This document discusses how schools can use inbound and content marketing to boost enrollment. It recommends developing student personas to build a targeted digital content strategy. Content should be tailored to where prospects are in their journey from awareness to enrollment. Tactics include blogging, social media, email marketing, and virtual campus tours. The goal is to engage prospects at each stage and provide answers to their concerns through useful content. Calls to action should be optimized for awareness, consideration, decision, and enrollment stages. Measurement of tactics is important to continuously improve the inbound strategy.

1. Boost Enrollment Through
the Power of Inbound &
Content Marketing

2. Today’s Presentation
What is Inbound Marketing?
Student Personas: Foundation of a Digital Content Strategy
Scenario #1 – Visibility & Awareness
Scenario #2 – Nurturing their Consideration & Decision-making
Scenario #3 – Driving Enrollment

3. What is Inbound Marketing?
Potential
students
Potential
students
Potential
students
Potential
students
Potential
students

4. What is Inbound Marketing?
Bring
prospective
students to
your website
where you
can engage
with them.

5. What is Inbound Marketing?
SEO
Bring
prospective
students to
your website
where you
can engage
with them.

6. Why Inbound Marketing?
Today’s
prospective
students are
digitally literate
They expect
meaningful dialogue
and
relationship-building
Inbound marketing
is 10x more
effective for
lead conversion
than ads
76% of marketers
use inbound
marketing
approach as their
primary strategy

7. Student Persona Development Builds Content Strategy
Segment prospects by: Program level, source country, etc. & research their
distinct characteristics:
Education
Professional Interests
Motivations &
Goals
Background
Demographics
Search Behaviors
Challenges
(pain-points)

8. Persona Development: Research Tools
1. Survey your admissions & recruitment team for their insights
2. Survey/poll your students & alumni directly
3. Use journey-mapping to track key touchpoints
4. Conduct market research to better understand what is impacting
decision-making

9. Persona Development: Background Information
The Lifelong Learner
Background
• May be either male or female
• Aged 23-35
• Local professional seeking continuous development
• May have recently moved to North America or Europe
• Will hear about (School Name) through social media or online
research

10. Persona Development: Motivations
The Lifelong Learner
Motivations
• Is looking to improve their academic qualifications to improve job prospects
in a time of economic uncertainty
• Mostly focused on academic outcomes, but welcomes the opportunity to meet
new people and learn new skills with like-minded individuals
• Wants a school that has robust curriculum and qualified instructors
• Seeking a school that offers ample resources to help graduates find new jobs
Their motivations
drive your messaging
of
digital marketing
content.

11. Persona Development: Concerns
The Lifelong Learner
Concerns
• Nervous about the quality of instruction they’ll receive
• Worried about having the dedication required to study and master an
entirely new skill/trade
• Concerned about the ability to takes these courses while still working in their
existing job
Your messaging
can be focused
to overcome key barriers
to applying / enroling

12. Persona Development: Key Messages
The Lifelong Learner
Motivations
• Wants a school that has robust curriculum
and qualified instructors
Concerns
• Nervous about the quality of instruction
they’ll receive
Our School offers an extensive curriculum, and our
teachers are local professionals in their trade
Our School’s instructors are required to be active in their
professional category and also master our instructor
training curriculum
Key Messages

13. Create Targeted Content
The Lifelong Learner
Concerns
• Concerned about the ability to take these
courses while still working in their existing job

14. Poll #1
Do you use Student Personas
to target specific audiences?
YES NO

15. Customize Inbound Marketing to a Prospect’s Stage
in their Journey from Inquiry to Enrollment

16. Inbound Scenario #1 – Building Visibility & Awareness

17. Blog Building Strategy
• Based on Persona research...
• Share about the student experience, job
market info, professions of recent grads
• Showcase teachers (& the learning
experience), student & recent alum stories
• Gain respect & loyalty
• Become a thought-leader, build trust ….
never a salesperson.

18. Student-generated Content for the Awareness Stage
• Invite current students to share their
personal experiences
• Ask students to contribute content in
multiple languages to recruit overseas
• Offer inside access to prospective
applicants
• Provide motivation to prospects who
may be “on the fence”

19. Social Content Sharing Workflow
Share on Twitter
Publish content
on your website
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Facebook

20. Sponsored •
Share on LinkedIn
Publish content on your website
● Use your social media post like an
advertisement
● Extend your reach beyond those who
follow you
● Increase awareness of your school,
brand, specific program
Social Content to Boost Awareness
1. Schedule boosted posts
(monthly/ quarterly)
2. Budget $$ for each boost
on schedule

21. Differentiate Yourself with Social Content
Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn
Publish content on your website
What can your
school offer
that no one else
can?

22. Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn
Use Logos, Video Tours & Event Promotion

23. Poll #2
Does your digital strategy
take into consideration where potential students
are in their ‘buyer's journey’?
NOT
CONSISTENTLY
NO
YES

24. Inbound Scenario #2 – Providing Answers, Solutions, and
Engagement Opportunities

25. Social Media Drives Decision-making
Use Social Media to
Research Products
54%
More Likely to Purchase Products
Based on Social Media Referrals
Source: GlobalWebIndex

26. Motivations & Concerns Drive Decision-making Content

27. Engage in a Conversation or Chat

28. Monitor Social Activity

29. Continuously Invite Them to Virtual Tours

30. Invite Them to Info Sessions to Answer Their Questions
Create
Facebook
Events

31. Email Marketing
Email Drip Campaign: Send a scheduled series of carefully customized
messages over time through an automated CRM
Each message is crafted
with your personas’
unique needs & goals
in mind
Start simple
with an
auto-response
Build your relationship
over time
Include
Calls To Action
in every email

32. 32
Email: Personalize your Correspondence
Design is branded
Sign-off is personalized
& professional
Call To Action
Personalize Greeting & Content

33. Email Workflows Drive Consideration & Decisions
EXAMPLE LEAD WORKFLOW

34. Measure your Emails & E-Newsletters

35. Not All Audiences Have the Same Behaviour
Most registrations occurred
from recruitment efforts
after the prospect first
inquired about the program.
In other words, they required
nurturing

36. Inbound Scenario #3 – Inbound Drives Enrolment

37. Provide CTAs for Each Stage

38. Convert “Apply” Into a Virtual Admissions Assistant

39. In-Person (online) Campus & Course Review

40. In-Person (online) Campus & Course Review

41. In-Person (online) Campus & Course Review

42. In-Person (online) Campus & Course Review

43. Poll #3
Do you use CTAs on your website
for each stage of your enrolment journey ?
YES NO

44. Understand your audience. Build a Content Strategy.
Match Content to Stages: AWARENESS • CONSIDERATION • DECISION • ENROLMENT
Provide useful content they can trust. Be a thought-leader.
Boost posts to reach new audiences
Engage your audience with events and web tools like VAA
Measure your results to continuously improve
Conclusion – Essentials of Inbound Marketing

45. Drawing to Give Away
“Inbound Marketing”
to
One Lucky Attendee

46. Our Offer to You:
FREE Assessment of
Your School’s
Inbound Presence
CLAIM YOUR
FREE ASSESSMENT

47. Free Inbound Marketing Consultation
Scott Cross
North America Regional Manager
514-312-3968 x 117
scross@higher-education-marketing.com
Lara Chuang
North America Client Representative
514-312-3968 x 115
lara@higher-education-marketing.com

48. Free Inbound Marketing Consultation
Francois Derouet
Archie Pollock
European Client Representative
UK Regional Manager
archie@higher-education-marketing.com
Tel: +44 795 797 4939
Chris Dargiewicz
European Client Representative
chris@higher-education-marketing.com
Tel: +48 600 554 333
fderouet@higher-education-marketing.com
Tel: +33 66209 2522