A few months ago while reading an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution online (www.ajc.com), I ran across an ad for the EMBA program at Mercer University. Mercer happens to be my alma matter, so I was intrigued. I couldn’t resist the temptation to click to see how Mercer was using this ad to acquire inquiries.
The ad was linked directly to the University’s main page for the Stetson School of Business. Since things like inquiry acquisition for higher education is among the things we do on a daily basis at DemandEngine, I couldn’t help but notice several things about Mercer’s approach:
1. From the prospective students’ point of view, there were no clear next steps. I was left to wander around the website and hopefully discover the information I needed and ways to contact the University, if needed.
2. Looking at this from the University’s perspective, there was no way to link this awareness building effort to actual prospective students that can be recruited. Enrollment marketing is different from branding – the goal of the former being to generate a well-qualified response from an inquiry that can be cultivated to enrollment. This ad, even though it clearly raised the awareness level of Mercer’s EMBA program, did not directly support an inquiry acquisition strategy.
3. From experience, I can tell you these ads cost a lot of money. Given that both the prospective student and the University were unable to engage with each other immediately as a result of this ad, the marketer in me is left to wonder about the value of this ad buy.
So what could have been done differently?
First, with any type of online advertising, it is best to link the ad to a landing page instead of a general website or webpage (this goes for paid search marketing as well as “banner” ads on sites like www.ajc.com). An effective landing page contains the following:
1. Concise information about your program/product;
2. A clear call to action;
3. A form for the inquiry to self-identify immediately on that page.
Next, making a specific offer to prospects is a proven way to compel prospects to self-identify. And I stress the word specific. In my work with paid search marketing and website offers, I’ve seen everything ranging from the upcoming term catalog for professional development offerings to white papers or articles relevant to the course of study work very well to lift response. By providing a specific, tangible piece of valuable information to your prospect, you motivate them to engage with you now instead of putting it off to later.
Finally, to immediately begin cultivating the inquiry,
communicate with them instantly via email.
Capture the email address on the landing page, use an automated response message
to deliver the offer electronically, and an automated email series to continue
the dialog with the inquiry. This approach positions you to not only acquire
the inquiry, but also deepen the relationship as they start to move through
their consideration process.
The takeaway today? Resist the temptation to focus solely on awareness building if you’re in the business of enrollment. You’ve got to link your advertising efforts to mechanisms to capture the inquiry. Give prospects what they are seeking, make it easy for them to raise their hand to express interest, and then immediately cultivate the relationship to move them through to enrollment.
Questions or thoughts? Post a comment below.
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