothe that pain point and encourage the lead to move forward with the process.
Securing sales-ready leads in education and professional development means paying close attention to the signals that the lead is showing you. When leveraging marketing automation, those subtle signals become spotlights that assist you in meeting goals at higher volumes and faster rates.
As all marketers know, different audiences require different messages. Our Industry Spotlight series is designed to deliver more pointed information to B2B marketing professionals working in a specific industry with a specific audience. Want to see a post on your industry? Comment below or send a request to emails@ttpmagency.com!
